By Edward Chaykovsky
Top Rank's CEO, Bob Arum, feels the boxing audience is starting to significantly reject the pay-per-view events involving Floyd Mayweather Jr. Arum, who promotes Mayweather's main rival Manny Pacquiao, says the WBC/WBA welterweight champion's buyrate numbers are dropping with every passing PPV event.
“His PPV numbers have been going down considerably. For example his numbers from the Maidana fight were considerably less than the first fight and less than Pacquiao did when he fought [Timothy] Bradley [rematch in April]," Arum told South China Morning Post.
"What that tells us is that people are getting disgusted with Mayweather and his base is eroding, particularly his urban base in the United States because he’s fighting with very popular rap stars, the urban population is not happy with a lot that goes on in his personal life."
Arum agrees with the popular opinions of Amir Khan and trainer Freddie Roach, who view Mayweather as a boxer who is physically declining and starting to show his age.
“Here’s a guy who took on fighters who were pretty good and some not so good but he ducked the one guy that everybody wanted him to fight [Pacquiao]. That’s not good for your legacy. He has no excuses anymore. We saw after that fight [Maidana], he looks 37 and doesn’t look like a kid anymore.”
“He’s not as fast as before, his footwork is not as good and remember against Maidana, he was in with a guy who knows very limited skills as a rough, tough guy."
