MACAU FIGHT MAKES DOLLARS & SENSE!
Daly City, CA-Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao plans to enter the boxing ring once again this April, facing current WBC featherweight champion, In Jin Chi. The 126 lb. titleholder, a belt once held by Luisito Espinosa (and defended seven times), seems similar to another hand picked opponent back in 2006, former champion Oscar Larios. The promotion of the July ’06 bout was not that Larios, moving up from 122, having any chance of winning, rather a homecoming bout and a treat for Pacquiao’s loyal Filipino fans. Ticket prices were more expensive than either Erik Morales fight, but the Araneta Coliseum was, for the most part, filled to capacity.
IN JIN CHI IS NOT BARRERA!
Fast forward to now, Team Pacquiao, headed by new promoter, Top Rank, who in reality has promoted all of Manny Pacquiao’s fight since defeating Marco Antonio Barrera back in late 2003, once again picks an older fighter not at the Super Featherweight division. Pacquiao, himself, is not a physically dominating presence at 130lbs, standing just a little over 5’6” and beginning his career at 106lbs. And like the Manila bout last year, the promotion will be based on the coming out party of the Las Vegas of Asia, Macau and the Wynn Hotel. Macau, located near Hong Kong, has always been a hotbed for gambling, topping Las Vegas casinos in revenues last year, but with Hyatt, MGM, Venetian and the Four Seasons hotels currently being built, it is clear that there is a lot of money to be made in Macau.
TOP ASIAN FIGHTERS SET FOR JUMPOFF
It is only fitting that the two top Asian featherweight fighters of the past six years square off in “Las Vegas: Asia.” Manny Pacquiao’s popularity in Japan, Thailand, Korea, and China is strong enough to draw masses into a venue. The venue might not rock like the past three Erik Morales’ scraps, but you can bet all the high rollers from Las Vegas and Asia will venture to Macau to watch this special event. It is not unprecedented for prize fighting to land in Macau, as there have been promotions in Macau in the past. However, with the major Las Vegas hotel companies venturing to Macau and arguable the most exciting fighter headlining a card, the hope (for Steve Wynn and his hotel) is for Macau to be showcased as a major tourist attraction.
MORE RISK THAN REWARD FOR MANNY?
Besides boxing diehards who wonder the depths of the Internet looking for In Jin Chi fights, no one really knows or cares about the Korean champion. The two-time WBC featherweight champion has had one notable fight, a decision loss to Erik Morales back in 2001. Clearly, Chi was out-boxed by the younger, stronger ‘El Terrible.’ However, Chi did push Morales to the limit late in the fight, forcing the immovable object, Morales, to run (for his life) in the last two rounds, impressing the HBO audience. When Morales moved up in weight, Chi took control of the “green belt”, knocking out Michael Brodie in his UK hometown, after getting shafted by a draw with Brodie previously. Chi always moves forward, which is tailor made for Pacquiao’s power punching style. However, Chi has always proven to be more of a spoiler than an “opponent.”
WILL HBO FLY TO MACAU?
If all go according to plan, “Macau Manila” should take place April 28th, one week before the mega PPV fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather. Obviously, HBO will not have back to back PPV dates as any De La Hoya fight outsells any PPV show, with the exception of UFC 66. HBO was willing to send a camera crew to the Philippines last year, until political turmoil in the country scared the cable juggernaut. Therefore, it seems likely that HBO will send their crew down to the rising Macau. Right now the most important thing for Pacquiao right now is to earn the largest purses in fights that will lead to even bigger purses. While most fans would have wanted to see Pacquiao once again knockout Marco Antonio Barrera, headlining an event that attempts to put an entire island on the mainstream map is not a bad “Plan B”.
WORLD CUP IDEA IN CEBU SCRAPPED
According to Philboxing’s Salven L. Lagumbay, the planned World Cup of Boxing: Philippines vs. Mexico, a fight card taking place in the Philippines, is on hiatus until (hopefully) later in the year. The event would have featured three top Filipino and Mexican fighters in world title bouts. The concept of this event originated last year when Mexico swept Thailand in title bouts, a card promoted by Golden Boy. Plans for a second world cup occurred when Sammy ‘Don King’ Gello-ani won the promotional rights of Fernando Montiel and Z Gorres. That title bout will still take place in Cebu as its own show, but the other two title fights (Jhonny Gonzales vs. Gerry Penalosa and Ponce De Leon vs. Rey Bautista) have been scrapped. Those two fights are not mandatory and the handlers of the two Mexican titlists have expressed their concerns on traveling to the Philippines and defending their titles. Boxing fans should remember that Cesar Soto complained about the scorecards when he lost a decision to Luisito Espinosa in their first fight in Manila. Here is a solution to the “getting cheated in opponent’s hometown”: fight in neutral grounds, where both fighters have a strong fan base. I’m talking about Los Angeles or the Bay Area. A Philippines vs. Mexico world cup seems perfect in those two locations as both have a high percentage of Filipino, Mexican, and overall boxing fans.
