Boxing

FLOYD MAYWEATHER sold an astonishing £1.2BILLION worth of pay-per-view sales during his unbeaten career. And remarkably, almost 50 per cent of the total box office buys came in just TWO fights.

Mayweather, 44, has headlined 17 American PPV events, with his first coming in 2005 against Arturo Gatti.
It was a breakout night for the future legend, outclassing Gatti – who sadly died in 2009 aged 37 – over six rounds.
They sold 340,000 PPVs earning £12m – which is only a small fraction of what Mayweather would go on to generate.
For the final fight of his historic 50-0 career, Mayweather beat UFC superstar Conor McGregor, 33, in a lucrative crossover bout over ten rounds in 2017.
Their combined fanbases collectively came together and 4.3m PPVs were sold in the US, collecting a massive £275m in total.
Only Mayweather’s 2015 points win against long-time rival Manny Pacquiao, 43, topped those numbers.
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The ‘Fight of the Century’ was years in the making and pitted the two best boxers in the world against each other, admittedly at the backend of their careers.
Nevertheless, it sold a record 4.6m PPVs on Showtime and with a massive revenue of £300m.
That means for Mayweather’s wins over Pacquiao and McGregor alone, £575m was made, making up nearly half of the total money made from PPVs in his career.

Other highlights included a 2007 win over Oscar De La Hoya, which had 2.4m box office buys, making £100m.
It also marked the last time Mayweather would be on the B-side of negotiations, dethroning the Golden Boy that night to become boxing’s top attraction.
Just six years later and De La Hoya, 48, would attempt revenge with Canelo Alvarez fighting in his honour.
Floyd Mayweather beat Oscar De La Hoya in 2007Credit: AFP
Canelo Alvarez lost to Floyd Mayweather in 2013Credit: Getty – Contributor
But Mayweather gave the Mexican star a boxing lesson over 12 rounds in a fight which sold 2.2m PPVs and made £110m.
In similar fashion, despite defeat, Canelo, 31, would soon take the reigns from retired Mayweather as the sport’s pound-for-pound best.
Mayweather is yet to return to professional boxing but has continued to enhance his wealth in the ring.
It was only in June he returned for an exhibition bout with YouTube star Logan Paul, 26, which sold 1m PPVs and raked in £37m.
And his fortune could soon rocket again with Mayweather in talks with another YouTuber, 20-year-old Money Kicks, for an exhibition in Dubai.
Mayweather beat Manny Pacquiao in 2015Credit: Reuters
Mayweather beat UFC superstar Conor McGregor in 2017Credit: Getty More

FLOYD MAYWEATHER’S coach is still ‘very optimistic’ the boxing legend WILL return to professional boxing and put his ‘flawless record on the line’.Mayweather officially retired in 2017 after beating UFC superstar Conor McGregor and extending his record to a historic 50-0.
Floyd Mayweather’s coach is ‘very optimistic’ he will return to put his ‘flawless record on the line’Credit: Reuters
Gerald Tucker, left, pictured next to Floyd MayweatherCredit: Sean Michael Ham/ Mayweather Promotions
But it was NOT the final time fans saw pay-per-view king Mayweather in the ring, as he has fought in two exhibition comebacks since.
Mayweather’s most recent was a Miami spectacle against YouTuber Logan Paul, when Gerald Tucker served as the American icon’s head trainer.
The two are now in camp together again for another exhibition against Dubai’s Instagram star Money Kicks.
And Tucker warned with so much money to be made, it will not be Mayweather’s last exhibition match.
But in a stunning twist, the boxing trainer is quietly confident a motivated Mayweather could one day return for real, and defend his unblemished record in a professional boxing fight.
Tucker said: “I think he’s going to fight a couple of times every year.
“It’s great money and there’s people like me, huge fans of Floyd’s style that want to see him in the ring just displaying his skills, that are unmatched in the history of the sport.
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“I think he’ll do that just for people like me. But, I’m also optimistic we may see Floyd fight one day.
“I’m not giving up any secrets or anything, I’m just hopeful, I feel it.
“Nothing from anything he’s said, just from the way he looks in the gym and how easy it is for him to beat people up in sparring.
“And I mean guys who could become a world champion in the next year or two.
“So yeah, I’m very optimistic we’ll see him in the ring one more time and put his unbeaten, flawless record on the line.”
Mayweather, 44, first returned in Tokyo on December 31, 2018, beating Japanese featherweight kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa, 23, in one round.
Then last June he was taken the distance by Paul, 26, who weighed TWO STONE more in the eight-rounder.
I’m very optimistic we’ll see him in the ring one more time and put his unbeaten, flawless record on the line.Floyd Mayweather’s coach Gerald Tucker
Now, Mayweather is in talks to face another YouTuber in 20-year-old ‘Money Kicks’ on February 20 on top of a Dubai HELIPAD.
Money Kicks – real name Rashed Belhasa – has only one year and two celebrity bouts worth of boxing experience.
But Mayweather, who always prided himself on perfection, will never let his gold-standards slide, no matter who the opponent.
Tucker said: “A lot of people who have reached that elite-status level in their careers are the same, they care about their name, their legacy, how they looked each and every time.
“No matter what the circumstances, you’re going to care how you look and be self-satisfied.
“That’s why you never catch him slipping, he’s always working out just in case.
“We call each other on FaceTime between camps and we’ll be on the treadmill or we’ll be outside running, just staying in shape.
“He’s always ready, he’s taking it as seriously as if it was a real fight.”
Floyd Mayweather training with Gerald Tucker before his exhibition with Logan PaulCredit: Instagram More

ANTHONY JOSHUA is ready to accept a step-aside deal to allow Tyson Fury to fight Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed title. British superstar AJ had planned to rematch the Ukrainian, having been dethroned of the WBA, IBF and WBO belts in September.
Anthony Joshua is ready to accept a step-aside deal to allow Tyson Fury to fight Oleksandr UsykCredit: Getty
Oleksandr Usyk beat Anthony Joshua in SeptemberCredit: PA
But talks are ongoing over  multi-million pound offers for Joshua, 32, to step aside to allow Fury, 33, and Usyk, 35, to clash for all the belts in the Middle East.
And SunSport understands AJ is open to accepting a deal, with his price believed to be £15million.
It would also allow the two-time champion the chance to take an interim warm-up fight under his new coaching team.
Joshua is yet to confirm whether he will completely switch his training squad or bring in additions to the camp.
Together with head coach Rob McCracken, the pair have won Olympic gold and achieved unified titles in the professional ranks.
But AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn has admitted it could now be time for a change of approach with Joshua heading into a must-win return.
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WBC champ Fury is mandated to fight fellow Brit Dillian Whyte but the contender is in a legal row with the sanctioning body over his  20 per cent split  of the purse.
Whyte, 33, would also need to receive a fee for what would allow the first-ever, four-belt heavyweight unification.
The WBC mandatory challenger is said to be in line for a £5m pay-off if he agrees.
Fury’s US and UK promoters, Bob Arum and Frank Warren, have both admitted Usyk is the opponent they most want to work towards a deal with.

Warren declared: “It’s a saga but if we can keep things between us, we can get something over the line one way or another.
“We are still working on things but I believe over the weekend we will make some progress and then have something to announce.
“Everybody in boxing wants to see the undisputed fight between Tyson and Usyk, I want to see it just as a fan.
“So that is the fight we are trying to make.”
Tyson Fury is in talks to fight Oleksandr UsykCredit: Rex More

TOMMY FURY is getting ‘itchy knuckles’ and vowed to get ‘straight back in the ring’ after recovering from his broken rib. The former Love Island star was left gutted having withdrawn from his celebrity grudge match with YouTuber Jake Paul in December.
Tommy Fury vowed to get ‘straight back in the ring’ after recovering from his broken ribCredit: Getty Images – Getty
But Fury, younger brother to heavyweight champion Tyson, is already on the road to recovery and planning on fighting as soon as possible.
He said on Instagram: “So as soon as I can get the all clear for the rib and can go back sparring again and all that other stuff I’ll be straight back in the ring.
“Because I’ve got some seriously itchy knuckles.”
Fury revealed in a separate post: “I’ve got one more scan to go, one more MRI to do with the rib to see where that’s at and to see where how much it’s healed and how much we’ve got left.
“And then after that I can jump straight back into the ring because I’ve already been keeping the weight down, raring to go.”
Fury, 22, was also suffering from a bacterial chest infection when he announced he was out of his fight with less than two weeks to go.
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Tyron Woodley, 39, beaten by Paul, 25, four months earlier on points, subbed in but was brutally knocked out in round six of the Florida rematch.
Fury’s withdrawal means Paul is still yet to fight an opponent with prior professional boxing experience.
The other KO’s on his 5-0 record came against online rival ‘AnEsonGib’, ex-NBA player Nate Robinson, 37, and retired UFC welterweight Ben Askren, 37.
Fury hoped to reschedule the fight but Paul recently claimed he has no intentions of doing so.
Paul told Volume Sports: “He wants the payday.
“But I said it before, I don’t wanna take the fight with him, he doesn’t deserve it. I’d rather fight Tyson Fury.
“I’ll fight his brother or his dad before I’ll fight Tommy.”
Jake Paul brutally knocked out Tyron Woodley in their rematchCredit: Showtime More

TYSON FURY backed a prime Mike Tyson to knock out ‘pair of p****s’ Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk. Joshua was outpointed by Usyk over 12 rounds in September, losing his unified WBA, IBF and WBO titles.
Mike Tyson pictured in 2000Credit: Reuters
Oleksandr Usyk beat Anthony Joshua in SeptemberCredit: AFP
And while most considered it a boxing masterclass, the division’s youngest ever champion had an alternate view.
Tyson, who first reigned aged 20, tweeted at the time: “After watching the Joshua vs Usyk fight, maybe they had a bad day that night.
“From that performance do you really think they could have beat me in my prime?”
Fury, only responding to the comment now, posted: “@MikeTyson you would of (sic) chinned the pair of p****s.”
Tyson, 55, made a remarkable comeback in November 2020 and drew in an exhibition with fellow American legend Roy Jones Jr, 52.
He vowed to return again and even opened the door to a remarkable fight for the ages against Fury, 33, or Joshua, 32.
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But right now, AJ is set to rematch Usyk, 35, following his loss in London last year.
Meanwhile Fury is still stalled in negotiations with mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte.
Whyte, 33, is only set to receive 20 per cent of the purse split, a decision he has appealed.
It has seen the purse bids continuously pushed back as the WBC confirmed the latest delay.
They tweeted: “The @WBCBoxing has received requests from both sides @Tyson_Fury & @DillianWhyte to extend the free negotiation period which has been granted.
“If there is no agreement a purse offer ceremony will take place on Wednesday January 26.”
Tyson Fury with his WBC beltCredit: Reuters More