THE giant Philippine network ABS-CBN has reportedly landed the lucrative free TV rights for the blockbuster third encounter between Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao and legendary Mexican Erik “El Terrible” Morales at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on Nov. 18.
Viva Sports/Standard Today learned that the Philippine cable TV rights, pay-per-view and DVD rights were offered to Solar Sports, which has an output deal with Top Rank.
Promoter Bob Arum is said to have indicated he didn’t want all the rights held by one entity while Pacquiao, who acquired the Philippine rights, was looking at it from the viewpoint of a businessman. But there was no word on whether the planned splitting of rights was acceptable to both parties.
ABS-CBN developed a close tie-up with Pacquiao ever since the network partnered with Solar Sports in the Pacquiao-Morales rematch in which the Filipino demolished the Mexican in 10 rounds, inflicting the first knockout on his legendary foe. Last July 2, the network teamed up with Manny Pacquiao Promotions to stage the Mano-A-Mano showdown between the Pinoy champ and Oscar Larios at the Araneta Coliseum and carried the fight on pay-per-view in the US on Direct TV as well as on The Filipino Channel around the world.
