After a persistent back and forth on whether the fight would ever actually take place, the “Fight of the Century” is officially on between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
The fight was delayed multiple times based on disagreements between the two boxers’ camps on terms for the fight. Issues such as purse split, drug testing, and location teased boxing fans time and time as the fight looked like it may never happen. The plan finally came to fruition on February 20th, 2015, when all nagging issues were resolved, and Mayweather confirmed on social media that both fighters had signed off on the fight. Barring an unforeseen event, the contest will take place on May 2nd, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao is an eight-division world champion. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. remains undefeated and is a five-division world champion. Mayweather (47-0, 26 KO) is going against Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KO) for the Unified WBA (Super), WBC, WBO and The Ring Welterweight title. Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao tickets are in high demand and are going for a minimum of $6,616 on ticket marketplace Ticketbis.com.
Pacquiao is supposed to be the biggest threat to Mayweather’s undefeated streak, as he was the Fighter of the Decade for the 2000s by the BWAA, WBC and WBO. He most recently won Fighter of the Year in 2009, awarded by The Ring and BWAA. The average ticket price to see Pacquiao across all of his fights sold on Ticketbis is €2,065 ($2,199).
Pacquiao’s international influence is part of his allure, as he was elected to the House of Representatives in the Philippines, representing the province of Sarangani. Pacquiao is a powerful enough of a name to draw international audiences to Las Vegas. According to international ticket reseller Ticketbis, the top countries buying tickets to see Pacquiao fight in general are the Philippines at 40%, and Mexico and Russia and 20%, followed by Thailand, Hong Kong and the USA.
This is one of the most hyped up sporting events in this boxing era. Not since Oscar De La Hoya fought Mayweather in 2007, or when Evander Holyfield fought Mike Tyson in 1997 has a fight had this much build before the athletes squared off in the ring.
