Filipino Ring Idol Changes Continents, No All Asian Brawl In Macau! Pacquiao To Head Huge Top Rank PPV Show Across The Alley From The Alamo, San Antonio, April 21; Mexican Opponent Search Underway!
The man who produces Mannymania wherever he goes, Manny Pacquiao, will not be fighting rugged Korean In Jin Chi on April 28 at Steve Wynn’s high line hotel-casino complex in the Asian gambling mecca, Macau. I have learned that promoter Bob Arum, caught in a hotel room squeeze in the betting oasis, has revamped Pacman’s schedule completely.
Top Rank bossman Arum huddles Monday in his Las Vegas office with Pacman lawyer Jing Gacal and they agreed that Pacquiao will next go into battle as the main event of a huge PPV show at the cavernous Alamo dome in San Antonio. The big domed arena earned its boxing “bones? on Sept. 10, 1993, when the largest indoor crowd in boxing history of 60,000 packed the place to watch Mexican national idol Julio Cesar Chavez and American Pernell ‘Sweet Pea” Whitaker battle to a controversial 12-round draw. (Most sighted people not drawing Don King paychecks at that time felt Sweet Pea got thrown in the soup on that one. However, it is a little known fact that Ray Charles did stay in the same SA hotel as King and his cronies.)
But I digress. Back to all things Pacman. Macau is out and so is Mr. In Jin Chi. Pacman should be comfortable in the Dome since he had a major victory there on Nov. 15, 2003, when he stopped Mexican idol Marco Antonio Barrera in 11 rounds. More recently, the arena hosted the Evander Holyfield-Fast Fres Oquendo card Nov. 13. The Dome has plenty of open dates since the basketball Spurs now have their own arena. The venue mainly hosts specialty shows and trade shows and conventions.
But who replaces the redoubtable Mr. Chi? Arum is not sure.
“I don’t know who the opponent will be,” Arum said. My matchmaker, Bruce Trampler, is on the hunt right now for a good, solid Mexican fighter. Manny does not want any easy fights. That is not how Manny operates. I gave Bruce orders to get someone tough. The switch of venues came about not because Steve wasn’t ready but because nearby hotels did not have the necessary capacity or were just not ready for the huge crowds that would come in from all over Asia. We will do a Pacman fight at Steve’s great resort sometime later.”
Arum did not say it but, besides having great Mexican boxing fans who flock to fights in SA from both sides of the border, the city holds countless conventions. I have heard that there are about 9,000 hotel rooms available within a short walk or cab ride of the Alamodome.
Arum will load the show up with fighters who will represent the red, white and green bandera (flag) of Mexico. He will put charismatic Jorge Arce on the bill and the son of the legend from Culiacan, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
There have been rumors ,which grew legs when Pacman trainer Freddie Roach signed on for $1 million to train Arum rival Oscar De La Hoya (for the May 5 Superfight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.), that suddenly Pacman and his chosen although legally disputed promoter were suddenly not on the same wavelength. Those rumors grew arms when Coach Roach said publicly that Pacman would share a Puerto Rican gym where Oscar will train.
I asked Uncle Bobfather about the whispers and he put the kibosh on same.
“Nonsense and lies,” Arum said. “Everything is great with Manny, really great. He is going to start training in the Philippines, where he is running for political office, and then he will spend six weeks training in Puerto Rico.”
Was Arum being cute? Puerto Rico is not a state but “Isla del Encanta” is part of the good old USA.
“No, I did not mean Puerto Rico because Manny will not train in Puerto Rico.”
Hold the egg rolls, bring out the tacos. Macau is out, San Antone is in for the Pacman.
