The Dallas Cowboys upset the Saints but they couldn’t beat the Sinners.
That would be an appropriate headline, summing up how heavy favorite Las Vegas knocked out Jerry Jones and his Arlington, Tx., NFL playpen, to host the huge Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao mega bout on March 13.
The truth of the fight over the site is that neither Floyd or Manny dictated the location. The reality is that their promotional companies, Top Rank for Pacman and Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy for Money May, had their own ulterior motives to urge the boxers to stick with the girl what brung them, meaning the MGM Grand Mirage.
Call it the Best Customer Rule, the common practice of recognizing that repeat, loyal fight buyers get maximum preference over bidders who are newcomers.
Leading the charge to give the MGM Grand Garden Arena the site nod over Jones’ swanky, new domed stadium are two young promoters, Bob Arum’s stepson Todd duBoef and GBP’s Boxing Banker, Richie Rich Schaefer.
Schaefer is mindful that he will be peddling a lot more Shane Mosley-Andre Berto type main events than he ever will megafights. Ditto for Top Rank president duBoef. At age 78, Arum has no such longterm concerns.
Besides, both Vegas resident Mayweather and the Pinoy Idol are comfortable “on property: at the MGM Grand and its across the Strip neighbor, Mandalay Bay.
Last time Mayweather left Nevada to fight was Nov. 19, 2005, in Portland, Ore., a boxoffice flop which had a tie-in with his then sponsor Nike. Mayweather stopped faded Sharmba Mitchell in that bout.
Since then, Mayweather beat Zab Judah, Carlos Baldomir, Oscar, Ricky Hatton and Pacman nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez in Sin City. The Judah bout was at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center, Baldomir at Mandalay Bay, the rest in the familiar confines of the MGM arena.
For his part, Pacquiao last competed outside Nevada in a San Antonio bout April 14, 2007, in which he knocked out Jorge Solis.
Since then, Megamanny beat Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Ma and David Diaz at Mandalay Bay while defeating Oscar, Hatton and Miguel Cotto inside the MGM arena.
Another factor is the comfort level both camps have with Nevada’s experienced, competent officials.
Nice try, Mr. Jones.
I hope these promoters or others try to entice you and your venue down the line. Don’t take the Vegas choice as a slight. It’s just a case of home cooking winning out.
