Floyd had historic run
$howtime deal worked out
LAS VEGAS — When Floyd Mayweather signed a sixfight deal with CBS/ Showtime in February 2013 for an estimated $250 million, there were plenty of skeptics.
Would he be worth the money? How often would he fight? Could he find enough quality opponents worthy of payperview dollars? How much would it benefit Showtime?
Some 30 months later, Mayweather was set to fulfill the terms of that contract by facing Andre Berto for the WBC welterweight championship Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Not only will it be the last fight of the sixfight deal, but if you believe Mayweather, it will be the last fight of his 19year career.
“When he signed his deal, he said ‘Six fights and I’m done,’ ” said Stephen Espinoza, VP and general manager for Showtime Sports. “I was as skeptical as anybody six or seven weeks ago that he was retiring. But he sounds pretty definitive to me. He has never responded or seemed open to any discussion about future fights.”
If this is the end of the MayweatherShowtime marriage, both sides said they can walk away happy after an unprecedented sixfight run that has to be viewed as a success. Granted, MayweatherBerto was the least anticipated of the six bouts and expected to offer an underwhelming end to his career. But as a whole, Mayweather and Showtime accomplished more than expected.
The two highlights were his September 14, 2013, bout with Canelo Alvarez which set a payperview record with 2.2 million buys and $150 million in revenue, and his May 2, 2015, fight with Manny Pacquiao that delivered an estimated 4.4 million buys and will generate more than $600 million in revenue.
The Showtime deal began in May 2013 with a win over Robert Guerrero after Mayweather had spent two months in jail on a misdemeanor domestic battery case. He also had backtoback bouts with Marcos Maidana. All five fights, won by decision, generated roughly 10 million in payperview sales and $750 million in revenue. Mayweather made an estimated $200 million on the Pacquiao fight alone.
“It’s worked for us and it’s worked for him,” Espinoza said. “He’s been the highest paid athlete for three straight years under the Showtime deal. That was important to him. The reality is I’ve worked with a lot of athletes. They generally have things in common. They all want to be treated like human beings and not like an asset or a piece of meat. And he wants to be involved and respected in his career. That’s what Al [Haymon] has allowed him to do and that’s what we’ve done.”
In addition, Mayweather has been given creative control over Showtime’s AllAccess episodes and raised his brand through his “TMTThe Money Team” and “TBEThe Best Ever” ventures. He has also used his Showtime deal to establish Mayweather Promotions, which has produced three world champions.
“I want my legacy to be of a remarkable fighter inside the ring and a great businessman outside of it,” Mayweather said. “To be in the sport of boxing and make upwards of $800 million, my team has done their jobs.”
Critics will say Mayweather handpicked his opponents and none of his bouts were epic. He caught Canelo while he was inexperienced and waited until Pacquiao was older and uninspired. They say his safetyfirst style is not crowd pleasing. Yet, Showtime would do the deal all over again.
“If I knew then what I know now, I would have signed it even quicker,” Espinoza said. “He fought two guys most people thought he wouldn’t fight during that time in Canelo and Pacquiao, and to set the new PPV record twice in two years just speaks for itself.”