Floyd “Money” Mayweather, 35, will make his return to boxing in 2013 on SHOWTIME PPV, this comes as a shocker to the boxing world because of how loyal Mayweather has been to HBO which has been his home for several years and where he generated record breaking pay-per-view numbers. According to Forbes magazine, the undefeated Mayweather is not only the best boxer in the world, he is also the highest paid athlete in the world, and averages 1 million buys every PPV.
The SHOWTIME/CBS deal is not the first time a superstar boxer was lured over from HBO, in the 90’s Mike Tyson jumped from HBO to SHOWTIME, and recently Manny Pacquiao went to SHOWTIME when he fought Sugar Shane Mosley. Unlike Pacquiao’s deal which was only one fight, Mayweather signed a long term agreement to fight six fights, beginning with the May 4, 2013 Cinco De Mayo card against Robert Guerrero.
HBO has been on top of the boxing pay-per-view world for years, but SHOWTIME’s long-term acquisition of Mayweather will make them a key player again in the PPV market. Considering the length of the contract and Mayweather’s age, it’s likely that he will retire on SHOWTIME.
