Opinion: Two Ways to Sell the Pacquiao-Mayweather Boxing Fight

The upcoming Pacquiao-Mayweather match is being promoted by via two contrasting ways in order to generate awareness and hype in what appears to be next year's biggest boxing event.

The promoters of the proposed Mayweather-Pacquiao boxing fight must have already agreed at this time to stage the highly anticipated fight between Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and undefeated American boxer Floyd Mayweather in the early part of next year.

But on purpose, they have opted to hold on to the announcement in order to create hype for for the upcoming fight and subsequently gain publicity mileage. At the same time, the promoters started talking about fight purse, venue, weight limits and other minor issues related to the staging of the fight.

This is normal in any event promotions and publicity drives. Students of marketing will find out that all these publicity are necessary to promote a product so that consumers will be enticed to buy. In this case, they are selling a product or a brand known for instance as 'PacWeather' , a shortcut for Pacquiao-Mayweather. This is Marketing 101 and its a normal way to sell.

However, the proposed Pacquiao-Mayweather boxing match is being sold to boxing fans by means of two contrasting ways. W ether the promoters or the handlers are part of these contrasting efforts, boxing fans may either resent or appreciate the way the two camps present their product for the boxing fans to take.

The Mayweather camp opted to promote the fight via 'trash talk'. Even before the celebrated Pacquiao-Cotto match, Floyd Mayweather, Sr. thinks that Pacquiao was on enhancement drugs or steroids when he faced his opponents.

Here are some of the 'trash talks' that the elder Mayweather said:
"In my honest opinion, I believe that he's on some type of supplements," Floyd Sr. told Michigan's Grand Rapids Press. "I think they're pushing Pacquiao too much -- even if he's got [ste]'roids in his body."

"I don't think that he can beat Little Floyd with steroids in him or not. He don't have that kind of talent or that kind of skill -- whatever he has in him," said Floyd Sr., whose boxer Ricky Hatton was knocked out by Pacquiao in just two rounds.

“I felt that he was on steroids or some type of supplements or some type of enhancement drugs… believe me when I tell you, he's going to get caught,” said the controversial boxing trainer.
All these trash talks were proven to be just that - - 'trash talks' by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).

“All I can tell you is that Pacquiao, every time he's fought here [in Nevada, has] been tested, as well as his opponents,” said NSAC executive director Keith Kaiser.
“He passed every drug test we did to him, every steroid test we did to him,” he added to counter allegations made by Mayweather Sr. that Pacquiao was into performance enhancement drugs.

The Pacquiao camp opted for a 'no trash talk' to promote the fight as he did during his last fights. The Pacquiao-Cotto fight held in Las Vegas last November 14 was considered a 'model match' by boxing fans for its 'civilized' way of promoting the fight.

Both boxers did not attack each others weaknesses or personal qualities and instead talked highly of each others strengths and good qualities as responsible boxers. Boxing fans certainly love the way the fight was promoted.

The Pacquiao-Cotto match generated more than 1 million pay-per-view buys and was considered the best and biggest fight of the year.

Source: digitaljournal.com