by Sandman: Since 2009, when Floyd Mayweather dominated Juan Manuel Marquez, nearly every boxer has become a “free agent” and chosen to be their own “boss.”
Floyd Mayweather continued his career after beating Marquez and, as we all remember, signed a six-fight contract that was expected to earn Mayweather over $200 million. In the end, Floyd Mayweather would end up earning nearly double that amount from just one fight against Manny Pacquiao.
In my opinion, I never thought a boxer would make more than Mayweather in my lifetime. At one point before his fight with Dmitry Bivol, Canelo Alvarez seemed to have achieved the aurora of invincibility, raking in over $500 million overnight, but that aurora has since faded.
My point is, only one person has ever been successful at being their own “boss” and guess who that is?
It's amazing. In an age where celebrities can garner attention with just a Tweet or a livestream, no other fighter has achieved the commercial appeal that Floyd Mayweather has. Or maybe there's just too much content out there, drowning out mediocre attempts at attention. You never know.
But what I do know, or at least what I strongly believe, is that there must have been dozens of global superstars who could have generated significant revenue on pay-per-view.
For example, I know most of you would disagree, but why did Danny Garcia only appear in one main event of a pay-per-view event in his career? In my opinion, Danny Garcia was a highly marketable fighter with “urban” appeal, had a very entertaining father, and had the most unprofessional knockouts to match.
Instead, his career was used to experiment with doing away with PPV, with one of the most anticipated fights, Garcia vs. Keith Thurman, being shown on free TV.
The record shows Danny Garcia hasn't fought in years, but let me continue.
Errol Spence never quite achieved the commercial appeal of “Mayweather.” Remember when Adrien Broner told Jay Z to “suck your dick” after Roc Nation offered him a 5 year contract for $40 million? Gary Russell Jr., if you ask me, he once promoted a fight by saying he didn't need a crowd because he was already getting paid.
Fast forward to June 19th, 2024. Self-proclaimed “Boss” Devin Haney recently complained that Matchroom didn't bid on his fights. “The Boss” Devin was furious because another “boss” bailed him out and didn't pay him millions of dollars to try and bolster Devin's market value.
Floyd Mayweather is the only example of a “boss” in boxing who had it all go his way – every fight since Floyd can be summed up as a failed attempt to be the boss.
If you are your own boss, like any boss, accept losses as well as wins. Slowly, slowly.
Just as these managers and promoters tried to kill the PPV model, but then preached about not “limiting” their income by fighting on apps, I'm going to make a controversial statement: Fighters, do yourself a favor and hire a promoter.
