Promoter Bob Arum is expecting no less than 500,000 pay-per-view buys for the March 15 rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez.
?We expect to reach that figure,? said the Top Rank president, adding that the coming fight will definitely surpass the previous ones starring Pacquiao.
The classic trilogy between Pacquiao and Erik Morales drew a million buys on pay-per-view, and the recent one between the Filipino and Marco Antonio Barrera did over 300,000.
At $50 bucks each, pay-per-view sales amount to millions, and it means extra income for the promoters and boxers as well. But it?s HBO that really handles the PPV deal.
Arum said the rematch between Pacquiao and Marquez, the reigning WBC super-featherweight champion, is something truly worth watching and paying for.
?The last couple of months there were a lot of talks on who is Manny Pacquiao fighting next. But there seemed to be a consensus that it should be Juan Manuel Marquez,? said Arum.
The ageless promoter believes that that fight will be the toughest for Pacquiao, even tougher than the ones he had against Morales and Barrera, two of the greatest Mexican fighters ever.
Soon, the fight will have its official name although tickets to Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, priced from $600 down to $100, came out as early as last Friday.
The opening odds are out, too, and Pacquiao enjoys the edge.
?They?re looking at Unfinished Business or Breaking the Tie as the official title of the fight. But for me, the one that would really stick in the minds of the people is Pacquiao vs Marquez,? said Arum.
