Already the pound-for-pound and pay-per-view King in the United States, with an excess of seven million pay-per-view buys and total revenues approaching half a billion dollars, Floyd “Money” Mayweather has been untouchable through 41 professional fights, making him the biggest boxing attraction of this era.
For his Sept. 17 showdown with WBC Welterweight World Champion “Vicious” Victor Ortiz, which takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. and will be produced and distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View in the United States, Mayweather has his sights set on conquering the world.
“I love all of my British fans and I appreciate all of their support throughout my career,” said Mayweather. “It is my dream to eventually fight in the U.K. but in the meantime, tune-in to STARPOWER on Saturday, September 17 when I step back in the ring to face a very tough challenge in Victor Oritz. It will be an extremely exciting fight and another Mayweather experience for everyone to enjoy.”
“Floyd is a major sports and entertainment attraction worldwide and his record-breaking box office and pay-per-view success is a testament to the power and value of his name and business franchise,” said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO Mayweather Promotions. “He takes his next step towards all-time boxing greatness, continued global recognition and commercial success on September 17 when he faces Victor Ortiz. We expect this fight to follow the amazing achievements of his past performances.”
“Floyd Mayweather has become a major crossover brand in the United States, which is evidenced not only by his pay-per-view and box office revenue numbers, but also by the fact that he has one of the largest fan followings on social media websites of any athlete,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, co-promoter of the Sept. 17 mega-event. “It’s clear that Floyd’s reach is global, so it is only fitting that he is setting out to capture the global pay-per-view market and continue to break records. It is our goal to help him achieve the ‘unachievable’ and bring the great sport of boxing into new and unchartered territories.”
With Mayweather currently sporting nearly 1.5 million followers on Twitter, almost 650,000 Facebook friends and a very interactive website (www.floydmayweather.com), the demand to see his mega-fights live has increased to the point where his bout against Ortiz, will be distributed in 170 countries. In addition to the United States, some of the countries airing the “STAR POWER” via pay-per-view are the United Kingdom, Puerto Rico, Australia, New Zealand, Bermuda, Curacao, Canada and, for the first time, French-language Canada.
Fans in the United Kingdom can watch “STAR POWER: Mayweather vs. Ortiz” live on Primetime, channel 480 on Sky, Virgin on Demand and streamed live via the website www.primetimelive.co.uk. Existing Sky customers can buy through Box Office. New customers must register beforehand online at www.primetimelive.co.uk or by calling 0871 200 4444. Virgin customers Press home > More on Demand > Live Events. The fight will cost £14.95 and a small one-off registration fee will apply for customers new to Primetime.
This sets the stage for the 34-year-old Mayweather to set even more records, something that the six-time world champion in five weight divisions specializes in.
He already owns the record for the largest number of pay-per-view buys for a single night when he defeated Oscar de la Hoya in a 2007, reaching nearly 2.5 million homes. The Las Vegan also holds the record for the highest average number of pay-per-view buys per fight of any fighter, active or retired. When you consider the legends who have made their mark on the sport over the years like De La Hoya, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, Floyd Mayweather is clearly an all-time great and definitely in a league of his own.
