The weekend boxing event dubbed “Fight of the Century” was originally planned for 2010 but due to disagreement on the terms of the fight contract between the fighter’s camps, the fight failed to materialize.
Among the contentious issues that prevented the fight from happening include the fight purse, drug testing protocols, venue of the fight, among others.
Attempts were made to revive negotiations but both parties could not come to terms until 2015 when Mayweather showed up in an NBA Game in Florida to meet with Pacquiao who was then watching the game.
The meeting paved the way for the revival of talks that eventually culminated in an agreement for a May 2 fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The fight is projected to generate over $300 million in revenues. Aside from the guaranteed prize, Mayweather will get 60 percent of the purse while Pacquiao has agreed to settle to 40 percent.
Mayweather, who is unbeaten in 47 pro fights is the current WBC, WBA and Ring welterweight champion. He is also listed as the highest-paid athlete in the world by Forbes Magazine.
Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs) is the current WBO welterweight champion and the only eight-division world titlist in the world.
Early predictions indicate Pacquiao will win by knockout in the early rounds but if he fails, Mayweather will end up winning on points in the later rounds for split or majority decision. The odds show a 2-1 lead in favor of Mayweather.
More than 16,000 people are expected to watch the fight at the venue. Fight promoters are expecting more than three million pay-per-view (PPV) buys, which is higher than the 2.4 million Mayweather-de la Hoya fight PPV receipts.
Two fights in the undercard will be covered in the pay-per-view broadcast. These include the fights between WBO featherweight titleholder Vasyl Lomachenko against Gamalier Rodriguez. Both fighters belong to Top Rank Promotions.
In the second televised PPV bout, super bantamweight titleholder Leo Santa Cruz will face Jose Cayetano., Both are under Mayweather promotions.
