Mayweather stripped of the welterweight World Title!
Floyd Mayweather Jr. won't be given the welterweight title that he had won after beating Filipino Manny Pacquiao earlier this year as he failed to comply with the rules. Mayweather missed a deadline by which he had to pay a sanctioning fee of $200,000 from the fight. He also failed to return the junior middlewight title which he previously held.
Manny Pacquiao defeated 'golden boy' Oscar De La Hoya in 2008 to establish himself as one of the best fighters in welterweight division. Rumours about a Floyd Mayweather and Pacquiao fight were strong with the experts expecting a showdown in 2011. The talks broke down previously since Mayweather wanted a 60/40 revenue-split. Duo's reputation and peoples expectations have made it 'Fight of the Century'.
Apart from being a professional boxer, Manny Pacquiao is an elected member of the Philippine House of Representatives, an actor, a singer and a television host.
The two boxers met during a NBA match in Miami. The two were seen talking and exchanging numbers to discuss the terms of their fight personally. Experts termed their possible match as 'the most lucrative' and awaited match in boxing history. Pacquiao's contract with HBO/Time Warner and Mayweather's contract with CBS/Showtime may be causing a delay in the fight.
The dates for the 'Fight of the Century' were confirmed close to 5 years after the first discussions were held between the two boxers. Both the stars confirmed the news of their fight to be held on May 2 at Las Vegas. The match will be at welterweight limit of 147 pounds. WBO, WBC and WBA titles will be on line in the fight.
US viewers would have to pay $100 to watch the super fight, making it the most expensive pay per view boxing match in the history. The telecast rights of the fight in US are with HBO and Showtime. The previous most expensive fight was between Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez in 2013 whose pay per view rate for US viewers was $64.95.
Tickets of the fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao were sold out within 60 seconds of being available. The website crashed moments before the ticket launch due to heavy traffic. Of the 16,800 total seats at the venue, 1,000 were made available to the fans. Remaining tickets are with the promoters, sponsors and the casinos. Tickets ranged from £1,000 to £5,000 per seat.
Floyd Mayweather extended his unbeaten streak to 48 matches by beating Pacquiao in the "Fight of Century'. The fight was held at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Arena with a crowd capacity of 16,800. Three judges unanimously declared Mayweather as winner on points. At £350 million, it was pegged as 'the richest' fight in boxing history. Mayweather got close to $180 million for his victory.
