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Interest up for Manny bout By Joaquin Henson PhilBoxing.com Tue, 25 Dec 2018  With WBA welterweight champion Sen. Manny Pacquiao?s first title defense against challenger Adrien Broner only a few weeks away, plans are being laid out to turn it into a pay-per-view sensation. Pacquiao is set to make personal appearances in two major sporting events leading to the fight scheduled at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Jan. 19. He?ll be introduced to the crowd during the National Football League game between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers at the 78,467-seat Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Dec. 30. Then, Pacquiao will be the special guest at the Filipino Heritage Night when the Los Angeles Clippers host the Charlotte Hornets in an NBA contest at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Jan. 8. Ticket discounts will be given to fans using the promo code FILIPINO and Black Eyed Peas? Filipino singer apl.de.ap?s bobblehead dolls will be given to the live venue audience. Showtime, meanwhile, will kick off a three-part series about the bout on Jan. 5. For 12 days, a four-man Showtime TV crew tailed Pacquiao 24/7 in Manila, General Santos City and Saranggani, filming his morning jogs, sparring sessions, gym work and even his activities in the Senate. The day before Pacquiao celebrated his birthday last Dec. 17, the crew rode motorcycles with their cameras rolling to keep up with his motorcade in Saranggani where over 10,000 lined the streets to greet the ring icon then received early Christmas gifts from him. The crew taped Pacquiao's birthday proceedings with President Duterte arriving in General Santos City for the celebration. Showtime is going all-out to promote the fight, its second on pay-per-view since the blockbuster heavyweight fight between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury at the Staples Center last Dec. 1. Before the Wilder-Fury fight, Showtime?s previous pay-per-view event was held 16 months back. After the Pacquiao-Broner fight, the next pay-per-view event will feature IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence?s defense against WBC/IBF lightweight ruler Mikey Garcia in a battle of unbeaten titleholders at the AT&T Center, formerly the Cowboys Stadium, in Arlington, Texas, on March 16. Las Vegas-based international matchmaker Sean Gibbons said the timing for the Pacquiao-Broner fight couldn?t be better. ?At first, the plan was to stage Manny?s fight against Broner on Dec. 1 but that got derailed,? said Gibbons. ?It worked to Manny?s advantage because he was able to disengage from Top Rank during the breakdown in negotiations and is now running his own show. It?s like he?s free again, no more pressure from intervening agents. The fight was moved to Jan. 19 which starts a long weekend capped by the Martin Luther King Day on Monday, a holiday. How timely that the fight coincides with the Martin Luther King weekend.? Gibbons said he expects a huge pay-per-view audience. ?It?ll be over a month since the Wilder-Fury fight and people will be coming out of the Christmas holidays, eager to watch another boxing blockbuster with money to spend,? he said. ?It?s the first big fight of the year. It?s perfect timing for a pay-per-view event.? Tickets went on sale last November with prices ranging from $100 to $1,700 at the 16,800-seat MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The other day, it was announced that only 4 percent of tickets are left in the market, assuring a sell-out. The fight is presented by Al Haymon?s Premier Boxing Champions, an outfit aligned to Pacquiao. The promoters are Pacquiao through MP Promotions, Tom Brown through TGB Promotions, Leonard Ellerbe through Mayweather Promotions and Ravone Littlejohn of About Billions Promotions. Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza said the fight is a must-see attraction. ?At this point, oddsmakers have favored Pacquiao,? he said. ?But it would be a mistake to overlook Broner (who) never backs down from a challenge. As long as I?ve known him and worked with him, he?s never turned down a fight, not against bigger opponents like Shawn Porter, not against big punchers like Marcos Maidana, not against the guys that no one wants to fight. Broner gives them tough fights----12 rounds against Porter, 12 gruelling rounds against Maidana. So for those of you who think this is an easy fight, or easy bet because of the odds, think again. These are two of the most talented fighters of this generation, two of the most athletically-gifted fighters of this generation.? Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.  |
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