My argument, unfounded and based on simple perceptions, has always been that Manny Pacquiao can only draw huge crowds in Boxing Capital, USA (a.k.a Las Vegas, Nevada) if he is paired up with an iconic Mexican Fighter. SEE: MARCO ANTONIO BARRERA, ERIK MORALES, AND JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ.
Filipinos in the U.S. may be loyal fans of the sport, but Mexicans are the peanut butter to the Pinoy jelly.
David Diaz may have a heart as big as Lake Michigan and defeated an overweight and burnt out Erik Morales, but he is not a big name among Mexican fight fans. No matter how many public workouts were scheduled, or press conferences arranged, Pacquiao vs. Diaz is not a big time boxing event.
Don?t believe me? Ask the one veteran ticket brokers in Las Vegas.
?The fight is not moving, at all,? said one broker who has been working in Vegas for over twenty years and spoke to Boxing Confidential under the veil of anonymity.
?I am telling you,? the broker went on to say. ?We got seats in all price levels and nobody, I mean, nobody, is biting on them. I am ready to slash the prices on them and take that hit. This is worse than Calzaghe vs. Hopkins?
How does this compare to other fights featuring Pacquiao?
?Manny has made me good money when he fought some of the other Mexican fighters. I got tickets to Filipinos and Mexicans who wanted great seats. This time around, my Cirque De Soleil tickets are moving faster than the Diaz ? Pacquiao seats.?
Luck for Bob Arum, Pacquiao?s promoter Bob Arum does not need to worry about the number of butts in the seats at the Mandalay Bay on Saturday night, as like most featured boxing shows in Vegas, Arum has been subsidized by a nice seven figure site fee.
10,000 or 10 paying customers can show up and Mr. Arum will make his money off the show, not to mention whatever cut of the pay per view he will receive.
Welcome to Boxing 2008! Where so-called boxing icons can fight a run of the mill opponent, with a luke warm live gate and still make millions!
