Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather inks massive deal with Showtime pay-per-view

Floyd Mayweather Jr. (center) is hoisted up after beating Miguel Cotto by unanimous decision at MGM Grand Garden Arena. (Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports)

While the exact figures have yet to be released, boxing’s biggest attraction has officially taken his show on the road. After fighting exclusively on HBO for the better part of a decade, Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather has been shown a lot of money by Showtime.

The new deal is said to be easily into the six- or seven-figure mark.

Mayweather’s first fight on his new network will be on May 4. While there had been speculation as to whom the sports biggest draw would be fighting, the rumors had been put to rest when Mayweather himself revealed that interim titlist Robert Guerrero would be his opponent.

The following is a press release issued by Mayweather Promotions, via Fight Hype.

LAS VEGAS (Feb. 19, 2013). Undefeated eight-time world champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather, boxing’s pound-for-pound king and the highest paid athlete in the world (Forbes, 2012), has entered into a groundbreaking pay-per-view deal with Showtime Networks Inc. and its parent company, CBS Corporation. Under the new deal, SHOWTIME PPV® will collaborate with CBS Corporation to comprehensively promote Mayweather’s events on the CBS Television Network and via the corporation’s expansive media platforms.

The deal-a unique revenue-sharing arrangement between SHOWTIME PPV and Mayweather-will enable him to fight up to six times over a period of 30 months, with the first mega-event taking place on May 4, 2013, when Mayweather will fight Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero. More details of this upcoming event will be announced shortly.

Mayweather’s new deal is by far the biggest in the sport of boxing (specific financial details are contractually confidential). Mayweather is the PPV king and averages over 1 million PPV buys per event, which is the highest PPV buy average of any boxer in history. At this record-setting PPV performance level, if all six fights contemplated by this deal occur, it will be the richest individual athlete deal in all of sports.

With the new contract, Mayweather can continue to place $3,000,000 bets on college football games.

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