Despite claims that boxing is down for the count with the impending departure of Oscar De La Hoya, the head of one of the sports? major players revealed yesterday that it isn?t.
“I?m an eternal optimist. I don?t ever count out the sport of boxing. People have been doing it for 100 years,” HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg told Tim Smith, boxing columnist of The New York Daily News, writing a special article for ESPN.com.
“The next big superstar in the sport is out there lurking in the shadows. I believe that Manny Pacquiao has launched himself into superstardom. He?s shown he doesn?t back down from any challenge,” Greenburg added, obviously amazed with the way Pacquiao manhandled the Golden Boy last Dec. 6 in Las Vegas.
Although recent pay-per-view results have been disappointing and appalling ? excluding the giant numbers of 1.4 million buys registered by the Pacquiao-De La Hoya clash ? boxing remains a major spectator sport.
Greenburg said there are high hopes that boxing will be on the way to recovery with the impending decision of Floyd Mayweather Jr. to stage a comeback (to face the winner of the proposed May 2 duel between Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton).
“Then there?s a guy in Las Vegas by the name of Floyd Mayweather Jr. If Floyd decides to come back to the sport, it will be an instant jolt of electricity,” added Greenburg.
A sign that boxing will survive even without De La Hoya is the fact that one website that sells tickets on line not only to sporting events but for concerts and plays, has started to advertise the Pacquiao-Hatton bout that the website say will take place at the 15,000-seat MGM Grand Garden Arena, and not at the 19,000-capacity Thomas and Mack Center, also in Las Vegas.
A check on toptickets.us shows that the cheapest ticket for the fight is pegged at 5 (bleachers), while the priciest is at ,000 (first row floor level).
Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions haven?t made an official announcement although both outfits are of the opinion that a deal is due to be made soon unless a last-minute deal-breaker comes along.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao is flying to Los Angeles tonight via Philippine Airlines with sons Emmanuel Jr. and Michael Stephen and Mary Divine Grace to reunite with pregnant wife Jinkee.
