Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid athletes this year had a gaping hole without boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. “Money” was No. 2 on our list last year with earnings of $65 million behind only Tiger Woods, but didn’t fight during the 12-month time period we looked at this year.
When Mayweather doesn’t fight, he doesn’t get paid as his income is derived entirely from his ring career. He helps attract sponsors like AT&T, Dewalt Tools and Tecate to sponsor his fights, but Mayweather doesn’t have individual endorsements. Mayweather announced today on Twitter that he is getting back into the ring: “My fans have been waiting long enough. Floyd Mayweather vs Victor Ortiz. Sept-17 2011 for the WBC World Championship.”
He is likely to see a payday of at least $25 million when all of the pay-per-view receipts are counted. Mayweather has acted as the promoter for his recent fights which leads to a bigger payday, and Mayweather Promotions will promote the Diaz fight as well. Mayweather’s legal troubles (he has had several run-ins with the Las Vegas police over the past year) won’t interfere with the fight as his next court date is scheduled for October 20.
Could Mayweather’s return to the ring after a 16-month layoff help push us closer to the fight that every boxing fan wants to see? Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao would be the biggest fight in at least ten years. Each fighter could probably expect a record payday of at least $50 million. How can I guy nicknamed “Money” turn down $50 million?
Source: forbes.com
No comments:
Post a Comment