Arum hints of untold riches for Pacquiao
Bob Arum did not say how much Manny Pacquiao is going to earn for his March 15 rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico but Top Rank boss hinted that this would be the boxer’s biggest paycheck by far.
"It won’t be for the year (2008). You know what I mean?" said Arum when asked to give a ballpark figure of Pacquiao’s earning for the Marquez rubber match counting his purse, the sale of the broadcast rights in the Philippines, his share in ticket sales and pay-per-view revenue and even closed-circuit, which, for the first time, will be utilized in a Pacquiao fight.
"We’ve done this with (Oscar) De La Hoya fights but this is the first time we will be doing this for a Pacquiao fight," said Arum, who was having a late lunch with Pacquiao in a Thai restaurant when the Bulletin contacted him yesterday.
"Of course, Manny is a partner in all of this," said Arum when asked if Pacquiao is also going to cash in on the closed circuit profit.
The Mandalay Bay, site of the fight, will have a room for closed circuit viewing since "there won’t be one ticket left by next week since there are less than 1,000 left," said the 76-year-old Arum.
"There would be people who won’t be able to get in because there won’t be any more tickets to buy," he said.
Other hotels that will carry the fight at $ 50 a pop include the MGM Grand, Mirage and Bellagio, said Arum, guaranteeing that not one seat will be empty at the 12,000-capacity Events Center on fight night.
Arum, who flew to Los Angeles from Las Vegas, said he watched Pacquiao’s workout for two hours at the Wild Card Boxing Club and was amazed with the 29-year-old southpaw’s work ethic.
"It (training) was unbelievable," said Arum, who took advantage of Presidents Day, a national holiday in the US, to check on the progress of Pacquiao’s preparations that officially kicked off in mid-January.
Then, Arum handed over the phone to Pacquiao, who revealed that he is going to San Francisco sometime next week to promote the fight. Arum noted that Marquez, who is reviving up in Mexico City, will not join the one-day gig.
"We will be having a press conference with the media there and I will also have my workout there," said Pacquiao, who will be brought to the Bay Area on a private plane that Arum will lease.
Under Arum’s plans — and should the script is followed to the letter — Pacquiao stands to earn more when he fights for the world lightweight championship in June possibly in Macau, and in November when he either battles British bomber Ricky Hatton or American superstar Oscar De La Hoya.
Source:mb.com.ph
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