Boxing is not dead, and it will never die. This is not an opinion; this is a fact. One of the reasons that boxing will never die is the Mexican-American fan base that keeps the sport relevant on US soil. To be fair, Latin fans of all ethnicities have helped to keep boxing afloat, but the Hispanic population is primarily responsible for the popularity in America.
That is why May and September are months that host big fights involving the biggest fighters. Some media experts claim that Floyd Mayweather Jr., who has dominated the Cinco de Mayo weekend, doesn’t have to fight in May in order to draw heavy crowds and successful PPV numbers. They believe that there is no real reason for fighting in May and the assumption that it is a “boxing weekend” is misleading. They couldn’t be more wrong.
I suppose a Mayweather fight would be big in any month, but the advantage of Mexican holidays isn’t lost on the overall numbers Floyd does because the Hispanic market is responsible for a bigger percentage than other markets.
For these reasons, amongst others, it is an interesting storyline going into the Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown on May 2nd. Who will the Mexican crowd be behind come fight night? Who will the dominant boxing demographic be cheering for in Vegas and on PPV?
Several cases could be made for both sides. Mayweather has fought on Cinco de Mayo for years, and that could resonate with the Hispanic fans. But Pacquiao’s style is more familiar to the Hispanic crowds because it draws comparisons to the traditional “Mexican-style” that has been made famous by Mexican fighters throughout boxing’s history.
In an interview with multiple media outlets published by Luis Sandoval of FightHype.com, Pacquiao made it clear that he expects the Mexican crowd will be supporting him on fight night.
“I believe that more Mexican fans are going to my side and supporting me. Of course, whoever they support, the fans all over the world, we’re really thankful that they always support us and that they always support boxing,” Pacquiao said in the video published on FightHype’s YouTube channel.
Pacquiao has taken on the role of the “good guy” in the fight, with Floyd playing the quintessential “bad guy” that he’s played for years. That’s not to say Floyd doesn’t have support because he has plenty of fans rooting for him and have been rooting for him against Pacquiao long before the fight was ever finalized.
Pacquiao knows that Floyd has his fans and is perfectly fine with the idea that sides have been decided for years. He knows that this why the fight is so big in the first place and said in the same interview that without the divide this fight doesn’t mean as much as it does.
“I’m really thankful for the fans who always support us. Without the fans, it cannot be like this. I love it, I mean what we’ve accomplished in boxing is because of the media and the fans’ support. You are part of our success.”
It isn’t just the fans and the media that are divided, celebrities, and professional athletes alike have made their picks and are rooting for one fighter over the other.
“It’s an honor and pleasure that a lot of celebrities and former world champions are supporting me and believe in me. I’m really thankful for that,” Pacquiao said.
