Boxing: De La Hoya set for record

Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather will fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on 5 May in a bout set to break box office records. The pair are likely to share unique pay-per-view revenues from the fight and De La Hoya's company, Golden Boy, will be the promoter.

"It's a fair deal for both boxers and if the pay-per-view hits the numbers we anticipate, it will be a new record for both guys,'' the Golden Boy executive Richard Schaefer said. "It's the biggest fight in boxing right now. Mayweather is the best pound-for-pound fighter and Oscar is the most popular and the biggest name in the sport.'' The record for pay-per-view sales is held by the Mike Tyson versus Evander Holyfield heavyweight title fight in 1997 which managed 1.9 million buys in the United States. Both boxers received in excess of $30m (£15.8m).

In 1999 De La Hoya, who at the time was fighting for the Las Vegas promoter Bob Arum, fought Felix Trinidad for the welterweight world title and set a record of 1.4m sales for a fight outside the heavyweight division.

Mayweather, 29, is unbeaten as a professional in 37 fights which includes world title wins in four different weights. Earlier this month he easily won the World Boxing Council welterweight title. De La Hoya is just four years older at 33 and has lost four times as a professional but has won world titles at six different weights and has amassed one of boxing's most impressive fortunes. On 5 May De La Hoya will defend his WBC middleweight title and may earn as much as $40m before retiring.