There have been instances in the past when Mayweather would come up with credible story lines that fired up boxing fans resulting in insurmountable demand for pay-per-view as well as ticket sales for his fights.
A case in point was his fight against Manny Pacquiao which was more than five years in the making. When it was time to decide, Mayweather knew exactly how and when to monetize his plans. One of his rare talents is knowing exactly when the plan is ripe for implementation. To him, timing is very important in decision-making process.
In the Pacquiao bout, Mayweather started hyping the fight by claiming Pacquiao was taking performance-enhancing drugs which was the reason why he was knocking out every opponent his promoter had put in front of him. At the same time, Mayweather picked up a media fight with his former promoter Bob Arum, who now promotes Pacquaio to spice up the raging illegal drugs issue.
Mayweather’s claim angered millions of Pacquiao fans as the Filipino superstar denied Mayweather’s allegations. Soon thereafter Mayweather’s fans joined the fray leading to verbal assaults on social media between the contending fans.
Mayweather claimed Arum was milking Pacquiao and suggested his ex-promoter steps aside so the fight can proceed with Pacquiao fighting under his own Mayweather Promotions. This angered Arum but Mayweather prevailed by allowing Showtime and HBO to jointly stage the fight with his company as lead promoter. Mayweather was then under a six-fight contract with Showtime while HBO had a working arrangement with Arum for Pacquiao fight coverage.
But more than his timing wizardry, Mayweather knows how to get the fans fired up’ by engaging them in social media like Twitter, Instagram or Shots with words or images that suggest he is the better fighter and that Pacquiao belongs to the B-side. Again, the comparison gets the fans all fired up with neither side giving up on who is indeed the better fighter between them.
In the case of the much talked-about rematch, Mayweather is trying to gauge the magnitude of the proposed second fight. First, he said that for the right price, he may consider fighting again.
“For the right price, I may come back.,” Mayweather told the Los Angeles times last June.
While in Rio de Janeiro scouting prospective fighters for his outfit, Mayweather said he is old to fight again.
“I’m an old man,” he said, laughing. “I’m treating my body good, being smart. I was still able to compete at the top level for 20 years. I’ve done a lot in boxing. I just want to give back to young champions right here,” Mayweather said.
Mayweather is expected to issue statements that are intended to draw reaction or feedback from the fans with regards to the proposed rematch.
As soon as Mayweather sees a real public clamor for the proposed rematch based on the inputs he is getting as a result of his public statements, he would be in a position to decide if it would still be financially viable considering his revenue expectations.
