By Jake Donovan
The promotion remains a battle of egos, but another hurdle has been cleared in moving forward with the big May 2 event in Las Vegas, Nevada. Floyd Mayweather was cleared for a boxing license by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the last required step on his behalf to proceed with his upcoming titanic showdown with Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Mayweather was required to appear before the commission as standard requirement for any fighter over the age of 35 seeking a boxing license—original or renewal—in the state of Nevada. His request was met with unanimous approval by the NSAC five-person panel during the commission’s monthly agenda hearing Tuesday morning in Las Vegas.
The item was the first on the list of the agenda, but was slightly delayed and allowing for the commission to move on to other business due to Mayweather joining via telephone a few minutes late.
Former 154 lb. titlist and lifelong Vegas resident Ishe Smith was also granted a license, clearing the way for his place on an April 30 card in Vegas. Smith will face Cecil McCalla in the main event of a special edition of ESPN2 “Friday” Night Fights, airing on a Thursday evening as part of Mayweather-Pacquiao fight week.
Tuesday’s hearing marked the first time that Mayweather was asked to speak before the commission since his well-publicized hearing last September. The pound-for-pound and box office king was required to clarify concerns over incidents captured by Showtime cameras prior to his rematch win over Marcos Maidana.
The concern from the commission was more regarding Mayweather’s status as a promoter and gym owner. Depicted on screen were reports of boxers fighting for as long as 31 minutes without a rest period, and also Mayweather in the presence of others smoking marijuana.
Mayweather insisted all of the incidents captured on screen during Showtime’s All Access series were heavily edited for the sake of sensationalism, also suggesting that it was a prop and not actual marijuana in his presence. The excuses were accepted by the commission, though further destroying any lingering credibility that came with boxing reality series.
Mayweather was joined by Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. This time around, both were required to answer questions regarding Mayweather’s status as a licensed promoter, and also if his past issues of domestic abuse are, in fact, in the past.
The reigning undefeated welterweight and junior middleweight king was forced to briefly serve in prison after accepting a plea bargain arrangement, following charges of abuse against Josie Harris in September 2010. The incident was witnessed by two of their children, including Mayweather’s son who would have been forced to take the stand had the matter gone to trial.
Instead, Mayweather plead guilty to reduced charges and no-contest to two separate counts of harassment. The jail sentence he received, however, was suspended long enough to fulfill obligations for a May ’12 showdown with Miguel Cotto. The ruling was that the bout was important for the health of an otherwise declining Las Vegas economy, with the event doing big numbers.
Mayweather won by unanimous decision, claiming a 154 lb. title in the process. It was his last fight on HBO PPV, as he shocked the boxing world with his announcement of joining the SHOWTIME family shortly after his release from prison.
Four fights have followed, including the most lucrative Pay-Per-View event in history when Mayweather outpointed Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez to claim the World lineal 154 lb. crown, in addition to his already serving as welterweight king. The event raked in more than $150 million in PPV revenue and $20 million at the live gate, both of which are box office records.
Most industry insiders expect Mayweather-Pacquiao to massacre all current marks, assuming that tickets eventually go on sale. Among the records in pursuit include the most units sold for a PPV event. Mayweather also owns that record as well, with more than 2.4 million buys registered for his May ’07 split decision win over Oscar de la Hoya.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
