HBO announced the number of pay-per-view ("PPV") buys for the Mayweather/Marquez bout and the news is good for everyone, even Bob Arum.
At least one million purchases were registered by the cable giant and the comparisons to Manny Pacquiao's last two PPV events commenced immediately.
The Associated Press reported the Mayweather/Marquez PPV numbers made it only the fifth non-heavyweight contest to draw more than a million views.
And although Floyd Mayweather is now part of two out of the five, it was widely assumed that in his other million-selling event, Oscar De La Hoya's presence in the ring with Mayweather was the driving force behind an astounding 2.4 million purchases.
HBO's Ross Greenburg told the Associated Press that Mayweather has become a terrific marketer of his own services, citing his "Dancing With the Stars" appearances and endorsement deals.
Prior to HBO's announcement, the spin of the Mayweather/Golden Boy camp was that the final numbers for the PPV would justify Mayweather's insistence on more than a 50-50 split of revenue from a proposed Mayweather/Pacquiao fight.
They were ignoring the in-person gate at the MGM Grand which fell short of the attendance at Pacquiao's fight against Ricky Hatton in May by 20%.
And now, there are reports that Bob Arum, a Mayweather antagonist, is pleased with the 1,000,000 views. Michael Marley, New York Boxing Examiner interviewed Arum and says he's happy that the boxing match outdrew the UFC 103 event that same weekend on PPV. Marley's article can be found, here.
This ramps up pressure on the Pacquiao camp to score big numbers for its upcoming PPV of his bout with Miguel Cotto.
Photo Credit: Associated Press, R. Bowmer
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