The grand emerald WBC championship belt for the historic match between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather has been unveiled, and it is worth $1 million.
In March 2015, previews of the proposed belts were shown when fans were asked to vote between a green and black belt to award the winner of the mega-bout on May 2, WBC Boxing noted. The World Boxing Council had fans vote for a whole week to choose between the emerald belt and onyx belt. In the end, the green belt won by garnering 53 percent of the total votes.
TMZ reported that the emerald-studded WBC belt was finally presented on April 21 at a WBC event in Mexico. The belt was commissioned by the WBC as soon as the big fight between the two champs was announced. The belt features 3,000 real miniature emeralds and valued at $1 million. It will be transported to Las Vegas before the end of month by a private security team.
During the press conference at Foro Mazaryk in Mexico City on April 21, the emerald belt was introduced to hundreds of journalists. In attendance were Larry Holmes, who represented former WBC champions, and Adonis Stevenson, who represented current WBC champions.
WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman said in a report by Boxing News 24, "The WBC displayed over six generations of championship belts today, and presented the unique Emerald Belt. We are very happy, because everybody in the industry worked together to make this fight happen - the television networks, the promoters, the managers, and especially the boxers. We had at the press conference, together on the same stage, Televisa and Azteca for the first time ever. Both will show the fight in Mexico on May 2nd."
"This belt has more than 3,000 emeralds, it's beautiful and it's absolutely priceless!" Sulaiman added.
The presentation of the Emerald Belt features a new achievement in the sport of boxing. According to Sulaiman, Holmes was selected to formally present the belt because he is one of the greatest champions that the sport ever had, having been a heavyweight champion for seven and a half years.
The WBC Emerald Belt official picture! @FloydMayweather VS @MannyPacquiao #WBC #GreenBelt #MayPac pic.twitter.com/2KSPjjkYUc
— World Boxing Council (@WBCBoxing) April 21, 2015
There are encrusted emeralds on the face of the belt, Sporting News described. It added that the side plates show gold metallic emblems of the faces of both Mayweather and Pacquiao. There is a gold circle at the center stating "WBC World Champion" surrounded by various country flags emblems, forming a ring. The belt buckle is gold as well.
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