If nothing else, you can bet this is a promotion that will be done right, unlike the last Alamodome card that featured a geezerweight in the main event and a nutcase running the show.
What a disaster that turned out to be. Evander Holyfield has moved on to greener pastures — Corpus Christi — and promoter Murad Muhammad apparently has joined the witness protection program.
Manny Pacquiao is the main attraction coming to the dome April 14, along with a cast of stars that hasn’t been seen on one card in San Antonio in some time.
And you can bet when promoter Bob Arum leaves town, all the bills will be paid.
Still, some challenges lie ahead.
The Alamodome will be configured to seat 20,000 — the same as it was for the Holyfield card. Arum said he expects a sellout, and he might get one.
He’s got better material to work with than what the Holyfield card featured — although in terms of quality of fights, it’s doubtful we’ll see anything like the Golden Johnson-Oscar Diaz rumble that was the co-main event that night.
In addition to Pacquiao, the Filipino flash, this card boasts Jorge Arce, Brian Viloria and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
But at first blush, the opposition appears a little suspect. Pacquiao could fight a dead man and maybe he still carries the show. He’s that good.
The Pacman, however, fought one of the legendary Mexican greats of all time, Marco Antonio Barrera, at the Alamodome in 2003 and that fight generated a crowd of 10,127 (8,853 according to state records).
Pretty good. But it wasn’t 20,000.
Pacquiao’s opponent this time is someone named Jorge Solis. By all accounts he’s a credible foe. He’s got a great record — 32-0-2 with 23 knockouts. But few people seem to have heard of him outside of Mexico.
In other words, he’s no Barrera.
The best thing Solis reportedly has going for him might be his trainer. Jesus Rivero, known as “El Profesor,” is a Mexican legend who once trained Oscar De La Hoya.
Rivero alone gives Solis a fighting chance. And you don’t know how well prepared Pacquiao will be for this fight, either. He’s reportedly eyeing a showdown later this year against the Barrera-Juan Manuel Marquez winner. That fight is scheduled for March 17.
The best fight on the April 14 card might be Arce and Cristian Mijares. Mijares isn’t exactly a household name, either, but at least he’s the champion.
Mijares will be defending his WBC super flyweight title in the bout. His record of 30-3-2 with just 12 knockouts suggests he doesn’t have much power. But he’s a crafty southpaw who is just the type of fighter experts say could give the energetic Arce trouble.
Like Pacquiao, Arce against a dead man might be worth the price of admission. He’s that good.
At least Arum has learned one thing about San Antonio since his last major card here. De La Hoya and David Kamau fought in 1997 at the Alamodome and Arum has always regretted the ticket pricing for that fight.
The cheapest ticket was $50, and Arum subsequently blamed that figure for the relatively low attendance that night of 10,130. With the Golden Boy in his heyday, the expectations were much higher.
Nosebleed seats for April 14 are priced at $35. Is it low enough to produce a sellout? We’ll see.
Locals on undercard: The only local fighter confirmed on the undercard is bantamweight Joseph Rios (1-0). Maribel Zurita (8-8-1) is a possibility.
* * * VIEW FROM THE CORNER
Fight analysis
Matchup: Israel Vazquez (41-3, 31 KOs) vs. Rafael Marquez (36-3, 32 KOs) — WBC super bantamweight title, 8 p.m. Saturday, Home Depot Center, Carson, Calif. (TV: Showtime)
Setting it up: First off, let’s give credit to Showtime for not putting this one on pay-per-view. This is great news for the fans. As for the fight itself, it figures to be a high-action doozy with lots of fireworks from the opening bell. On paper, it is a legitimate fight of the year candidate.
Breaking it down: Vazquez is a high-volume puncher who is coming off a thrilling 10th-round TKO of Jhonny Gonzalez in September. Marquez has won 15 straight, but is moving up to 122 pounds. While most in boxing expect he won’t have any trouble carrying his power with him, you never know.
Prediction: Vazquez is a legitimate 122-pounder, but Marquez is a precision puncher with all-around skills worthy of a top five pound-for-pound ranking. Look for him to use Vazquez’s aggressiveness against him and win by TKO, perhaps as early as the sixth round.
Viewer rating: Four out of four stars
Straight shots
I’m assured by sources Oscar De La Hoya wanted to include San Antonio on his media tour that hits Texas this week, but his team overruled him. Uh-huh. Sure.
Johnny Tapia beat stand-in Evaristo Primero by majority decision on Friday night in New Mexico, then failed three times to do his signature back flip after the bout. Just another sign that it’s over, Johnny.
Don’t know if this qualifies as a step up for Juan Diaz, but the Houston lightweight champ apparently will fight Brazilian star Acelino Freitas on April 28, likely at Foxwoods Resort in Connecticut, on HBO.
Is this a good mix? Reports are Arturo Gatti is turning to Pernell Whitaker to train him for his next fight, set for July 14.
The Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight on May 5 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas has produced a sellout and a guaranteed U.S. live-gate record of $19 million. If you’re in Vegas, you can watch it on closed circuit at a variety of casinos for $50.
No surprise here. Bernard Hopkins, 42, said he is coming out of retirement to fight Winky Wright on July 21 at 170 pounds.
ABC has announced Laila Ali will be on “Dancing with the Stars” next season. She should do well. She’s been side- stepping Ann Wolfe for years.
Quote of the week
“The idea that you have a guy with a hematoma stepping into the ring and the guy on the undercard has HIV is a disgusting travesty. What kind of barbarism is this?” — New York promoter Lou DiBella, on Thursday night’s card featuring Joe Mesi and Tommy Morrison
Local note
Renegades light heavyweight champion Aaron Rosa of San Antonio and XFC light heavyweight champion Brandon McDowell headline Tuesday’s professional, mixed martial arts cage fight card at Cowboys Dancehall.
Also, former local boxer James Downey will be competing in one of the 11 scheduled cage fights. The UFC’s Chris Leben is scheduled for a celebrity appearance.
The card, the second promoted by “Jesse” James Leija and Adam Had’em Productions, begins at 7 p.m. Tickets — priced at $15, $35 and $75 — are on sale at Ticketmaster.
The weigh-in is 2 p.m. Monday at Alamo City Harley-Davidson.
