Floyd Mayweather Jr. connects to the chin of Manny Pacquiao late in their fight Saturday, May 2, 2015, at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015 | 10:45 a.m.
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The outrageous predictions for how much money the fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao would generate were not astronomical enough.
Official numbers from the bout, which saw Mayweather defeat Pacquiao by unanimous decision on May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, spread Tuesday morning and came out even higher than expected.
The long-awaited superfight set practically every record. Pay-per-view sales totaled 4.4 million purchases, nearly 2 million more than Mayweather’s split-decision win over De La Hoya in 2008 that held the previous record.
Domestic pay-per-view revenue exceeded $400 million, nearly tripling the previous record of $150 million held by Mayweather’s unanimous-decision victory over Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in 2013. Showtime and HBO, which came together to present the fight, report worldwide revenue to eclipse $500 million.
They dispersed the event to 175 countries, which set another record for international distribution.
The local figures were just as jarring. The live gate, as expected, was $71 million or $51 million more than the past high produced by Mayweather vs. Alvarez.
MGM properties sold 46,000 tickets to closed circuit showings, which was more than ever before.
Many may have felt the fight didn't live up to the hype, but no one can claim it fell short of any monetary expectations.
Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.
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