Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios spent Saturday night beating the pulp out of each other (OK, so Pacquiao was doing most of the beating), but judging by how each fighter's bank account will soon look, it's safe to assume neither will be hurting for too long.
Before gate and pay-per-view numbers are factored in, Pacquiao will make $18 million, while Rios is set to take home $5 million.
The night's biggest winner—both in the ring and on the payroll—was of course the 34-year-old Filipino superstar. Not only did he defeat "Bam Bam" in absolute dominant fashion, but Pacman earned a nice paycheck in the process.
While the final numbers are yet to be determined, Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole reported pre-fight that Pacquiao was guaranteed at least $18 million. Depending on the final gate and PPV buys, that number could swell up to $30 million, per Iole.
Now, Pacquiao still isn't close to approaching Floyd Mayweather territory. September's battle between the aptly named "Money" and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez brought in a record $150 million in PPV revenue after selling an absurd 2.2 million units.
Throw in the record $20 million gate, and when it was all said and done, Mayweather brought home somewhere in the range of $80 million, per Forbes, and $100 million, per Yahoo! Sports.
Simply put, though, Mayweather is on another level. While Pacquiao didn't approach that level, his final payday will make it quite evident he still has the second-best earning power in the entire sport.
With the aging star coming off two straight losses and facing Rios, who was mired in a similar slump, there were major questions surrounding the interest level in this fight. The PPV buys will still help determine whether or not those concerns were justified, but considering the really solid crowd in Macau (which suggests a good gate number), a payday in the range of $20 million is almost assured—and really impressive for Pacquiao when you consider all the outside factors.
Now, for a second, just imagine what type of numbers a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight would bring in. Nevermind. Forget I said that.
For comparison, Pacquiao was guaranteed $26 million against Timothy Bradley and $25 million against Juan Manuel Marquez, per the Philippine Star. But while his earnings from this fight very well may mark a decrease from the those numbers, how he looked (read: dominant) could suggest a more marketable fight in the near future.
On the other side of the ring, Rios, per Iole, will take home $4 million. Unlike with Pacquiao, that number is pretty much set in stone—there is very little upside, no matter how the PPV numbers eventually shake out in the coming days.
Still, Rios made "just" $1.25 million in his rematch against Mike Alvarado in April—which was the biggest purse of his career. Multiplying that by almost four times in one night, even if it comes way of an absolute beatdown, isn't too shabby.
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