| |
|
MGM GRAND HAS THE EDGE TO LAND PACQUIAO-MAYWEATHER FIGHT
By Ronnie Nathanielsz PhilBoxing.com Mon, 07 Dec 2009

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum believes that at this point the MGM Grand has the edge in the bid to land the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather fight for the ages on March 13 although Dallas Cowboys owner Gerry Jones is vying for the right to stage the multi-million dollar fight at the new state-of-the-art $1.2 billion Cowboys stadium in Dallas, Texas.
New Orleans which initially evidenced interest in a bid to stage the fight hasn’t contacted the promoters in the last few days. However, Arum said “if they are still interested they’ll contact us and we (Arum, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer and Ross Greenberg of HBO) will make a visit to New Orleans which is not too far from Dallas” which the trio will visit on Wednesday to meet with Jones.
Asked who he felt was the front-runner, Arum replied “I’ll have to say its Las Vegas because the fighters, most of their big fights have been in Las Vegas, it’s a great climate to do a fight but this is professional boxing and money talks.”
Arum clarified “if we get an incredible offer from Dallas and Jerry Jones then it will be incumbent upon Las Vegas to match it or come close.”
The astute Top Rank promoter noted that “the best weekend that they (Las Vegas) have had in months was the weekend of November 14 when Manny fought (Miguel) Cotto. The town was packed. There was a great buzz and when its around a boxing match the people come in. There is something subliminal about the fact that they spend a lot of money, not as much on the gambling but in the best restaurants, the nightclubs and they buy clothing so they had a phenomenal weekend and they know this fight will be even bigger.”
Arum said also that “many people coming to the fight would want to stay in the new city center because architecturally its such an incredible edifice.”

(L-R): Nathanelsz, Dyan Castillejo and Arum at the New World Renaissance Hotel in Makati last week.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Bryan Acosta Wins WBA Continental Americas Featherweight Championship with Unanimous Decision over Ronny Rios in Main Event of ProBoxTV from Thunder Studios in Long Beach , Sun, 29 Mar 2026Filipino boy, 9, wins in Canada chess meet By Marlon Bernardino, , Sun, 29 Mar 2026Vagabov and Ziyaev crowned champions at IBA Bare Knuckle 4 in Saint Petersburg , Sun, 29 Mar 2026Sherwin Tiu captures Kamatyas Open Chess crown By Marlon Bernardino, , Sun, 29 Mar 2026Fundora vs Thurman: Can Keith Thurman Shake Off The Rust? By Chris Carlson, , Sat, 28 Mar 2026Albert Ramirez Against Lerrone Richards for the WBA Interim Light Heavyweight World Title on June 4 in Montreal! , Sat, 28 Mar 2026GM Daniel Quizon is the Favorite in 19th Kamatyas By Marlon Bernardino, , Sat, 28 Mar 2026Weights From ‘Acosta vs. Rios’ Event from Thunder Studios in Long Beach, Calif., and Broadcast live on ProBoxTV , Sat, 28 Mar 2026Mauricio Sulaiman: WBC maintains priority of the defense of fighters By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Sat, 28 Mar 2026Barrière and Akdeniz win in Montreal By Eric Armit, , Sat, 28 Mar 2026Jesse Espinas and Leboy Atencio Ready to Rumble in Thailand, LIVE on TrillerTV (Weigh-in Photos) By Carlos Costa, , Sat, 28 Mar 2026Matchroom Boxing announces new long-term contract extensions for two top UK fighters , Sat, 28 Mar 2026Thananchai Decisions "Lucky Boy" Alicaba By Carlos Costa, , Sat, 28 Mar 2026Suslenkov to defend WBA continental title against Mann at IBA.PRO 16 in Serpukhov , Fri, 27 Mar 2026SBA Builds the Future of Billiards with SBA Next and Official Pool Hub Network By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 27 Mar 2026Don King Productions Announces Challenger for Reigning WBC Cruiserweight World Champion Noel Mikaelian , Fri, 27 Mar 202611-0 Brooklyn heavyweight prospect Pryce Taylor developing his skills at Deontay Wilder and Andrii Novytskyi , Fri, 27 Mar 2026IBA welcomes the victory of common sense in the IOC policy on protecting women , Fri, 27 Mar 2026Genetic Testing will be required in Olympic Games By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Fri, 27 Mar 2026“Lucky Boy" Alicaba Ready for Action Friday in Thailand By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 26 Mar 2026WBO & WBA World Champion René “El Chulo” Santiago Hosts Open Media Workout Ahead of April 3 Title Defense in Tokyo , Thu, 26 Mar 2026Former WBA FEDELATIN President Panamanian Aurelio Fiengo passes away By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Thu, 26 Mar 2026The 19th edition of the Kamatyas Rapid Open and Kiddies Chess Tournament on March 28, 2026 By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 26 Mar 2026WIG-WHAM! MILLER PLANS ‘OLD SCHOOL’ BEATING OF PERO IN LAS VEGAS , Thu, 26 Mar 2026ProBoxTV Bringing a Storm of Flying Leather to Thunder Studios This Saturday, March 28, as Bryan Acosta Collides with Ronny Rios in Crossroads Bantamweight Slugfest , Thu, 26 Mar 2026 |

|
|
|
|
|