Tonight, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will finally square off in the ring and answer some burning questions that have been plaguing the boxing world for years:
Who's the greatest welterweight on Earth? Can two fighters in their late 30s live up to the hype surrounding this match? Will Mayweather really bail out Suge Knight if he wins? And most importantly, will Justin Bieber invite Selena Gomez to the fight?
Needless to say, there's a lot at stake.
And in addition to the fight serving as both a testing ground for Jelena (seriously) and a weird trial-by-combat for Suge, there's the small matter of the hundreds of millions of dollars that will change hands during what's being called the richest night in sports history:
"Everyone talks about the money, the money, the money," Mayweather said in a recent press conference. "I want the fight to live up to its magnitude. That's what it's really about."
Ironic words coming from a man who's been the sports world's highest earner for the past three years and has appropriately rocked the nickname "Money" for even longer.
FYI, Floyd, the reason everyone is so preoccupied with the cash is because there's a mind-boggling amount of it wrapped up in tonight's bout.
Never mind the over $ 100 million that Mayweather and Pacquiao each stand to earn just for stepping into the ring; the real cash will go to the venue, promoters, casinos and cable companies who helped bring this match-up into existence. (This is Vegas, after all, where the house always wins.)
Check out the slideshow above for an idea of just how much will be at stake when the bell rings tonight.
No matter who emerges victorious, of course, both men deserve a world of credit: Pacquiao for escaping unimaginable poverty to earn a nine-figure payday, and Mayweather for once again giving new meaning to his well-deserved nickname.
http://ce.ivyrc.com/mayweather-pacquiao-by-the-numbers-win-or-lose-everybodys-getting-rich/
