Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: Superfight Generated Record PPV, Gate Revenue

As expected, the long-awaited fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao did not struggle to generate revenue.

Arash Markazi of ESPN provided the official press release, which notes that the fight had 4.4 million pay-per-view buys, generating more than $400 million in domestic revenue, with $500 million expected worldwide:

The news came on the heels of the Nevada State Athletic Commission also announcing that the bout set a new record for gate revenue at more than $72 million.       

Dan Rafael of ESPN passed along the confirmation from the commission, also noting the number of tickets sold for the event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena:

The question really wasn't whether the fight would set records but rather what the final numbers would look like after months of hype. Interest in the bout actually dates back years, but failed negotiations between the two boxers prevented them from facing off earlier in their careers.

Mayweather ended up winning a pretty mundane fight by unanimous decision. Those expecting a brawl were left disappointed, as the undefeated American once again implemented his defend-and-counter strategy perfectly to keep Pacquiao at bay. 

Brad Botkin of CBS Sports provided comments Money made during an interview with Jim Gray on Showtime, in which he retracted a previous offer to have a rematch with Pacquiao. 

"Did I text Stephen A. Smith and say I will fight him again? Yeah, but I change my mind," Mayweather said. "At this particular time, no, because he's a sore loser and he's a coward. If you lost, accept the loss and say, 'Mayweather, you were the better fighter.'"

Pacquiao revealed after the fight that he was dealing with a shoulder injury, for which he has since had surgery. Only he knows how much of a difference that made during the mostly lopsided loss.

The good news for boxing is the hype allowed the fight to sell tickets and draw pay-per-view buys for huge money. The next question is where the sport goes now that the bout everybody wanted to see is in the rearview mirror.