NO PACQUIAO VS. CRAWFORD SAYS ARUM
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 04 Jan 2017
Top Rank CEO Bob Arum was no longer aiming the Manny Pacquiao-Terence Crawford brawl on his calendar. At least for the first Pacquiao fight in 2017 which could happen most probably in April when the Senate takes its Holy Week break.
The much talked about Pac-Bud tiff seemed to be slowly going on its way to the trash bins when Pacquiao through spokesman Michael Koncz was asking a guaranteed purse of $20 million which Arum thinks is imposible to raise considering the dwindling PPV sales of Pacman fights since the record breaking 4.4 million pays during the Floyd Mayweather megabout.
The preferred rematch with Mayweather is what Pacquiao and coach Freddie Roach originally wanted. Even if it could generate half the total revenues of the original fight in 2015, it would still be the top grosser of all fights this year 2017.
But Mayweather must be aiming at MMA superstar Conor McGregor for a bigger payday and higher PPV sales with combined boxing and MMA fans watching.
Pacquiao sold only 400,000 PPV's in the Timothy Bradley bout and in the Jessie Vargas championship earned only 300,000 PPV's. This is a sign of the decreasing market in Pacman fights especially in the United States.
Arum is proposing a fight outside the United States most probably in Australia, home country of rumored next Pacquiao foe Jeff Horn. This is a marketing strategy which could counter the lesser interests of boxing in the United States and the escalating taxes on pro fights.
The Brisbane-born Horn is the No. 2 contender for the WBO welterweight title. He has an unblemished record of 16-0-1, 11 KO's and the former 2012 London Olympian is 10 years younger than Pacquiao.
Other venues contemplated by Arum are England, Middle East or maybe even Mexico. Pacquiao fought twice in Macao against Brandon Rios and Chris Algieri. The Rios bout registered 475,000 PPV's while the Algieri clash had 400,000 PPV buys.
Arum thinks Pacquiao is more than just a boxer because he is representing the Philippines as its fighting senator. He would love to see him fight in places around the world like Muhamad Ali who fought in so many of his bouts outside the United States.
Aside from Horn, other prospective foes being considered for Manny are former sparring partner Amir Khan and top contenders David Avanesyan and Errol Spence Jr. and Vasyl Lomachenko.
Everything however will be fixed when Arum flies to the Philippines and personally confer with Sen Manny on the final schedule and the next opponent.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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