Mayweather vs. Cotto Sells 1.5 Million Pay-Per-View Buys and Kills Pacquiao Bout

Floyd Mayweather vs. Miguel Cotto has sold over 1.5 million pay-per-view buys according to figures released by HBO and presented by Boxing Scene.

These figures make Mayweather-Cotto the second-highest grossing non-heavyweight PPV of all time. The record holder is Mayweather's 2007 bout with Oscar De La Hoya, which sold over 2.4 million PPV buys.

With that said, is the 50-50 deal between Mayweather and rival Manny Pacquiao now officially dead? Pacquiao has stated that he wants 50-50 of all revenue if he is to face Mayweather.

Mayweather retorts that he deserves the lion's share, not Pacquiao. His defense is his ability to sell more PPV buys. Mayweather-Cotto helps to build his case, but does it mean Mayweather is right?

Here are the two sides, the yes and the no, presented as to whether Mayweather has provided a clear case for him to receive the bulk of the money if ever he should face Pacquiao.

Floyd Mayweather Earns More, Deserves More Against Manny Pacquiao

Floyd Mayweather earns higher pay-per-view buys than Manny Pacquiao against similar opponents—including 950,000 against Ricky Hatton, 1.4 million against Shane Mosley, 1.5 million against Miguel Cotto and a record-breaking 2.4 million Oscar De La Hoya.

Pacquiao earned only 850,000 against Hatton, 1.3 million against Mosley and 1.25 million a piece against both Cotto and De La Hoya.

Men lie, women lie, numbers don't. Mayweather can just keeping making money with nearly whoever. Pacquiao is only given inside fights with fellow Top Rank fighters like Antonio Margarito.

These fighters can give Pacquiao a slight challenge or even a good fight, but that doesn't matter. Their name can't help Pacquiao sell PPV buys. Mayweather has rising Brit Amir Khan, among others.

Unless Pacquiao can earn an astronomical amount against Timothy Bradley on June 9, he should be ready to give up a majority share of the PPV revenue to make the fight with Mayweather happen.

Manny Pacquiao Earns as Much and Deserves a 50-50 Share Against Floyd Mayweather

Manny Pacquiao can earn just as high as Floyd Mayweather. In the case of one opponent they share, Pacquiao earned significantly higher pay-per-view buys.

Against Juan Manuel Marquez, Pacquiao netted 1.4 million PPV buys during their third match of a trilogy this past November. Mayweather earned only one million against Marquez during his 2009 comeback.

Pacquiao's sales of 1.3 million were only a hair behind Mayweather's 1.4 million against Mosley. Pacquiao's loss of 100,000 in sales could be attributed to the shellacking Mayweather gave Mosley a year prior.

Even with that unattractive loss, Pacquiao still generated 1.3 million. That's amazing. Mayweather had a Mosley that was coming off an exciting knockout and could only manage 100,000 more.

Pacquiao sold 1.25 million PPV buys against a Miguel Cotto that was essentially without a responsible trainer and was still reeling from a loss to Antonio Margarito a year prior.

The Cotto Mayweather fought was a redeemed Cotto coming off his revenge win against Margarito in the highest-selling recent PPV without Pacquiao or Mayweather.

Now, to say De La Hoya or Mayweather truly caused their match to become the 2.4 million selling phenom that it was is being naive.

Think back. This was the first HBO 24/7 and Mayweather was on Dancing with the Stars. Everything that could be done was done to promote the fight.

24/7 was still a novelty, new and honest and engaging. People couldn't help but not only tune in, but believe they'd get a big show worth catching.

A record-breaking amount of people will tune in to see Mayweather-Pacquiao not because their favorite fighter is fighting, but because they now it will be a spectacle.

If Mayweather wants to put on the greatest spectacle he could possible achieve, he must concede to make a 50-50 deal or else Pacquiao will move on and they both shall have tarnished legacies.