The Mayweather-Pacquiao fight is shattering all revenue records - sponsorship on Pacquiao's shorts alone is worth $2.3 million
The highly-anticipated boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquaio on Saturday will likely go down as the biggest in history, on a number of counts.
All signs suggest the fight - which has been five years in the making - will break the all-time pay-per-view sales record - despite it costing between $90 to $100 to watch the bout live on TV.
For venues such as bars and restaurants, there will be at least a $20 cover charge ($20 multiplied by the fire capacity of the venue) to show the fight. Buffalo Wild Wings said that would equal around $5,100 per restaurant, which is too expensive for most of its franchises. But many other locations and homes will be showing the fight, generating around $300 million in US, Canada, and Puerto Rico alone, according to sports market research firm Repucom.
In addition, a further $13 million is expected to be made from closed-circuit international broadcasts, with networks predicting a further $35 million will be made in box office sales, according to Repucom.
The sponsorship numbers are equally meteoric
Pacquiao's promoter and president of Top Rank Todd duBoef told ESPN.com that their contracts with five title sponsors will add $13.2 million to the money generated by the fight, shattering previous records.
Tectate beer won the title sponsor rights to the fight, with an estimated $5.6 million bid, according to Repucom. The Tectate logo will be featured on the center of the ring mat, and on signage in and around the venue.
Aside from the title sponsorship, Repucom says the limited space available on fighter's apparel is also being snapped up by advertisers. Manny Pacquaio's shorts alone will carry sponsorships worth approximately $2.3 million, generated by six brands.
The minimum overall sponsorship with Pacquaio (which takes in more than just his shorts) was set at $1 million, according to ESPN.
Only the Super Bowl really compares in the one-off sporting events space in terms of sponsorship - Pepsi paid "upward of" $7 million a year for its half-time show rights, according to a 2012 NBC report. However, Pepsi has a wider 10-year sponsorship agreement with the NFL, worth an estimated $90 million per season, so it's likely the half-time show is packaged up within those rights.
During the ad breaks, movie studios have snapped up expensive ad slots. Trailers being aired will include "Terminator Genisys," "Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation," and "SouthPaw," ESPN reports.
Repucom provided this infographic which demonstrates just how big a money maker the super-hyped Mayweather-Pacquiao fight is set to be.
