Philipines’ Manny Pacquiao and American Floyd Mayweather Jr.will fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 2nd, in what it expected to be a mega-event on the boxing scene. Ticket sales are expected to break all previous financial records and the two protagonists will meet on March 11 during a press conference to promote their clash.
Mayweather and Pacquiao will get togetherin May at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas after years of negotiations to make the fight possible. The two boxers are perhaps the most accomplished figures of their generation in the sport. Pacquiao, 37 years-old,has a 57-5-2 record, hitting 38 knockouts and has claimed titles in 8 divisions, while Mayweather, 38 (47-0, 26 KOs) won 5 titles.
Pacquiao, or “Pac Man”,has been preparing at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles with his 14-year coaching partner Freddie Roach, but hasn’t limited his training to the iconic Hollywood venue. Recent video footage displays the fighter showing his shadow-boxing skills to people passing by on LA streets. Pacquiaohas been boxing since he was 16, and he recalled being paid $2 per match for “Blow By Blow”a TV show in the Philipines in his early career. A resident of Santos City, he got elected for congress twice and is currently holding office.
With an estimated net worth of $100million, Pacquaio only lost 5 times throughout his professional career. Many pundits have suggested that maybe the two fighters set to clash in Vegas are past their peak, but the Filipino rushed to disperse such rumors, claiming he is “100 per cent confident” in his victory in May. “It’ll be as good of a fight as it would’ve been five years ago,” Pac Man said.
Floyd Mayweather started boxing when he was 9, coming from a family of boxers. He is worth $280 million, is 3kg heavier than his future opponent and impressively, has never lost a match in his career. He will be training for the event at his own facilities in Vegas.
Normally, a boxing event of such magnitude is intensely promoted prior to its launch. But in the Pacquaio-Mayweather match, the fight is so big, that none of the participants believes thatit’s a necessity to spend time promoting it.
Their names alone bring the necessary weight to carry the event through. Ticketprices for the mega-fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena Hotel, Las Vegas, start from $1,250 going up to $6000 ring side. It is rumored that tickets could be sold for around $100,000on the black market.
The common press conference they will be holding on Wednesday in Los Angeles is supposed to be their last eye-to-eye contact prior to the May 2nd gala.