March 24th, 2015
A one-of-a-kind, $1 million emerald belt is awaiting the winner of the “Fight for Eternity,” the highly anticipated welterweight super bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.
Set to take place on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the championship fight pits Pacquiao, the winner of world titles in eight divisions, against Mayweather (47-0), who has belts in five weight classes. The match has been nearly six years in the making.
The $1 million emerald belt will be a bonus in a contest that promises to deliver a mammoth payday to both participants. The combatants will share $300 million — 60% for the 38-year-old Mayweather and 40% for the 36-year-old Pacquiao.
The World Boxing Council (WBC) originally commissioned two championship belt designs to commemorate the monumental event. One featured the WBC logo in gold against a ground of emeralds. An alternate design swapped the emeralds for onyx.
Fight fans visiting the WBC web site were encouraged to vote for their favorite design. As voting ended last week, we were surprised to learn that the far-more-precious emerald version won by the narrow margin of 53% to 47%.
The emerald belt was described by the WBC as an “exquisite masterpiece designed by the World Boxing Council for a unique bout that is already gracing the pages of boxing history.” The May 2 event is expected to shatter records for gate receipts and Pay-Per-View buys.
Both Pacquiao and Mayweather already own diamond versions of the WBC belt. Pacquiao got his for defeating Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto in 2009. Mayweather earned his for beating Mexico’s Saul “Canelo” Alverez in 2013.
Promotional images via WBCBoxing.com
Set to take place on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the championship fight pits Pacquiao, the winner of world titles in eight divisions, against Mayweather (47-0), who has belts in five weight classes. The match has been nearly six years in the making.
The $1 million emerald belt will be a bonus in a contest that promises to deliver a mammoth payday to both participants. The combatants will share $300 million — 60% for the 38-year-old Mayweather and 40% for the 36-year-old Pacquiao.
The World Boxing Council (WBC) originally commissioned two championship belt designs to commemorate the monumental event. One featured the WBC logo in gold against a ground of emeralds. An alternate design swapped the emeralds for onyx.
Fight fans visiting the WBC web site were encouraged to vote for their favorite design. As voting ended last week, we were surprised to learn that the far-more-precious emerald version won by the narrow margin of 53% to 47%.
The emerald belt was described by the WBC as an “exquisite masterpiece designed by the World Boxing Council for a unique bout that is already gracing the pages of boxing history.” The May 2 event is expected to shatter records for gate receipts and Pay-Per-View buys.
Both Pacquiao and Mayweather already own diamond versions of the WBC belt. Pacquiao got his for defeating Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto in 2009. Mayweather earned his for beating Mexico’s Saul “Canelo” Alverez in 2013.
Promotional images via WBCBoxing.com
