LAS VEGAS -- Pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather has been the highest paid athlete in the world the past few years -- and will be again this year -- but he is taking a massive pay cut for his next fight.
According to figures released Thursday by the Nevada Athletic Commission, Mayweather will earn a minimum guarantee of $32 million for his welterweight title defense against former two-time titleholder Andre Berto on Saturday night (Showtime PPV, 8 ET) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Berto, the heavy underdog who has earned several low seven-figure purses, will earn a career-high $4 million.
Mayweather has said the fight will be the final bout of his 19-year professional career. He earned a record of around $250 million for his unanimous decision win over Manny Pacquiao in their long-awaited title unification fight May 2. That fight shattered every box office record in boxing history, with 4.4 million pay-per-views and roughly $600 million in total revenue. Mayweather will close 2015 having earned approximately $282 million for two fights.
Mayweather will be fighting the final bout of his six-fight, 30-month contract with Showtime/CBS, which he signed in early 2013. For the first fight of the deal, he earned a minimum $32 million against Robert Guerrero. For the second fight, Mayweather's minimum purse was $41.5 million against Canelo Alvarez. Mayweather faced Marcos Maidana in the third and fourth fights of the contract and was guaranteed $32 million for each bout. Mayweather could make more for each fight, depending how well the pay-per-view sold.
In the co-feature of Saturday's card, junior lightweight titleholder Roman "Rocky" Martinez will make $300,000 for his rematch with former titleholder Orlando Salido, who will make $150,000.
Super middleweight titleholder Badou Jack will make $500,000, and mandatory challenger George Groves will earn the same.
In the opening pay-per-view bout, former two-division titleholder Jhonny Gonzalez will make $50,000 for his junior lightweight bout against Jonathan Oquendo, who also will earn $50,000.
Former junior middleweight titleholder Ishe Smith and Vanes Martirosyan, who meet in a Showtime-televised bout during "Countdown Live," will earn $150,000 apiece.
who has he actually beaten that's worth a damn?
..there are other black fighters that are better opponents...berto was losing to Josesito lopez..race has nothing to do with this...everyone knows berto is a terrible fighter lol
, look at your boy bowing down to "About Billions"
you gone cut that shyt out
