by Edward Chaykovsky
Last week, Floyd Mayweather Jr. officially announced that a deal was reached to face Marcos Maidana in a welterweight unification on May 3rd. Neither Mayweather nor Golden Boy Promotions revealed the venue or location in any of the official press documents.
Rumors began to spread that Barclays Center, located in Brooklyn, were making a very generous play to secure the Mayweather-Maidana clash. Very few insiders actually believe the venue was capable of landing the fight - especially when taking into account the huge monetary factor of Mayweather having to pay city and state taxes to New York.
The last time Mayweather fought outside or Las Vegas was in November of 2005. And his last eight fights were held at the MGM Grand.
So it was no surprise when Mayweather announced on Wednesday, via his social networks, that his Showtime Pay-Per-View fight with Maidana was heading to the MGM Grand.
"We are honored to host another one of Floyd Mayweather's epic championship fights at MGM Grand," said Richard Sturm, president of Sports and Entertainment for MGM Resorts International. "The MGM Grand Garden Arena has been Floyd's home for many years and he always thrills the fans inside the Arena and those watching worldwide."
"We are so delighted that Floyd will be fighting at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for the 12th time," said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions. "It is truly Floyd's home away from home and as we always say, when Floyd fights at MGM Grand, it stands for 'Mayweather gets money' because of his ability to sell every seat in the house."
"Floyd Mayweather will be coming home once again on May 3 when he faces Marcos Maidana at MGM Grand in Las Vegas," said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. "With 11 of his previous fights being held at MGM Grand, Floyd has become the venue's greatest sports franchise, so it is only fitting that he face one of his toughest challenges here in his adopted hometown of Las Vegas."
Mayweather has fought and won some of his most memorable battles at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, including wins over Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto and most recently Canelo Alvarez last September. This will be the ninth consecutive time that Mayweather fights at MGM Grand and 12th appearance overall.
Mayweather is known for breaking records every time he steps into the ring as evidenced by his appearances at MGM Grand as well as the facts outlined below:
Mayweather's last five fights have been sellouts.
Mayweather's September 2013 fight against Canelo Alvarez shattered gate records totaling more than $20 million.
MGM Grand displays Mayweather "Home of the Champion" banners on the exterior of the building.
The official weigh-in for the Mayweather vs. Canelo fight in September at the MGM Grand Garden Arena set a record of more than 12,000 fans in attendance, making it one of the biggest weigh-ins in the history of the sport.
It is very rare for events to use souvenir tickets, but it is a Mayweather standard to create tickets with a fight graphic. At his last fight against Canelo, Mayweather had artist Richard Slone develop a one-of-a-kind piece printed on all of the tickets.
Tickets priced at $1,500, $1,000, $750, $550 and $350, not including applicable service charges and taxes, go on sale Saturday, March 8 at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets are limited to eight (8) per person with a limit of two (2) at the $350 price range. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
