Floyd Mayweather Net Worth, Projected Pacquiao Purse Earnings, Fight Predictions

Floyd Mayweather is going to go from being an insanely rich man to an absurdly, ridiculously, preposterously rich man for, at most, 36 minutes of work inside a boxing ring on May 2 against Manny Pacquiao.

One of the biggest perks from being involved in one of the most-anticipated sporting events ever is the wealth that comes with it.

It speaks to the enduring star power of Mayweather, as well as his hate-hate feud with Pacquiao, that all these years after the two originally tried to set up a fight and both will make out like bandits. One of Mayweather’s nicknames is “Money,” which isn’t an accident.

Mayweather's Net Worth, Projected Purse vs. Pacquiao

John Locher/Associated Press

When the fight was officially announced in February, ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael reported Mayweather got the better end of the 60-40 split with the match potentially generating up to $400 million:

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In addition to the future Hall of Famers finally hammering out a deal for their welterweight title unification bout -- one that will see Mayweather receive the lion's share of a 60-40 money split in a fight that could gross around $400 million -- rival premium cable networks Showtime, which has Mayweather under contract, and HBO, which has a deal with Pacquiao, went through a brutal negotiation.

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Before diving into the specifics of what Mayweather is likely to end up making from his bout with Pacquiao, let’s establish how much he’s already got.

According to Martin Domin of the Daily Mail, Mayweather has earned in excess of $400 million in his career with a present net worth projected between $280-300 million.

In June 2014, per Forbes' celebrity rankings, Mayweather earned approximately $105 million for his two fights against Saul Alvarez (September 2013) and Marcos Maidana (May 2014). 

The Alvarez fight seems to be the low starting point looking at projections for Mayweather's fight with Pacquiao. Forbes' report broke down the numbers from that September 2013 showdown:

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His September 2013 fight against Canelo Alvarez set records for highest PPV gross ($150 million), live gate ($20 million) and total revenue (roughly $200 million). The Canelo fight marked the second bout in the blockbuster 30-month, six-fight deal he signed with Showtime in 2013. 

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Using the Alvarez match, which generated nearly $200 million, you get a clear idea of how big the Pacquiao fight is going to be. 

Tim Dahlberg of the Associated Press (via Yahoo Sports) reported Mayweather's payout may climb as high as $180 million thanks to more than $100 million expected in ticket sales, foreign pay-per-view rights and sponsorship deals. 

In order for Mayweather to collect the $180 million, Dahlberg noted that for a $100 pay-per-view price tag approximately three million people will have to order the fight. His report mentioned the current pay-per-view record is 2.44 million between Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya in 2007. 

Once the other payouts to HBO and Showtime are worked out, the fight can clear as much as $300 million. With Mayweather getting a 60-40 split of the purse, that's his $180 million. By the end of Saturday, his total net worth can increase by more than 30 percent to $580 million. 

Fight Prediction

Mayweather loves his money, but the one thing that might matter more to him than anything else is that zero that follows 47 in his win-loss record. 

George Foreman, who had his own undefeated streak at 40-0 before losing to Muhammad Ali in 1974, told Bob Velin of USA Today that he doesn't think Mayweather will be able to handle having a defeat on his resume:

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No amount of money in the world can give you . . . there’s something you lose that’s hard to explain. Undefeated fighters, it’s hard to explain, so  don’t count on a rematch at all.  . . . I’ve been where he’s been and I know it hurts. There aren’t any words to (console)  you, people can pat you on your back and tell you they stole the fight, you looked better, but man, you just go somewhere and don’t even know about life itself.

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That's a heavy burden to put on one loss, but Mayweather's reputation is built on being the best in the world. He's said in the build-up to fighting Pacquiao his career is more impressive than Ali's because no one has ever defeated him. 

Mayweather and Pacquiao have very different and distinct fighting styles. Mayweather uses his speed and sliding ability to make opponents miss, attacking them with counter-punching and pinpoint accuracy. 

In 2012, Igor Guryashkin of ESPN.com used stats from CompuBox's Bob Canobbio to show that Mayweather is the most accurate fighter in the sport:

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According to Bob Canobbio, owner and founder of CompuBox -- a computerized scoring system that counts every punch a boxer throws and lands -- Mayweather's average connect rate of 46 percent, compiled during his past nine fights (a "prime" designated by CompuBox), ranks as the best among current active fighters.

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Contrast that with Pacquiao, who uses his speed to aggressively attack opponents with a wild assortment of punches. In the same Guryashkin article, he noted Pac-Man lands on average 21.8 more punches per round than Mayweather. 

However, Guryashkin also noted that Pacquiao gets hit 33.6 percent of the time compared to 18.6 percent for Mayweather. 

Pacquiao's style came back to bite him in the fourth fight against Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao seemed to be winning that fight, but when he moved in for a strike late in the sixth round, Marquez moved slightly to his left and dropped Pacquiao with a right hand square on the jaw. 

Mayweather hasn't been able to knock anyone out since Victor Ortiz in 2011, so odds don't point to this fight ending before the final bell in the 12th round. Until someone proves they have the formula to beat Mayweather, it's impossible to bet against him. 

Mayweather wins by unanimous decision