Pacquiao versus Mayweather: tale of the (cars) tape

MANILA, Philippines–The boxing match that sports fans have been waiting for is set to take place on May 2, pitting two world superstars, Floyd Mayweather versus Manny Pacquiao. There are countless statistics being spewed out in preparation for the much-anticipated event, and Inquirer Motoring is ready to add to the melee. Here are some.

Mayweather is not shy about showing off his wealth. He was ranked the highest paid athlete in 2014 by Forbes, earning $105 million, so he has plenty of cash to spend on his toys.

In January, Mayweather showed off his supercar collection by posting a photo on Instagram. Whether or not this was a response to a post by Pacquiao showing the Filipino boxer enjoying a quiet moment in front of a simple outdoor fire is somewhat muddled.

Nevertheless, Mayweather posed in front of his private jet and eight supercars. The caption reads: “Welcome to my world.” The cars on the tarmac were a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, a Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet, a Lamborghini Aventador, two Ferrari 458 Spiders, and three Bugatti Veyrons—two “regular” Veyrons and one Grand Sport.

The combined power of these cars is 6232 horsepower, and the price tags add up to $6.8 million. The cheapest car in the lineup is the Porsche at about $200,000, and the most expensive is the Veyron Grand Sport at $2 million.

If anything, the collection shows a lack of imagination: What sane person would need two 458 Spiders and three Bugatti Veyrons? We’re probably just jealous.

To help prop up his automotive credentials, his most recent acquisition is slightly used—but what a used car!

Mayweather acquired a Ferrari Enzo, one of the only 399 units produced. The Enzo, named after the company founder, was produced in 2002. Using technology adapted from Formula One, the mid-engined Enzo has a carbon fiber chassis and a 6-liter V12 capable of 651 HP.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the boxer bought the Enzo from Fusion Luxury Motors. The shop owner, Obi Okeke, was quoted as saying “this is a needle in a haystack car.” The car was listed at more than $3.2 million and has a mere 566 kilometers on the clock. It had a single previous owner: the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi.

Manny, not money, makes his world go round

After Pacquiao suffered from a horrific 2012 loss, he rebounded with two decisive victories over Brandon Rios and Timothy Bradley, taking home some $41 million in 2014.

His loss to Marquez, though, took a big hit on his endorsements: This pulled his out-of-the-ring earnings down to about $1 million, although Forbes still listed him as the 11th-highest-paid athlete last year. But what makes Pacquiao popular, though, is not his earnings.

Aside from his moniker “The Mexicutioner,” having defeated almost all of Mexico’s best fighters (except Zorro), he earned the heart of his countrymen by his generosity in terms of money and spirit. His iconic bearded smiling face has put him everywhere in Filipino pop culture, from entertainment to sports, and even sports cars.

When Mayweather was taunting Pacquiao on Instagram, showing off his supercars and plane, we cannot help but compare what Pacquiao has for his toys. Topping the list would be his Ferrari 458 which he bought and keeps in the United States. Estimated at about $225,000, it is a drop in the bucket from his 2014 purse, and half a drop in Mayweather’s collection.

Other notable cars include a Porsche Cayenne, an armored Hummer SUV, a Mercedes-Benz SL500 he bought several years back, and several SUVs. And oh yes, he also recently acquired a Chinese-made BYD F5 sedan, which he took fancy because of its unmanned remote control feature.

But before we write off Pacquiao in favor of Mayweather, one should look at his overall portfolio and what he does with his toys.

Last April, Columbian Autocar Corp. sought the approval to enter into PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) along with two other teams—Manila North Tollways Corp. and Ever Bilena Cosmetics. Pacquiao was drafted playing coach for the 2014-2015 season, and the team was dubbed as “Kia Kamao” after Pacquiao’s nickname “Pambansang Kamao,” which means national fist in Filipino.

The stocky 5-foot-6.5 Pacquiao had taken his two passions and put it in one basket, quite literally at that.

The Sarangani congressman also acquired a preowned, Canadian-made Bell 206 five-seater helicopter in 2012 reportedly for about P18 million, according to sources.  Although he initially bought this as a gift to himself, he used the chopper to send donated relief goods to flood victims in Sarangani right after his acquisition that same year.

More recently, he used the chopper to fetch two suspected thieves, also wanted for murder, who offered to surrender to the congressman-champion boxer. Pacquiao sent his chopper to Barangay Datalbukay in Glan, Sarangani, to fetch brothers Roland and Jiboy Maguan, members of the infamous Valdez-Maguan cattle rustling group.

While Mayweather may have his own private jet, Pacquiao’s fans can look forward to spotting the special Manny Pacquiao logo on some of AirAsia’s Airbus A320 commercial planes which carry the colors of the Philippine flag for flights in Manila, Cebu, Kalibo to domestic destinations of Puerto Princesa, Tagbilaran, and Tacloban, and to international points in Malaysia, China and South Korea.

In his honor, AirAsia will soon have low-cost flights from Manila to his hometown General Santos at very low introductory rates.

People’s champ  and people’s chump?

For everyone in this part of the world, the money is on Pacquiao for both the upcoming epic grudge match as well as the thumbs up on how Manny spends his money.

Although his car choices are typical of someone who had recently become rich and famous, it is not too ostentatious to a point of insanity. He also shows good taste and some grounded sense of practicality, and no hesitation to be generous specially to his people in General Santos.

Mayweather’s collection, however, shows that he does outspend Pacquiao in every way. He may even stand to earn a few million assuming he doesn’t trash around his highly collectible and rare supercars once he decides to sell them.

So what’s the difference between the car collection of these two highly paid fighters? Pacquiao shows more class and there’s no price for leaving a legacy behind a good name.