MARQUEZ BOUT OFF DUE TO VISA PROBLEMS
San Mateo, CA-It’s sad that Jimrex Jaca, who was set to fight Juan Manuel Marquez next Saturday on PPV, lost out on his biggest paycheck ($50,000) because of complications securing a Visa. Based on several reports, the U.S Embassy could not find Jaca’s name on their file of people who were to receive a Visa. Jaca, (27-2-1, 12 KOs) who fought underneath Manny Pacquiao-Erik Morales II, would have arrived in El Paso, Texas, just a week before the bout. Common sense says that’s not a good recipe for success.
JIMREX HOLDS FIRST ROUND KO OF PACQUIAO!
Jaca is the same fighter that KO’d Bobby Pacquiao in one round in 2001, and he had performed marvelously while training at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles. Railbirds were more than impressed with super feather and expected big things. Strange isn’t it, that for the biggest fight of Jaca’s career, that the southpaw didn’t fly to Los Angeles for training several weeks prior to this Saturday’s card?
WILL OCTOBER 21 CARD SET NEW PPV RECORD?
The Visa issues should have been handled weeks in advance and the hungry fighter should have received his opportunity at a mega upset. One may think that the Visa issue is part of a bigger problem. Speaking of PPV numbers, expect this card to do less than the 70,000 homes Marco Antonio Barrera-Mzonke Fana did a couple of years ago. By the way, Golden Boy Promotions, they turned a profit on the card.
GOLDEN BOY PRESS RELEASE SAYS SHOW IS ON!
The (September 21) show must go on though, and in addition to the already announced bouts on the card- the WBO super bantamweight championship bout between Daniel Ponce De Leon and Al Seeger and the junior welterweight showdown between Juan Lazcano and Manuel Garnica – Golden Boy Promotions is pleased to add two action-packed wars to the pay-per-view portion of the show. In the first added bout, super bantamweight star on the rise Antonio Escalante (13-1, 8 KOs) will look to impress his hometown fans in El Paso as he defends his NABO 122-pound title against hard-nosed veteran Omar Adorno (16-7-1, 10 KOs) in a 12 round bout. The second bout added to the pay-per-view show will pit the number one ranked bantamweight in the world, Mauricio Martinez (31-6-1, 21 KOs), against former world champion Gerry Penalosa (50-5-2, 33 KOs).
WILL THE UFC KO PACQUIAO-MORALES?
Stay tune for an analysis of the fight within a fight, as November 18th could be a memorable event as dueling PPV broadcasts as the UFC’s Chuck Liddell and Pacquiao-Morales III will compete for your PPV dollar on this same night. I’ll be looking into this, get some industry estimates, and get back to you next week on this subject.
POP PRINCESS TO SING NATIONAL ANTHEM
One of the amazing aspects of “Pacman Mania” is the overemphasis on every detail pertaining to the Grand Finale fight between Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales. Loads of Paclanders search the Internet to get a glimpse of the new “Pacquiao’s,” a high top Nike boxing shoe. Through personal experience, lines of volunteers, who want to hoist the Philippine flag match lines at retailers the night before new Jordan’s or SB Dunks get released. Pac fans also wanted to know who will sing their national anthem come November 18th. Last January, Manny Pacquiao gave a big opportunity to Jennifer Bautista, a young up and coming singer. Her performance had mixed reviews but she became a star in her own right just for singing the national anthem.
THIS TIME IT’S A WELL KNOWN STAR
Probably Pacquiao’s highest profile fight (a possible break out showcase into superstardom), he requested one of the top female artists in the Philippines, 18-year old Sarah Geronimo. The singer-artist’s first solo album, Popstar: A Dream Come True, when platinum six times (in the Philippines platinum equals 30,000 units sold). One of the most popular singers in the Philippines, she has also performed in the United States, selling out shows in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. It’s safe to say there will be no controversy this time.
