Fact: Dana has promoted the biggest boxing and MMA fights of all time

[Sharkey]

do you think mike tyson would have been a billionaire today?

He made 300-500 million of dollars as a active boxer.

If Tyson's career had played out the same way it did (including his stint in prison) and he had the same list of opponents then I'd say it's a safe bet he would have exceeded the billion dollar earnings mark. Being as "spend happy" as he was my guess he'd still find a way to blow through most it it, though. But yeah, the revenue he could make nowadays from the modern PPV availability alone makes it quite likely that he could exceed a billion in career earnings and probably easily at that. He did a lot of seven figure buy totals in the 90's when there was only 15-35 million homes equipped to handle PPV, and then his fight with Spinks in '88 did tremendous business on PPV (and elsewhere) when it was only available to 5 million homes.

 

[Dbreiden83080]

Dana was merely the co-promoter. The real genius here is Mayweather.

And Conor. Conor marketed himself into making that fight happen. He became so big in the world of MMA, that when he called out Floyd over and over, Floyd was intrigued. Because he knew how big it would be.

 

[Dirge]

And Conor. Conor marketed himself into making that fight happen. He became so big in the world of MMA, that when he called out Floyd over and over, Floyd was intrigued. Because he knew how big it would be.

Without Mayweather the payday would have never have happened. Conor could beat his drum all he wanted but there is a reason Mayweather is called "money"

 

[Dbreiden83080]

Without Mayweather the payday would have never have happened. Conor could beat his drum all he wanted but there is a reason Mayweather is called "money"

Uh huh. But Conor hyped himself into getting that fight. He did an amazing job. Conor is the best combo of fighter/promoter in MMA history.

 

[Sharkey]

And Conor. Conor marketed himself into making that fight happen. He became so big in the world of MMA, that when he called out Floyd over and over, Floyd was intrigued. Because he knew how big it would be.

Both Mayweather and McGregor did a tremendous job marketing themselves and the fight to the fans/consumers, I agree. But I doubt either had much to do (if at all) with the other responsibilities associated with promoting an event like that, meaning negotiating PPV splits with distributors and cable & satellite providers, venues, corporate sponsorship, international television rights, etc, etc. I would guess Ellerbe and his team handled most of the behind the scenes promotional responsibilities like that that helps maximize revenue since the Mayweather side were on the primary promotional side of things, but perhaps Dana and his team played some part (maybe a big one) in that as well with their own experience.

It's like the old Don King vs Bob Arum argument. King's primary strength as a promoter was appealing to the paying customer at home, whereas Arum's primary strengths were dealing with the suits behind the scenes. Both are obviously very important in order to pull off a successful event.

Tex Rickard took a backseat to neither King or Arum when it came to both kinds of responsibilities, though, and it's why I'm likely always going to consider him the best promoter in boxing history. Rickard's promotional innovations (many are still used today, especially by Mayweather) and his behind the scenes influence did much to help boxing go from an unpopular and frowned upon sport in the 1910's to what was arguably the most popular sport in the US during the 1920's.