Buy early! Pacquiao vs Mayweather PPV start time set for 9 p.m. ET tonight

Get in real early, stay super late.

Even though the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao pay-per-view (PPV) event will cost boxing fans almost a whopping $100 per pop tonight (Sat., May 2, 2015), expectations are high that "The Fight of the Century" will smash current records.

That's a bold prediction, considering Mayweather's fight against Oscar de la Hoya holds the current high-water mark at an estimated 2.5 million PPV buys.

Regardless, there is nothing worse than planning a big night, inviting over friends and ordering food, only for your cable system to fail the moment you hit the "Buy" button on your remote control. Coming from someone who orders PPV events at least once a month, it's a very real -- and maddening -- reality.

While I won't name any names (cough, Comcast), getting a competent representative on the horn before showtime, which in this case is a 9 p.m. ET PPV start, to remedy the problem and restore service is next to impossible. And it only gets worse when the cable company bills you weeks later for an event that you were unable to watch.

So, to avoid getting kicked in the crotch tonight, Stephen Espinoza, the Executive Vice President and General Manager of Showtime Sports and Event Programming, offered some sage advice earlier this week at the final pre-fight press conference (watch full video replay here).

His warning:

"One important note that I’d like to remind everyone about: Please order the pay-per-view (PPV) on Saturday night early. We expect that the ordering systems of the cable and satellite platforms will be overwhelmed. We want to make sure everyone gets their order in and gets to be a part of this event."

Better to be safe than sorry. Trust me.

To see what you might be buying, check out the full "Mayweather vs. Pacquiao" fight card, which features two additional PPV undercard bouts, right here.

In case you are unwilling or unable to fork over so much cash to watch "Mayweather vs. Pacquiao," MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round coverage TONIGHT, starting with the PPV broadcast at 9 p.m. ET RIGHT HERE.

And it's free!