BOXING star Manny Pacquiao says he wants his next fight to be held in the country as a tribute to his countrymen.
However, based on fans’ reaction to what they called as “expensive” tickets, it seems the July 2 fight at the Araneta Coliseum isn’t really for the masses.
But before fans start lynching Pacquiao for the prohibitive cost of the tickets for his upcoming duel with Oscar Larios, trainer Freddie Roach said yesterday Manny had no say in the issue during an interview with a popular boxing website.
Roach told Boxingtalk’s Brad Cooney that ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp., which owns the exclusive right to the fight coverage, has decided on the ticket prices based on the results of its research.
“Well, they just had the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) over there, and the place was sold out…ABS researched it, and they have done entertainment stuff before, and they say they know what they are doing, so it’s out of our hands. ABS says hey are in control, and they say that this fight will sell out within a week,” Roach told Boxingtalk.
Early reports said ticket prices for the fight would cost $1,000 (roughly P51,000) for the so-called “corporate seats” while ringside tickets could cost P25,000, and P1,000 for the bleachers.
Roach added that ABS-CBN will do the local coverage for the fight, while HBO will pick up the pay-per-view feed for the American, Latino, and Filipino viewers in the United States.
Organizers plan to sell some 17,000 tickets, while the rest of the seats will be reserved for VIP’s and other non-paying boxing aficionados.
Roach also defended the choice of Larios as Pacquiao’s opponent, citing that the Mexican “is a tough guy, a live opponent and ex-world champion,” who was approved by HBO and is not an easy opponent by any means.
Roach was reacting to reports that portrayed Larios as an easy foe for Pacquiao.
He added that if Pacquiao gets by Larios, and if Erik Morales insists on fighting at a catch weight beyond 130 lb, then they would be forced to accept Marco Antonio Barrera’s dare of a Nov. 4 showdown.
