He really is the “People’s Champion.”
In trademark Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao generosity, the super featherweight champion of the world announced that he will give away P2.5-million worth of free tickets to his forthcoming fight with the Mexican boxer Oscar “Chololo” Larios on July 2 at the Araneta Coliseum.
The fight, dubbed Mano-A-Mano, is being produced by Pacquiao’s MP Promotions in collaboration with the ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp.
Pacquiao told the press in a televised news conference on Friday that he spoke to ABS-CBN chairman Gabby Lopez just the night before, and persuaded the latter to join him in funding P2.5-million worth of free bleacher tickets to his fans who cannot afford to buy seats for the fight.
He added that they have yet to discuss the mechanics for the plan and even joked that he should keep his voice low for now lest the plan provoke another stampede.
As for the paying public, Peter Musni, head of ABS-CBN Sports, said that they are still in the process of identifying the price range for tickets to the Big Dome event. They are conducting what he calls a “sensitivity market survey” to come up with realistic and reasonable figures. At Pacquiao’s triumphant fight with Morales in Las Vegas in January, tickets fetched $200 to $1,000 each.
For now, what the producers can assure the public is that Filipinos can watch Mano-A-Mano live “wherever they may be in the world” via ABS-CBN’s local stations, and its international network The Filipino Channel (TFC), as well as on the cable channels INDemand, DirectTV and the network’s Mexican broadcast partner. The fight also marks the first time Filipino promoters will put up a world-class bout.
