Boxing: Mayweather and Alvarez prove money and lust rule the ring

Floyd Mayweather Jr. (L) and Canelo Alvarez (R) pose during the official weigh-in for their bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena

They call him Money. Yes, the name of this proliferating religion is also now the name of a man. Floyd Mayweather, the boxer with the 44-0 (26 KO) record has an array of even more impressive records with the cash register. No man has ever made it ring harder and he is all set to get it ringing again tonight when he slugs it out against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez at the MGM Grand. The charade of civilization that cloaks our grand species comes apart at the seams strained by a lusty blow. Estimates abound, but promoters of the fight between the two men expect that the short joust between the two men shall yield a handsome $200 million payout.

There are some that believe boxing doesn’t deserve to be a sport. But it is a philosophical leaning that stands not a chance of standing up to the moneyed might of the bloody ring. The alluring sight of two fully grown men knocking each other out of their senses with only the padded gloves for protection underlines the lust for ghoulish gore that excites a vast majority.

To his credit, Mayweather hasn’t lost in the ring in 17 long years. That in itself takes plenty of pluck and talent. In boxing, that translates to foot speed, agility, focus and brute power. The sculpted muscles of Mayweather and his ability to retain hunger and shape for long unlike the biggest stars before him have enabled the American to script a tale that might last beyond the man himself. Besides, he is known for his uncanny ability to use his defensive skills to avoid being struck any inconvenient blows.

If there could be such a thing as a purist in a decadent pursuit, he would agree that the world has seen far superior talent. But the beastly men before Mayweather had neither the sophisticated ability of Floyd to create a legend nor access to a growing market of eyeballs that thirst for a bloodied mess. It is a sizeable market too – MGM sold out inside the first 24 hours after putting the tickets on sale.

The last big fight, between Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya in 2007, earned gate receipts of $18.4 million. The event tonight is billed “The One”. Do not ask them why, but it is already living up to the billing. MGM has banked $19.9 million in quick time, breaking the 2007 record with effortless ease.

Ever since the venue sold out, the promoters – Mayweather Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions and Showtime – have been racking up the miles, going about town luring multiplexes, eager to pay pay-per-view audiences, spending in excess of $2 million to hype the bout.

The power of money bared its fangs when the Alvarez camp finally spilled the beans over the long rumoured issue of weight. The Mexican is already a big star in his land, having shown the promise and exploits to work his way into the minds of a large mass of Latino followers. However, he has been practising his craft in the Junior Middleweight call (154 – 160lb).

In contrast, Mayweather has fought consistently at 147lb, firmly in the Welterweight class. The boxer with rock star appeal is a world champion over five categories. When he takes on Alvarez, there will be three different versions of the World Light Middleweight titles on the line. But most importantly, one of the two men will walk out with the bitterness of his first loss lingering at the top of his mouth.

The fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Canelo Alvarez at the MGM Grand Garden Arena has been dubbed ‘The One’

Alvarez has a 42-0 record, built largely on a sucker punch that has debilitated his opponents so far. Experts reckon though that Alvarez has yet to meet a man with the skills of Mayweather, who is supposed to be a defensive genius. He is known to wait patiently, relying on his world class defensive skills, till his opponent is worn down and beaten by the sheer effort.

There is as much betting interest on whether the fight can break the Floyd-De La Hoya records in terms of revenues as there is about the prospect of Alvarez handing his senior his first defeat. The 2007 bout drew in PPV revenues from nearly 2.5 million homes, a number that might prove too tall for even tonight’s battle dubbed “The One” to decorate the man that still remains unbeaten after tonight.

Alvarez at 23 is at the prime of his powers, but it remains to be seen if he has what it takes to outsmart his experienced opponent, who is thirteen years his senior. The Mexican weighed in at 152lb, one of the pre-conditions on the contract, having lost weight to fight the smaller sized American. Mayweather gained a few pounds, even as Alvarez lost some, to tip the scales at 150.5lb.

But much of the narrative around this event is about money. This is the second of Mayweather’s ‘30 month – six fights’ deal with Showtime/CBS, reputed to be worth nearly $250 million. The man who topped the Forbes chart of richest athletes last year on the back of a couple of nights’ work – $40 million for fighting Victor Ortiz and $45 million for taking on Miguel Cotto – is all set to rake in a guaranteed $41.5 million just for showing up.

PPV receipts, share from the gate receipts and closed circuit revenues are all expected to take his earnings from Saturday way higher. And this is the most disconcerting part – that the audience, promoters, the seven world renowned sponsors and television networks are willing to shell such large sums of money for a fist fight in a garishly lit up ring.

And that indeed is the reason why Alvarez was happy to go into the ring even at the cost of shedding some of his weight and sacrificing his chances of victory. Richard Schaefer of Golden Boy suggested on ESPN that the 23-year-old is set to make in excess of $12 million for sharing the ring with Mayweather. It is a pity that the young man is willing to compromise his chances of success at the altar of money in a pursuit that ceased being sport a long time ago.