Mayweather’s low PPV number is a sign that retirement is the only option.

By Norm Frauenheim-

Reports of low pay-per-view sales for the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Andre Berto fight are more predictable than Mayweather’s victory.

Berto, after all, had a better chance at landing the proverbial lucky punch on Sept. 12 than a casual customer had at spending $74.95 for a high-definition telecast of a bout already defined as one sided by style, records and odds.

The only surprise at the reported numbers – anywhere from 400,000 to 550,000 – is that they were bigger than expected. At least, they were in this corner.

All the aforementioned reasons for not buying the Showtime production worked against a promotion that also was battling unprecedented pre-fight hype for Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao and a lingering hangover from that May 2 disappointment.

There’s more, however. The public, I suspect, is just sick-and-tired of Mayweather. Sick of seeing him pack his bags full of cash. Sick of his Ferraris and Bugatis. Sick of the TMT caps. Sick of the TBE T-shirts. Sick of the soap-opera string of controversies that this time around include Thomas Hauser’s story of a banned IV on the eve of the Pacquiao bout. Sick of the boring fights, too, although those bouts almost became an afterthought amid all of the other stuff generated by Mayweather’s money and lifestyle.

The Mayweather story, perhaps, is like any other. It has run its course. The media, especially the social wing, has moved onto other celebrities who can be targeted and exhausted from every angle, legit to twisted to wrong.

All of that is just another reason to think Mayweather is serious about retirement. Few believe him. But Mayweather has been more of a celebrity than a fighter since his 2007 victory over Oscar De La Hoya. He made more money than anybody in any sport not because of his evident athletic skill. He did it by being a celebrity who happened to be a terrific boxer. You can’t be either for too long. Sure, maybe, Mayweather comes back because he’s bored, or he needs to pay his legal fees. Maybe.

But what would his comeback be worth? Consider the Berto fight, which he vows was his last in a 49-0 career. He collected $32 million. Presumably, there was plenty still left in the bank from the Mayweather-Pacquiao GDP-like revenue to cover that paycheck.

But could he ever collect $32-mill in the ring again? The reported PPV for the Berto bout is reason to think he can’t. When Mayweather picked Berto, the guess here is that there was an underlying assumption his celebrity would sell the show. It didn’t.

For the guy who calls himself Money because he’s defined by it, there’s a message in numbers that are a little bit like the odds favoring him against Berto. Retirement with no chance at a comeback is the overwhelming choice.