The "Fight of the Century" between boxing greats Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao generated record pay-per-view revenue in the United States.
The American boxer Floyd Mayweather with title belts. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Some $US400 million was generated from 4.4 million buys.
The May 2nd fight in Las Vegas that resulted in Mayweather beating Pacquiao in a unanimous decision cost $US99 to view in high definition.
Cable networks Showtime and HBO say with additional revenue from ticket sales, international TV distribution and other sources, worldwide receipts are expected to top $US500 million.
Pay-per-view purchases nearly doubled the previous record of 2.48 million of the Oscar De La Hoya vs. Mayweather fight in 2007, and nearly tripled the record $150 million in US pay-per-view revenue from by Mayweather vs. Canelo Alvarez in 2013.
The majority of the revenue goes to the boxers, and Mayweather, the winner of the fight, stood to take the largest share.
The Mayweather-Pacquiao fight was co-produced and co-distributed by Showtime, a unit of CBS Corp, and Time Warner Inc's HBO.
HBO and Showtime stand to make a small cut from pay-per-view, splitting just 7.5 percent of revenue.
The fight cost $50 to watch in New Zealand.
