Boxing vs. MMA: Mayweather Scores TKO
Jake Rossen Sep 28, 2009
You can spin the figures any way you like, but when it came time
for combat sports fans to spend $50 on an event September 19,
Rich
Franklin had absolutely nothing on Floyd Mayweather.
According to a report filed by Kevin Iole of Yahoo -- with numbers both loosely and specifically quoted from Dana White and Golden Boy promoter Richard Schaefer -- Mayweather’s bout with Juan Manuel Marquez rung up one million purchases; the UFC allegedly did less than half that.
The victory stung White, who had made his own bed by repeatedly knocking the attractiveness of the boxing bout. White, like others, doubted Mayweather’s drawing power in the absence of Ricky Hatton or Oscar De La Hoya. But Mayweather is one of boxing’s craftiest self-marketers: stints on “Dancing with the Stars” and the WWE helped popularize his image as a personable tactician. On HBO’s “24/7” series, his boasts are so inflated that he’s got a fair number of people tuning in to see his mouthpiece go flying.
Mayweather works the system with a mouth as motorized as White’s: the difference is, we can watch him fight.
As previously noted in this space, Franklin is one of the UFC’s least effective pay-TV draws, while Mayweather is boxing’s current hot topic. It wasn’t exactly a fair fight. But with possible fights against Shane Mosley and Manny Pacquiao in 2010, it’s clear his brand is just as viable as the UFC’s.
According to a report filed by Kevin Iole of Yahoo -- with numbers both loosely and specifically quoted from Dana White and Golden Boy promoter Richard Schaefer -- Mayweather’s bout with Juan Manuel Marquez rung up one million purchases; the UFC allegedly did less than half that.
The victory stung White, who had made his own bed by repeatedly knocking the attractiveness of the boxing bout. White, like others, doubted Mayweather’s drawing power in the absence of Ricky Hatton or Oscar De La Hoya. But Mayweather is one of boxing’s craftiest self-marketers: stints on “Dancing with the Stars” and the WWE helped popularize his image as a personable tactician. On HBO’s “24/7” series, his boasts are so inflated that he’s got a fair number of people tuning in to see his mouthpiece go flying.
Mayweather works the system with a mouth as motorized as White’s: the difference is, we can watch him fight.
As previously noted in this space, Franklin is one of the UFC’s least effective pay-TV draws, while Mayweather is boxing’s current hot topic. It wasn’t exactly a fair fight. But with possible fights against Shane Mosley and Manny Pacquiao in 2010, it’s clear his brand is just as viable as the UFC’s.
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