Plan B Forum

Floyd Mayweather will fight Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas on 2 May in what promises to be the richest bout in the history of boxing.

American Mayweather, 37, and Filipino Pacquiao, 36, are considered to be the best two fighters of their generation. Mayweather's WBC and WBA welterweight titles and Pacquiao's WBO belt will be on the line at the MGM Grand. Mayweather is unbeaten in 47 professional fights; Pacquiao has 57 wins and five losses from 64 contests. The fight is expected to generate as much as £162m ($250m). The most lucrative fight in history is thought to be Mayweather's bout against Saul Alvarez in 2013, which made an estimated £97m.

Mayweather-Pacquiao is also expected to break the record for pay-per-view buys in the United States. The current record of 2.4 million was set when Mayweather fought fellow American Oscar de la Hoya in 2007. Mayweather wrote on his webpage: "What the world has been waiting for has arrived. Mayweather vs Pacquiao on May 2, 2015 is a done deal. "This will be the biggest event in the history of the sport. Boxing fans and sports fans around the world will witness greatness on May 2."

The fight also marks a rare joint agreement between Showtime Sports and HBO, the two American media companies, who traditionally work in opposition. They have worked together before, teaming up in 2002 for the fight between then heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, who was with HBO, and former champion Mike Tyson, who was with Showtime. This time Showtime hold the rights to Mayweather while HBO have Pacquiao.

"This fight took about five or six years of negotiations, arguing, egos getting in the way before it finally came to fruition," explained Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter. "It's the biggest fight by far in years in the sport of boxing, so I equate this to five or six years of Super Bowls all wrapped into one fight. It'll be the biggest boxing event of all time."

Joe Guy wrote:That's a good deal. Maybe I'll go to the UK and watch it.

Lord Jim wrote:Floyd Mayweather is a serial woman beater...

Why do we ignore Mayweather's domestic abuse?

(CNN)"The wait is over," proclaims the copy on Showtime TV's website. The cable channel is heavily promoting Saturday night's boxing match in Las Vegas between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. The cable network is going all-out to raise interest to a fever pitch for what it is billing as "one of the most anticipated fights in boxing history."

There is something missing here: Amid all this hoopla, as corporations and promoters line up for their big pay-per-view payday, there is a resounding silence on Mayweather's documented history of domestic violence -- no mention of any accountability or responsibility.

That Mayweather is a serial batterer of women cannot be disputed. According to the sports website Deadspin, Mayweather has had at least seven assaults against five women that resulted in arrest or citations in addition to other episodes in which the police were called but no charges filed.

Some examples: In 2001, he allegedly struck the mother of one of his children in the face with a car door and then punched her several times in the face. According to an account in the Las Vegas Review-Journal: "Mayweather was charged with two counts of domestic battery. He pleaded guilty in March 2002 to those counts and one count of misdemeanor battery in an unrelated case.

"Under the plea agreement with prosecutors, the boxer got a suspended six-month jail sentence, a $3,000 fine, 48 hours of community service and two days of house arrest."

For attacking two women at a Las Vegas nightclub in 2003, he was found guilty on two counts of domestic battery and given a suspended six-month prison sentence for each as well as a $500 fine for each count, or community service. In 2010, he attacked the mother of three of his children at her home and punched her in the head. His oldest son called the police. He did a plea deal to domestic assault and pleaded no contest to harassment charges, serving two months of a 90-day sentence.

Questioned by CNN reporter Rachel Nichols last year about his abusive behavior, Mayweather showed little remorse. He noted that there were "no pictures ... just hearsay and allegations." He has previously said he should not be compared to O.J. Simpson or Chris Brown because there are no pictures of the women he has allegedly abused -- as if the lack of video or photographic evidence is equal to exoneration. In fact, Mayweather spent several months in jail in 2012 after pleading guilty to misdemeanor assault charges.

What is astonishing here, however, is that the public is willing to overlook Mayweather's misogynistic, violent behavior outside the ring. Consider how well all the hype over the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight is paying off. The Los Angeles Times reports that gambling on the fight is expected to be heavy, with one MGM Resorts official estimating the total amount of wagers at $80 million. The 16,800-capacity MGM Grand Garden Arena has sold out, generating a record $74 million.

Mayweather, whom Forbes has named the highest-paid sportsman in the world, is set to take home $180 million for the fight.

Such collective indifference by the public of Mayweather's domestic abuse is curious considering other incidents involving football players. After video surfaced of Ray Rice punching his then-fiancée (now wife) in an Atlantic City, New Jersey, elevator, he was temporarily suspended by the NFL and later dropped by the Baltimore Ravens.

Adrian Peterson was likewise suspended by the Minnesota Vikings for harshly disciplining his son. These punishments occurred amid widespread outrage among fans and the public over what was deemed unacceptable behavior by athletes. Such outrage seems to be absent when it comes to Mayweather.

Mayweather's history of abuse can be seen as even worse when we remember that he is a professional fighter. He makes millions throwing punches. He earns his living using his fists. The fact that he uses these same fists to beat women does not seem to matter to CBS (which owns Showtime), the MGM Grand, the Las Vegas gaming industry or the sponsors associated with Saturday's fight. If any of them has made a public statement about his domestic abuse, I have not been able to find it anywhere online.

But their seeming embrace of Mayweather makes them complicit in his horrific behavior. This abuser should be a pariah. Instead he is celebrated as "boxing's greatest moneymaker" and a celebrity (he competed on "Dancing With the Stars" in 2007).

Mayweather-Pacquiao Fight Delayed Due To Messed Up Cable Orders

You’re going to have to wait a little longer for the fight you’ve all been waiting for.

Tonight’s Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight was scheduled to start at 8 p.m. on the west coast. Over half an hour past the start time, the fight is still in the midst of a delay due to pay-per-view issues around the country. Simply, many people who’ve ordered the fight aren’t seeing anything on their TV sets. Some affected subscribers include Time Warner, Bright House and DirecTV customers.

Cable companies are blaming the issues on the high number of PPV orders. Feel free to tell us your horror stories in the comments.

Such collective indifference by the public of Mayweather's domestic abuse is curious considering other incidents involving football players. After video surfaced of Ray Rice punching his then-fiancée (now wife) in an Atlantic City, New Jersey, elevator, he was temporarily suspended by the NFL and later dropped by the Baltimore Ravens.

Adrian Peterson was likewise suspended by the Minnesota Vikings for harshly disciplining his son. These punishments occurred amid widespread outrage among fans and the public over what was deemed unacceptable behavior by athletes. Such outrage seems to be absent when it comes to Mayweather.