LAS VEGAS — The main question I’m asked by readers during fight week is, “What is the atmosphere like?” Most of the time, the answer is the same: “Too early to tell.” It’s pretty rare that the MGM Grand (or the Mandalay Bay, or wherever a fight is being held) comes to life much before the day before the fight, which is when fans and high rollers descend for the weekend.
The biggest exception to that rule was, of course, when Ricky Hatton challenged Floyd Mayweather Jr. and it felt as though half of Manchester shipped to Las Vegas from Monday onward. That remains far and away the most electrifying big-fight atmosphere I’ve encountered; few even come close.
I’m not saying that Saturday’s Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley clash will be on that level, because it almost certainly won’t. But there are plenty of signs already this week that it will be bigger than most.
The fighters’ arrivals at the MGM on Tuesday were far better attended than usual, with a guesstimated 500 or so fans screaming mostly for Pacquiao, but also for Mosley. There is already a buzz among guests at the hotel, with several stopping to ask me if I have any idea how they can find tickets. (The Grand Garden Arena was sold out weeks ago.) On Wednesday evening, I bumped into a bunch of fans who had flown over from England for the fight; as we descended to the lobby, former champ Johnny Tapia stepped into the elevator and chatted about Mosley’s chances.
I have no idea how many pay-per-views this will sell, although overall awareness of the fight seems to be much higher than for most. But here in Las Vegas, it’s shaping up to be one of the more atmospheric fight nights in a while.
