Back when Floyd Mayweather fought Conor McGregor in a cross-codes battle, the “Money” man asked UK broadcasters for the most significant Pay Per View price of all time.
According to Eddie Hearn, Mayweather hoped to charge fans a whopping £100 ($130) to view his fight with McGregor on Sky Sports Box Office PPV in 2017.
The Matchroom boss, who worked exclusively with Sky Sports and Sky Sports Box Office before linking with DAZN, believed the figure Mayweather is holding out for was doubtful.
He explained that Floyd’s request was unlikely to be sanctioned by his TV partners due to a maximum limit.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER PPV
“Mayweather wants the price to be £100,” Hearn told GQ. “The price will be within the same realms as it always has. I don’t set the price. My gut feeling is £19.95.
“If it went to £24.95 – I can’t see it, it wouldn’t be my decision. Certainly, broadcasters at Sky won’t want to go beyond £19.95. That is their price point,” he added.
In a previous article written at that time, WBN predicted anything over £24.95 would have fans in an uproar. The usual fee for top-notch events is Hearn’s previously mentioned £19.95.
For the one-off showpiece, £24.95 was reasonable enough. However, Mayweather didn’t have to strike a deal with BT Sport / BoxNation to get his wish to charge more in the end.
He had to settle for the lower end of £19.95 due to the battle not involving a UK fighter.
FURY vs. JOSHUA
Now, with Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua in jeopardy over the site, could Sky Sports Box Office be persuaded to break that cap to save the fight.
If Fury vs. Joshua took place in the UK this summer, possibly in late July or August with almost a full capacity of fans, two things could help.
One would be to charge fans double the usual price to boost gate receipts. The other would be to hike the PPV price to £49.95 or beyond.
British fight fans are so passionate about Fury vs. Joshua happening and want so much for the battle to happen at home. They would surely fork out extra to keep it in Blighty.
Something to think about for Hearn, who now has to convince Bob Arum, Frank Warren, and Fury that the undisputed unification is salvageable.
Arum canceled the summer event earlier this week due to continued delays from Hearn over the venue.
