Is Mayweather really that big a draw?

**Ishy Aytan** · 01-10-2009, 12:26 PM

Originally posted by texanballer

In boxing we all know Floyd Pretty Boy Mayweather is the biggest draw in boxing, or at least one of the biggest. But how big of a draw is he really? I am talking in terms of people paying to go see him live in an arena.

These are his mega fights.

Mayweather-Hatton. I think around 80 percent were pro Hatton and traveled half way around the world to see Hatton.

Mayweather-De La Hoya. Larry Merchant "About 90 percent of the crowd is pro de la hoya"

Judah-Mayweather. Good crowd this could be the fight where he was the draw or the combination of a great undercard it had.

Mayweather-Gatti. 12k plus sold out at the Boardwalk Hall. Gatti's popularity and fight style in that area generated the live attendence. Mayweather fought Demarcus Corley in the same arena and didnt bring in half of what the gatti fight did.

If Mayweather fought Pacquiao, Margarito, or Hatton, or even Cotto. Wouldnt it be safe to say Mayweather is NOT the draw in these fights because we all know just about everyone in that crowd will be Filipino, Mexican, British, or Puerto Rican

Discuss

Yep, have to agree with you... But Mayweather will be the only one who opposing fans will travel to watch their fighter face.

For example, The Hatton fans wouldnt had travelled in such large numbers if he wasnt facing Floyd. The same goes with the De La Hoya and Gatti fans. They travel because they want to see their favourite fighter to beat Mayweather.

**Texanballer** · 01-10-2009, 12:29 PM

Originally posted by Ishy Aytan

Yep, have to agree with you... But Mayweather will be the only one who opposing fans will travel to watch their fighter face.

For example, The Hatton fans wouldnt had travelled in such large numbers if he wasnt facing Floyd. The same goes with the De La Hoya and Gatti fans. They travel because they want to see their favourite fighter to beat Mayweather.

I think that is only true for the Hatton fight. Around 6k came over to see Malignaggi which i think is half of what went to Mayweather. But Gatti has sold out the Boardwalk hall in his last several fights before Mayweather. And we all know De La Hoya sold out crowds against all fighters of recent years

**boxasmash** · 01-10-2009, 12:30 PM

mayweather on his own sells nothing, its his opponents who get the draw.
thats why mayweather has to act like a phony spoilt child to get attention and make people want to see him lose.

**Low Blow Armo** · 01-10-2009, 12:36 PM

Originally posted by boxasmash

mayweather on his own sells nothing, its his opponents who get the draw.
thats why mayweather has to act like a phony spoilt child to get attention and make people want to see him lose.

Yup. Mayweather has no drawing power. It was Gatti's, De La Hoya's, and Hatton's fans that made those fights big.

Ray* · 01-10-2009, 12:48 PM

I think the name Mayweather is so big at the moment that anything attach to it (Boxing -related) would draw up interest, Whether its negative or positive it still drum up interest......So yeah he is a draw but it really takes 2 big names to tango most times.

**Eric Holder** · 01-10-2009, 01:20 PM

Floyd's a great fighter but his star power is vastly overrated

**MANGLER** · 01-10-2009, 01:23 PM

Originally posted by boxasmash

mayweather on his own sells nothing, its his opponents who get the draw.
thats why mayweather has to act like a phony spoilt child to get attention and make people want to see him lose.

Bingo. PBF's style didn't make him a star, so he had to create a bad guy persona to do it. He'd have to be in against somebody people thought had a realistic chance of knockin him out to draw a big crowd.

**The Gambler1981** · 01-10-2009, 01:28 PM

I think that is an over simplification. Floyd vs anyone is a huge huge fight (arguably the biggest fight angainst any of his possible opponents). It takes 2 people to make a huge fight not 1, so while Oscar and Hatton really had the fans come for them Floyd also plays a role because he is a huge name opponent (also he is a villian as opposed to the hero). I can not really say what role Floyd played in getting fans to the arena paying very high prices, but I am sure he had more then a 25% effect.

Now with Floyd comming off retirement, Floyd really has not lost any shine in the boxing world (or hatred from the people who dislike him). I think Floyd is bigger now then at any point in his real career, atleast in the boxing world (he has not done **** in a while so his real fame may have gone down, but I am sure he still has some decent name recognition in the outside world). Any of those fights you listed are huge fights, and all of them require both stars to make them as big as they are.

Ray* · 01-10-2009, 01:37 PM

Originally posted by The Gambler1981

I think that is an over simplification. Floyd vs anyone is a huge huge fight (arguably the biggest fight angainst any of his possible opponents). It takes 2 people to make a huge fight not 1, so while Oscar and Hatton really had the fans come for them Floyd also plays a role because he is a huge name opponent (also he is a villian as opposed to the hero). I can not really say what role Floyd played in getting fans to the arena paying very high prices, but I am sure he had more then a 25% effect.

Now with Floyd comming off retirement, Floyd really has not lost any shine in the boxing world (or hatred from the people who dislike him). I think Floyd is bigger now then at any point in his real career, atleast in the boxing world (he has not done **** in a while so his real fame may have gone down, but I am sure he still has some decent name recognition in the outside world). Any of those fights you listed are huge fights, and all of them require both stars to make them as big as they are.

Has he really come out of retirement???

Is Mayweather really that big a draw?