VOA慢速英语2015 梅威瑟vs帕奎奥:世纪之战

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: 'The Fight of the Century' 梅威瑟vs帕奎奥:世纪之战

Elton John sings “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,” and right now boxing fans around the world agree.

On May 2nd, two boxers² will compete in what is being called the “fight of the century.” Philippine citizen Manny Pacquiao will face American Floyd Mayweather, Jr. in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lovers of boxing have been waiting for this match-up for many years. And they are willing to spend a lot of money to see it.

Who gets to go to the fight?

The MGM Grand Garden Arena³ can hold an audience of about 16,800 people. Only about 1,000 seats were open to the public. They all went in minutes. The lowest-priced seats sold for about $1,500. People who bought these tickets are re-selling them for $4,000. For the best seats in the arena, sellers are asking as much as $350,000 per ticket.

The rest of the seats were divided among three groups. MGM gets some for its guests. The companies supporting each boxer¹ also control some seats. The rest go to the two television companies sharing broadcast rights.

So, you can watch the fight on television. But, that costs money, too. A pay-per-view order for the fight (in high definition) costs $100. About 3.1 million purchases are expected. The record for pay-per-view purchases happened in 2007. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. beat another boxer, Oscar De La Hoya, in that fight.

Earning millions of dollars a minute

The 38-year-old Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is already the highest-earning athlete in the world. He is so rich that he calls himself “Money.” On Tuesday, he carried out the traditional boxing “Grand Arrival.” Mayweather showed up at the MGM with a famous university marching band, dancers and put on a huge show.

He told reporters that he expected to make about $200 million dollars from the fight. Mayweather plans to retire in September, after two more fights. He said his father advised him to do so for health reasons.

If Mayweather beats Pacquiao and then another fighter, he will finish his career with a perfect record: 49 fights, 49 wins. Rocky Marciano is the only other fighter in history to have done that.

A reporter asked Floyd Mayweather, Jr. why he did not want to try to beat Marciano’s record instead of tie it. Mayweather answered, “to get to 50 may be special to you but not to me.”

“Good versus⁴ evil”

Manny Pacquiao already holds a record. He is the only fighter to have won championships in eight different weight divisions. He is two years younger than Mayweather but he has fought in 17 more professional fights.

Pacquiao’s record is not perfect like Mayweather’s. He has several losses. But Pacquiao has had more knockouts than Mayweather.

Boxing experts say Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has a better chance of winning Saturday’s fight. But Manny Pacquiao seems to have public support.

Pacquiao is a father of five children. He and his wife have been married for fifteen years. Mr. Pacquiao is a congressman⁵. He was elected to the Philippine House of Representatives at the age of 32. He was also a singer and an actor.

Floyd Mayweather has a troubled public image. He has been arrested at least five times in connection with violence. He has been convicted⁷ of violence against women, including the beating of Josie Harris, mother to three of his children. In 2011, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. was sentenced to 90 days in jail in connection with that case. He was released after serving 60.

Many critics have argued that boxing officials should punish Mayweather for his behavior outside the ring. They say the Nevada State Athletic⁸ Commission⁹ should not permit the fighter to box.

Win or lose, Mayweather and Pacquiao will enjoy historic¹⁰ paydays. The two boxers are expected to share about $300 million for the day, the highest payday ever in the history of sports.

Words in This Story

boxing – n. the sport of fighting someone with your hands while wearing very thick gloves

matchup – n.  a sports competition between individuals or teams

arena – n. a building for sports and other forms of entertainment that has a large central area surrounded by seats

audience – n. a group of people who gather together to listen to something (such as a concert) or watch something (such as a movie or play) 

pay-per-view – n. a cable television service by which customers can order access to a particular broadcast for a fee

knockout – n. a happening in which a boxing match ends when a fighter has been knocked down by a punch and is unable to start fighting again before 10 seconds have passed

conviction¹¹ – n. the act of proving that a person is guilty of a crime in a court of law; convict⁶ - v.

1 boxer   

n.制箱者，拳击手

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.他像拳击手一样踮着脚轻盈移动。

2 boxers   

n.拳击短裤；（尤指职业）拳击手( boxer的名词复数 )；拳师狗

参考例句：

• The boxers were goaded on by the shrieking crowd. 拳击运动员听见观众的喊叫就来劲儿了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The boxers slugged it out to the finish. 两名拳击手最后决出了胜负。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

4 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

5 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

6 convict   

n.囚犯，罪犯；v.使...确信自己犯错，宣告...有罪，使...知罪

参考例句：

• I have all the evidence necessary to convict this young criminal now.我掌握一切必要的证据来给这个年轻犯人定罪。
• It was difficult to convict him of the falsity of his beliefs.难以使他认识到他信仰的虚假性。

7 convicted   

adj.已被判刑的，被宣布有罪的 动词convict的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• He was convicted of fraud. 他被判犯有诈骗罪。
• He was convicted at a court martial. 他在军事法庭上被判有罪。

8 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

9 commission   

n.委托，授权，委员会，拥金，回扣，委任状

参考例句：

• The salesman can get commission on everything he sells.这个售货员能得到所售每件货物的佣金。
• The commission is made up of five people,including two women.委员会由五人组成，其中包括两名妇女。

10 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

11 conviction   

n.确信，坚定的信仰；说服，信服；定罪

参考例句：

• His conviction carried him along in his research.他的信心支持着他把研究工作坚持下去。
• His conviction caused rioting in the streets.他被判有罪，引起了街头骚动。