Arguably, the biggest fight of all time, and definitely the biggest fight of our lifetime..
World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman announced the winner of the long-awaited clash between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao will receive a special belt to highlight the event’s importance.
The WBC’s official site passed along comments from Sulaiman, who also applauded both fighters for putting their legacies on the line to create this superfight:
For this special recognition I would like to have emeralds or platinum, but everything will be defined during the next weeks. This is because of the magnitude of the event, which will be broadcast via TV networks globally.
It came in a good moment and it will be an emotive event. Both are obviously putting their legacy at stake, to prove who’s the best, satisfying an enormous created expectance. They are also competing to be considered one of the best 10 fighters in the entire boxing history.
Boxing needed this type of mainstream attraction—the sport’s two biggest stars finally meeting. As such, this doesn’t seem surprising: According to Scott Spreitzer of ESPN, you must be willing to pay $250,000 to get ringside seats.
Now that the bout is finally set for May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the sport is going to do everything in its power to create additional hype. A new belt to commemorate the high-profile welterweight encounter is just one small part of that process.
ESPN Stats & Info provided the early tale of the tape:
Even though Mayweather enters the fight undefeated (47-0, 26 KOs), Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs) represents a step up in competition from Marcos Maidana, his opponent the last two times in the ring.
Sulaiman wasn’t ready to spill all the details about the new belt quite yet. Given the type of revenue the megafight will generate, you can bet it will be something gaudy.
Syed Mikhail Hussain is fan of all things NYC and Hip Hop. Winner of the sperm race back in ’89. He does a weekly basketball podcast. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at @swishthis.
