Recently boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather announced that he was leaving long time parter HBO for their rival, Shotime. It is alleged to be the most lucrative individual contract in all of sports. It is a 6 fight deal over a 30 month period. I have heard rumors that the contract is allegedly worth well over 200 million, but this is just conjecture as nobody really knows the exact figures. But, is this contract really all it is hyped up to be? Just because there is a lot of money involved does not mean that the contract is good for Floyd. Part of the terms of this contract is that the six fight deal happens within a 30 month period. So Floyd must have these 6 fights in a 2.5 year period, and keep in mind, these are pay per view fights, which involves promotion of the fights. For someone who has been fighting one fight a year, this is a big change. A lot of fights in a short time, which will undoubtedly take its toll.
Let us assume that the Guerrero fight is tougher than expected, but wins as he is expected to, he will have a short time with which to rest, but then his next fight will be announced and the promotion of it will begin. He will then have to begin training camp, which means after his fights now, he cannot go out partying for nearly a whole year until his next fight. I think this puts an unbelievable amount of stress on Floyd, and if he does not fulfill the terms of the contract by fighting 6 times within that 2 and a half year period, then he does not make nearly as much money. So it is a great deal for Shotime, especially if he does not fulfill the terms.
It seems as if Floyd is banking on taking little to no punishment during these fights, which, if you have seen his recent fights, is an impossibility. We have to remember that Floyd had an extensive amateur career that saw him fight around 200 fights. He is also 36 years old and has clearly showed signs of slowing down. He is far more flat footed and easier to hit than before, making him far more exciting of course. However, even not knowing the figures, I think Floyd is getting a raw deal. He made 45 million in his lone fight in 2012 against Miguel Cotto, if he kept up that for six fights, he would have made nearly 300 million dollars, guaranteed. This new deal, however, is based on him completing the 6 fights in the allotted time period of 2 and a half years, meaning if he does not, he will make much less than before, quite a gamble.
Floyd certainly believes in himself enough to sign this contract, and maybe Shotime will allow him to continue hand picking beatable opponents and avoiding any real competition. Keep in mind, its was a few years ago that Cotto was branded as a shot fighter being well past his prime, and yet he was competitive to the final bell against Floyd, another indication that Floyd, while still great, is not the man he used to be. In my opinion this deal will only serve to speed up the aging process and end Floyd's career far sooner than if he continued fighting one fight a year at 45 million a fight.
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