WITH OVER two weeks to go before their much-awaited head-on collision in Las Vegas, tickets for their fight are selling as if they are on sale, promoter Bob Arum disclosed yesterday.
“The fight is on fire,” Arum said, referring to the March 19 super-featherweight brawl between Mexican Erik Morales and Filipino Manny Pacquiao at the 15,000-seat MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Arum said all 2,800 tickets priced at $75 have already been sold and the number of available tickets pegged at $400, $300, $200 and $125 are beginning to dwindle as interest in the megabuck bout intensifies going into the final two weeks.
As of yesterday, 10,000 seats have already been taken and it is expected that by fight week, there won?t be a single ticket left to buy.
When Pacquiao fought there last year against Juan Manuel Marquez, over 10,000 fans carrying banners and streamers jammed the arena. This fight, however, was not on HBO Pay-Per-View.
Pacquiao said political bigwigs like Sen. Lito Lapid, Davao mayor Rodrigo Duterte, General Santos City mayor Pedro Acharon, North Cotabato Gov. Manny Pi?ol as well as actor and boxing enthusiast Robin Padilla are heading for Las Vegas as their way of showing their support to the Filipino boxing icon.
HBO PPV is beaming the fight to US households for a price of $44.95.
Arum, whose promotional firm Top Rank is staging the show alongside Murad Muhammad?s M&M Sports, said there is a strong possibility that a record will be set for PPV buys for a fight in the lower-weight categories.
Meanwhile, Manila?based members of Pacquiao?s entourage ? Lito Mondejar, Ramon Lainez and Gerry Garcia ? are heading to Los Angeles on March 10, while th power?punching lefty?s wife, Jinkee, will follow on March 13.
Team Pacquiao leaves for Las Vegas by land on March 14 from Los Angeles, the same day Morales?s party is arriving in the gambling haven straight from Mexico City where he currently trains.
Las Vegas oddsmakers have installed Pacquiao as the slight favorite although he will be fighting for the first time in the 130-lb category, having previously fought as a flyweight, super-bantam and then as featherweight.
