At Some Point, We Have To Question Floyd's Drawing Power

In light of Dan Rafael giving estimates that "The Moment" did between 800k and 900k buys, we have to be fair and question his drawing power the same way we questioned Pacquiao's. With that being said, 900k is nothing to scoff at. Very few fighters even reach that number once, let alone having the be labeled a disappointment. But this is Floyd we're talking about, so we do have to watch it a little closer. No number has been confirmed yet, but Im writing this just as a response to Rafael's reports. What makes me say that we have to question his drawing power is that if this number is true, then this fight did exactly what the Guerrero fight did. The problem with that is that this fight actually had a storyline, a selling point, a star studded undercard, and an opponent coming off a high publicized win. If that doesnt do 1 million buys, then I dont know what will. Now, a 15 million dollar gate is great, don't get me wrong. And 900k is still going to bring in around 67,000,000 dollars of revenue, but that's not enough on his terms. So I ask myself why is this happening, why is his drawing power dropping? Or seemingly dropping. Here's what I've come up with. Feel free to disagree or whatever.

1. The Move From HBO to SHO.

Showtime is big, but HBO is huge. As in budgeting, as in subscribers, as in having a very rich boxing history. For the last 25 years, most people who watching premium boxing, watch HBO. Also they seem to do a better job at promoting the fights than Showtime. Showtime seems to be relying 100% on Floyd's drawing power, where as HBO did all they could to promote his fights, thus creating more buys. For example, I live in NY. When the Mosley, Ortiz, and Cotto fights came time, I would see advertisements everywhere. Posters on the bus, on the Subway, at Times Square, on Taxis. I don't get that from Showtime. During the Canelo fight, The Guerrero Fight and the Maidana fight, I barely saw any advertising. So that could be one. I'm happy that Floyd went for the larger money, but I can't help but a think a fight like Mayweather-Canelo would have done better on HBO.

2. Floyd Doesn't Play The Villain As Much/Less Boxing, More Lifestyle

There was a point and time where you would turn on 24/7 and you'd see Floyd trash talking up a storm. Calling his opponents everything your mother told you never to say. But he would train his ass off, and it created the perfect contrast. A guy who talks like he has nothing to lose, but trains like he has everything to lose. In his advancing age, he doesnt talk as much trash. He's more subtle now, then I've ever seen him. I remember watching Floyd talk trash, and then work out like a mad man, and Im sure he still works out like that. But the All Access doesnt show that. It's like they drifted away from boxing, the blood sweat and tears, and focused more on his personal life. All Access Mayweather-Maidana was nice. I enjoyed it. But at times it felt like more of a Reality Show than a Pre Fight Report Card. I think they need to get back to showing what the people care about, the sport.

3. Pacquiao's Fall From Grace

Whether or not anyone wants to admit it, Floyd and Pacquiao are tied to eachother. And they will be throughout history. Seeing that they both excelled in the same generation. But I have to wonder, whether or not the mystery of Mayweather-Pacquiao looking the least mysterious as it ever has with Floyd being the clear better/fresher of the two, has any effect on his stock. It would make sense. Pacquiao's numbers haven't been the same since he got knocked out by Dinamita, and neither have Floyd's. That could be one.

4. Not A Casual Friendly Style/Guaranteed Outcome

I love watching Floyd fight, I've been watching him fight since I was 7 years old, with that being said, I know of plenty of casual fans who find him boring. When you add that with the fact that people are almost sure of the outcome of a Mayweather fight, people might not want to buy into that as much anymore. Casuals bought into Mayweather-Canelo because they thought he had a shot, but after that fight, it's hard to convince the public that anyone else has a shot too.

5. Fighting Once A Year Was A Big Deal

It seemed like when Floyd was fighting once a year, you couldnt miss it, because if you did, you'd have to wait a whole year to see him action again. Present day, he fights twice a year so people at times miss out because they know they can't catch it again soon. It might not feel like as much of an event anymore.

I believe Mayweather-Maidana 2 will push over a million buys with the public interest going up from the first fight. But I thought I should post this just because its some food for thought. I'll wait for the official numbers to be released by SHO/CBS/GBP. But as of right now, Im wondering about Floyd's drawing power. I don't believe Floyd is costing SHO money because most of his added PPV revenue has a PPV incentive. Meaning the money on he receives on the back of his 32 million dollar guarantee all depends on how the PPV does. If the PPV isn't up to par, they dont have to pay him another dime, he isn't owed anything but his guarantee. So with a 15 million live gate, and a 67 million dollar PPV revenue, they'll be fine.

*** I WAS GOING TO MAKE THIS AN ARTICLE, BUT IM HIGH AND I DONT FEEL LIKE SPELL CHECKING AND **** *** PLUS I LIKE BEING ABLE TO SAY **** WITHOUT REPERCUSSION, AND YOU CANT GET THAT ON AN ARTICLE.


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More like. Too Long, Can't Read.

 

nice analysis. I agree with just about everything you said.

 

Hes fought the best of this era. Look at the resume. He beat just about everyone whos anyone, that could have been made. Just because he hasnt been beat and hasnt fought people you think can beat him doesnt mean he hasnt fought the best. This isnt a thread for that anyway. This is a thread about Floyds drawing power. I set up trying to hit this blunt and focus on writing this post for 7 minutes and I wont let you ruin the discussion with your generic, unoriginal, "Floyd hasnt fought the best" bull****. Get out if thats where you're going.

 

I think hes still a huge draw. Even if these numbers max out at 900k