Mayweather-Pacquiao: A 52-48 Purse Split in Favor of Floyd Might Get It Done

By Giancarlo Malinconico: It has leaked from several sources that Floyd Mayweather is now demanding a bigger share of the revenue split if a bout is to emerge with Manny Pacquiao. A 52-48 split in favor of Mayweather seems to be the perfect resolution to the purse-split dispute between “Money” and Pacquiao for a mega showdown later this year. Although both parties must still agree on a cutoff date for random blood testing, 52-48 might work because Floyd would be receiving the bigger revenue share while Pacquiao would still earn much more money than he would in a bout with Antonio Margarito, or any other fighter for that matter.

Bob Arum deserves much of the blame for the failed negotiations earlier this year, and for the selection of the lackluster Joshua Clottey as Pacquiao’s opponent, while gaining a promoter’s fee from both fighters rather than having Manny face a bigger name. A Pacquiao-Margarito bout would do nothing for Manny’s legacy, and Floyd knows it.

A 52-48 split is the best way to get the bout signed. There are some ways in which Arum could make up some of the 2%: Arum could take a pay cut. A 52-48 purse split works because it allows Floyd to brag about receiving the bigger purse, and it allows Pacquiao to end his career with the biggest bout in boxing history, solidifying his legacy, if he is victorious, as one the greatest of all time if not the greatest.