Floyd guaranteed $41.5M in Canelo fight

MANILA, Philippines – Undefeated American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. will earn a guaranteed purse of $41.5 million for his September 14 showdown against Mexican champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, according to reports from Forbes and ESPN.

Mayweather’s adviser, Leonard Ellerbe, told ESPN and Forbes that the boxer is guaranteed the stunning amount, which shatters the previous record of $32 million, also set by Mayweather when he fought Miguel Cotto and Robert Guerrero.


“Floyd is the biggest star in the sport and the best in the sport, and when you’re the biggest star and you are the best, you get paid the most money. This comes along with the territory,” Ellerbe told ESPN.

Mayweather was the highest-paid athlete in the world in 2012, making $85 million after fighting twice from September 2011 until May 2012.

Mayweather’s guaranteed purses in 2013 will total $73.5 million.

“This record purse shows you three things,” according to Golden Boy Promotions chief executive Richard Schaefer. “No. 1, it shows you how big Floyd Mayweather is, which we all knew. But it shows you that he is not just breaking records, he is breaking them by far. And third, it just shows you how big this fight is with Canelo. It’s insane.”

The purse does not include Mayweather’s share of pay-per-view revenue yet, and Schaefer is confident that the bout will break the PPV record as well of 2.5-million buys, set in May 2007 when Mayweather fought Oscar De La Hoya.

“I have 2.6 million buys in mind,” Schaefer said in the Forbes report. “Records are meant to be broken.”

According to Forbes, when the dust settles, “it will be the biggest payday of Mayweather’s career when all the PPV numbers are tallied.”

As for Alvarez’s purse, ESPN sources said “it is more than $10 million.”

The match has already broken the all-time gate record in the MGM Grand Garden Arena, generating $19.1 million in ticket sales.

Forbes estimates that the gross revenue for the bout “should top $200 million,” and notes that “all the money flows through Mayweather.”

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

De La Hoya expects Canelo to KO Floyd

MANILA, Philippines – Former world champion and now Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar De La Hoya believes Mexican prodigy Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will not just beat Floyd Mayweather, but knock him out cold as well.

In an interview with Boxing Scene, De La Hoya expressed his confidence that the 22-year-old Alvarez can stop Mayweather, the premier defensive fighter of his generation. [http://www.boxingscene.com/de-la-hoya-i-beat-mayweather-canelo-ko-him--69043]

“If he doesn’t knock Floyd out in less than eight rounds, I will be very surprised,” De La Hoya said.

Boxing pundits believe that Alvarez’s youth and punching power make him a threat against Mayweather, but the unbeaten American is still the favorite, thanks to his edge in experience and skills.

But De La Hoya thinks Alvarez can pull off the upset.

“Canelo is so calm and mature. Nothing gets to him,” he said. “He is focused. I tell him to stay focused, and keep pumping your jab. That is the key.”

What De La Hoya is guaranteeing is that the Mayweather-Alvarez clash will be a “good fight.”

“You have the two biggest names in boxing facing each other,” he said. “There will be fireworks. You will see a good fight, a solid fight.”

“You have the guy with the torch, and the guy who is going to get the torch – and everyone knows it,” he added.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com