Finally the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight is upon us. Once the official weigh-in takes place all that’s left is for the boxers to step into the ring tomorrow night (May 2). The fight, pitting the two biggest draws in boxing today, is projected to obliterate all PPV records. Here are five reasons why Mayweather-Pacquiao will go down as the most successful PPV event of all time.
1. It’s the fight the fans wanted: No fight in recent memory has been more in demand by boxing fans more than Mayweather-Pacquiao. This fight has played out in fans’ minds for the better part of five years, and viewers would have turned their backs on any other PPV events featuring the two fighters against other opponents. This is the fight fans called for, and millions will pay $89 to $99 to watch it.
2. A heavyweight social media presence: Some observers are calling the fight the first true social media-driven PPV event. Both Mayweather and Pacquiao have huge social media followings, and those fans can’t get enough Tweets, digital videos and photos of the two fighters. It’s not a stretch to predict that by fight time #MayPac will be among the top trending subjects on Twitter.
3. It’s must-see TV: Live sports programming is virtually DVR-proof, and events like ESPN’s January college football championship telecast have already set ratings records in 2015. The enormous publicity surrounding the fight will compel both hardcore and casual boxing fans to tune in live to see and discuss every punch round-by-round.
4. Major marketing muscle: If you’ve watched virtually any TV sports event over the past week you couldn’t escape the massive marketing push built around the fight by co-promoters HBO and Showtime. The two networks have done a terrific job in getting the word out, and consumers will respond in kind.
5. Pent-up energy from fight fans: The PPV industry hasn’t offered a PPV boxing event since November 2014 so fans are itching for a big event. Add the fact that there hasn’t been a major PPV boxing match where both fighters had huge star appeal among both hardcore and casual boxing fans since the 2007 Mayweather-Oscar De La Hoya fight, and you’re looking at a record-setting payday for all parties involved.
