Victorious Mayweather breaks the bank
Champion sets sights on one more fight
Las Vegas — The check was for $100 million, a payday so mind boggling that Floyd Mayweather Jr. couldn’t help but show it to a few reporters when the night was done.
“No pictures, though,” Mayweather said, sliding the check out of an envelope. “Don’t want any pictures of it.”
The check will soon be cashed, adding to the millions Mayweather already has stashed in his bank accounts. It was actually just a down payment for his night’s work, which could total more than $200 million by the time payper-view sales are tallied up.
The richest fight ever wasn’t the best fight ever, but that wasn’t entirely Mayweather’s fault. He did what he usually does Saturday night against Manny Pacquiao in a win that cemented his legacy as the best of his generation, even if he didn’t win any new fans doing it.
Still, the fight will be a tough act to follow if only because of the staggering money it brought in. Hard to imagine Mayweather fighting for a paltry $30 million or $40 million after a night he made history with the richest single payday any athlete of any sport has made.
He says he’ll fight once more in September, then hang up the gloves.
“I don’t really think I’ll miss the sport,” Mayweather said. “I don’t even watch boxing.”
Before a well-heeled crowd of 16,507 that cheered every time Pacquiao threw a punch, Mayweather dominated late once again to pull out a decision win that seemed closer in the ring than it did on the scorecards. Pacquiao even thought he won, though punch stats showed Mayweather landing far more punches and even throwing more than the usually frenetic Filipino.
Pacquiao would blame a shoulder injury suffered in training last month for not being able to throw more right hands. His handlers would blame Nevada boxing officials for not allowing him a shot to numb the shoulder just before the fight, though the excuse rang hollow.
“I cannot use a lot of my right hand but the fight was still good,” Pacquiao said. “What we wanted to do we couldn’t do because of my shoulder. But he’s fast, he’s a good boxer. Give the credit to him. He won tonight.”
Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, said his fighter would like a rematch, but there is little chance of that. Not with Pacquiao’s shoulder injury, and certainly not after the perfect financial storm of a fight that cannot be replicated.
Mayweather said he plans to give up all three welterweight titles he holds so other fighters have a chance at them. That will also make it easier for him to choose an opponent for a September fight that he says will be his last.
But there will be pressure to continue. Rocky Marciano’s record of 49-0 could be broken with two more fights, and the MGM is building an arena on the Las Vegas Strip that Mayweather could open next spring if he keeps fighting.