The stage is set for Manny Pacquiao?s much-awaited comeback fight in Macau as Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum revealed the itinerary for a six-city Chinese and US press tour and the ticket prices for the Filipino icon?s Nov. 24 duel with Brandon Rios.
Arum told the Bulletin from his Las Vegas lair that Top Rank and Sands China, which will put the fight at the Venetian Resort and Casino, are working with their Chinese contacts to make the promotional tour a huge success.
The first stop will be in Guangzhou (formerly Canton) followed by major appearances in the capital of Beijing and Shanghai.
Official functions will be held at major Chinese landmarks like the Forbidden City, a Unesco World Heritage Site and the Great Wall, one of the wonders of the world, according to Arum, who is drooling with excitement.
After Pacquiao and Rios and te entire Top Rank team caps its Chinese visit, the traveling circus will stop by Singapore for another affair before they catch a flight to the US mainland for the two-city tour in New York and Los Angeles.
Arum is staging a huge show in Singapore sometime in October and if it turns out to be a success, the 81-year-old Top Rank big boss will likely bring Pacquiao there next year in line with his vision of expanding into Asia.
Pacquiao is actually attending Arum?s card in Macau on July 27 where Filipino hopeful Milan Melindo fights for the world flyweight crown against defending champion Juan Francisco Estrada of Mexico.
From Macau, Pacquiao, Rios and Arum will head to Guangzhou to kick off the tour in style.
Meanwhile, Arum said the pricing scheme for the Pacquiao-Rios match will be similar to that of Las Vegas.
The most expensive ticket will retail at $1,200, while the cheapest will be at $100 and the Cotai-Arena?s 15,000 seats will be fully utilized as Arum expects a sellout come fight night.
