Unique Deal Ties Starlight Racing’s Thoroughbred and Prestigious Race to the World’s Most Accomplished Fighters and Boxing’s Biggest Event in Decades

Race For The Roses And Mayweather vs. Pacquiao Super Fight Rāhoroi, Kia 2

NEW YORK (April 27, 2015) – Talk about a winning, knockout daily double! From the hui matua on horse racing’s biggest day of the year to the main event of boxing’s most anticipated matchup in decades, Saturday May 2, promises to be a fast-paced, hard-hitting and special day for sports fans around the world.

For the Kentucky Derby, the Mayweather-Pacquiao promotion has signed an exclusive sponsorship deal with Starlight Racing’s “Itsaknockout.” Just a few hours after the race for the roses, 11-time world champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather me te toa waru-wehenga te ao Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao will meet in a welterweight world championship bout that is expected to set new revenue records in virtually every category.

The sponsorship of “Itsaknockout,” represents a convergence of leading entities in their respective fields: Jack Wolf a Starlight Racing; seven-time Eclipse Award winning trainer Todd Pletcher at racing’s most prestigious event; and boxing superstars Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, both of whom are destined for the boxing Hall of Fame; leading boxing promotional outfits Whakatairanga Mayweather a Top Rank Inc.; co-producers SHOWTIME PPV^® a HBO Totongi-Per-Tiro^®; and boxing event’s host, MGM Grand i roto i te Las Vegas.

The deal to sponsor “Itsaknockout,” brought about by Steve Rosner of 16W Marketing, is part of an aggressive campaign for “Mayweather vs. PACQUIAO,” that includes unprecedented support from PPV distributors, a national ad campaign and support from the television networks, promoters and the MGM Grand. Team “Itsaknockout” will show its support of the fight during Derby Week with the thoroughbred wearing a “Mayweather vs. PACQUIAO” branded blanket, branding on JockeyLuis Saez and branded apparel on Pletcher’s racing crew tending to “Itsaknockout.”
“The opportunity to sponsor a horse running in the Kentucky Derby appropriately named ‘ItsaKnockout’ is a fantastic fit for the Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight and the magnitude of the promotion on all levels,” Said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO Mayweather Promotions. “It’s going to be a knockout of a sports weekend with both events the same day and we wish this champion horse well, hoping his name comes true with a victory in the Derby.”

“From Gate to Finish, beginning with the Kentucky Derby and ending with Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, Rāhoroi, Kia 2 will be the most exciting day in sports,” Na ka mea a Todd duBoef, peresideni o Runga Kapa. “Itsaknockout may be the horse we are sponsoring but it also describes the historic day fans will be talking about for years to come.”

“There is a natural and unmistakable connection between the Kentucky Derby and Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, two world-class sporting events that showcase the talent of athletes performing at the highest level and on the biggest stage,” Na ka mea a Stephen Espinoza, Matua Vice te peresideni me Kaiwhakahaere General, SHOWTIME Sports. “Kia 2 will be an historic day in sports, one that has the potential to cement legacies and redefine what we consider to be legendary.”

Ko tētahi o nga whawhai tino whakapaipai i roto i te aamu o te hākinakina, te tūturu Mayweather (47-0, 26 Koó) Ko te toa 11-wā te ao i roto i te rima wehewehenga taimaha, me te aotia rite te No. 1 toa i roto i te ao pauna-no te-pauna. A four-time “Fighter o te Tau,” Mayweather has defeated 20 toa te ao.

Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 Koó) is the only fighter to win eight world titles in as many different weight divisions. A three-time Fighter of the Year and the Boxing Writers Association of America’s “Toa o te tekau tau,” Pacquiao is seeking to defeat his third consecutive unbeaten world champion. His last 15 fights have been against world champs.

Mō ētahi atu pārongo'a'ahi www.mayweatherpromotions.com, www.toprank.com, www.SHO.com/Sports,www.hbo.com/boxing a www.mgmgrand.comand follow on Twitter at @floydmayweather, MannyPacquiaomayweatherpromo, TRBoxing, SHOSports, HBOboxing ASwanson_Comm, a ka riro i te tahi i runga i Facebook i www.facebook.com/FloydMayweather, www.facebook.com/TopRankMannyPacquiao, www.facebook.com/MayweatherPromotions, www.facebook.com/TRBoxing, www.facebook.com/SHOsportsawww.facebook.com/HBOBoxing.