Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is set to fight Robert Guerrero on May 4 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in the first tilt of a six-fight deal ‘Money’ Mayweather signed with US cable network Showtime. The deal is reportedly worth between $200m and $300m and to make sure Floyd earns his keep, Showtime execs are planning to keep their new hot commodity on screen as much as possible. A suggestion has even been made to capitalize on Floyd’s reputation as a high-rolling sports bettor by having him do his best Jimmy ‘The Greek’ Snyder impression on Showtime’s Inside The NFL program, although Showtime Sports GM Stephen Espinoza told the Las Vegas Review-Journal the NFL would likely stick knitting needles in its own eyes before allowing Floyd to talk point spreads on national TV.
The NFL is likely feeling a bit cocky after last week’s US District Court ruling temporarily put the brakes on New Jersey’s plans to offer single-game sports bets to state residents, but Gov. Chris Christie believes this game has only reached halftime. At an event in Jersey City on Monday covered by NorthJersey.com’s Melissa Hayes, Christie said he “wholly expected” last week’s ruling, but vowed to take the fight all the way to the Supreme Court. Based on his experience as a former US Attorney, Christie said he expected the case would take “about a year” to reach the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, where Christie expected “some kind of split decision,” leading to a Supreme Court showdown. All told, Christie said he doesn’t expect a final resolution for “another two years,” but believes “we’ll ultimately prevail.”
In the meantime, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has lifted the ban on holding athletic championships in New Jersey. The NCAA, which joined the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB in the suit against New Jersey, declared in October that it was pulling five collegiate championships from the state in protest over the sports betting plans. But on Wednesday, the NCAA announced it was reversing its ban and was “excited that New Jersey student-athletes can now compete on their home field.” However, the NCAA warned that it would reinstate the ban should New Jersey file an appeal of last week’s ruling. Which begs the question: given that New Jersey had already declared its intentions to fight this matter all the way to the Supreme Court, what is the point of the NCAA reversing its ban, beyond scoring some dubious PR points?
