MANILA, Philippines ? With Top Rank tapping HBO to telecast the Nov. 12 welterweight title fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez, Todd DuBoef exudes confidence the rubber match is going to break new ground.
?There?s going to be a lot of stuff,? DuBoef, the Top Rank president, told the Bulletin Saturday after Top Rank made the decision to go with HBO instead of Showtime.
?We will use different types of platforms. It?s going to be a complete 360 degree campaign,? said DuBoef, noting the return of the award-winning 24/7 to document the every move of the main protagonists.
Coupled with Pacquiao?s enormous popularity, Top Rank is upbeat the numbers that will be generated by the pay-per-view will exceed expectations.
?We are going to very big. Manny is a global star,? added DuBoef, who is Top Rank big boss Bob Arum?s stepson.
Pacquiao?s biggest PPV number was generated when he fought Shane Mosley last May on Showtime, drawing more than 1.3 million buys, bigger than his Dec. 2008 showdown with Oscar De La Hoya, which drew 1.25 million.
Appearances on CNN are also being lined up for Pacquiao and Arum in an effort to make the event even bigger.
Pacquiao and Marquez share a bitter and long history, having fought to a disputable 12-round split draw the first time they met in May 2004, a fight Marquez said he handily won despite getting up from three first-round knockdowns.
In the rematch in March 2008, Pacquiao escaped with a 12-round split decision, a result that has kept the Mexican counter-puncher resentful up to this very day.
