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It’s been awhile since I can remember a boxing match getting so much hype. But when Floyd Mayweather is involved, it’s really no surprise. The guy epitomizes his ‘Money’ moniker and fight fans around the world are interested to see if he can run his undefeated streak to 45-0 with a victory over Canelo Alvarez. The intrigue of this fight mainly lies with the fact that Alvarez is also undefeated (42-0-1). So with these two unblemished fighters set to square off while raking in millions of dollars along the way, many are calling this the fight that could save boxing.
I’m still not sure whether it’s even fair to call boxing a dying sport. When you look at the kind of money it makes, it’s actually pretty astounding. The live gate for this fight alone, is going to be almost $20 million. On top of that, it’s going to do huge pay-per-view numbers. It seems unlikely that ‘The One’ will top the all-time record of 2.4 million buys set back in 2007 by Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya. But in terms of dollars, this fight could set the record when you consider the average price of a PPV buy has gone up to anywhere from $60-75, depending on video quality and provider.
As far as what this fight could do for the sport in terms of national relevance, it has the potential to go along way towards putting boxing back into the minds of sports fans everywhere. But one big fight simply isn’t enough to propel a sport to the height of its hay day. It’s just not possible. However, if the fight pans out, and especially if Alvarez wins, boxing could be put back on the map in a big way.
Here’s to hoping the bout isn’t a flop and that fans across the world are reminded just how great boxing can be.
Related:
Could a Loss Lead to Mayweather Retirement?
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