Giant 'Cube' back at Big Dome
By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 13 Mar 2010
MANILA, Philippines - The mammoth Cube returns to the Araneta Coliseum tomorrow morning as a crowd of 18,000 is expected to witness the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey fight for the WBO welterweight title on a four-sided 30 foot by 30 foot monitor hanging under the electronic scoreboard in the center of the basketball court.
Uniprom director of entertainment and marketing Sienna Maris Olaso said it’s the next best thing to being at ringside for the bout that will be held at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The live satellite feed will be transmitted straight into the monitor with four giant screens. There will be no commercial interruptions and the fight will be shown as it happens in Arlington on real time.
It will be the Cube’s third appearance at the Big Dome after Pacquiao’s bouts against Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto last year. The two previous events were sell-outs.
Olaso said the coliseum is ready to welcome another sell-out audience. Gates will open at 8 a.m.
What makes the experience a thrill is the action is brought to the fans, up close and personal. The monitors feature a high-resolution output with 15,000 lumens to display clarity, sharpness and brightness. The Big Dome is blanketed in movie theater-like darkness so the imagery is even more enhanced. The best seats in the house are located in lower box and upper box A where tickets are priced at P530 apiece. Viewers will be almost at eye-level with the monitors in those sections.
Other prices are P430 for patron, P380 for upper box B and only P158 for general admission.
“It’s a steal for what you’ll be watching,” said a boxing fan. “It’ll be almost like you’re in the Cowboys Stadium with the benefit of listening to live commentary. The fighters will be projected bigger than life. Instead of paying a lot of money to travel all the way to Texas, you end up saving and enjoying the fight in the comfort of the Araneta Coliseum. You can’t beat that deal.”
For the Pacquiao-Cotto fight, several celebrities, politicians and big businessmen showed up at the Big Dome and they couldn’t believe experiencing the heart-thumping action in their seats. The Star’s Scott Garceau recounted his experience in his X-Pat Files column entitled “Blow By Blow.” Dennis Valdes and wife Tessa Prieto also joined the crowd which lustily cheered for Pacquiao throughout the fight.
The Cube has become a regular fixture at the coliseum for every live satellite coverage of Pacquiao’s fights and fans wouldn’t have it any other way.
“The great part about catching a Pacquiao match at the Big Dome is the sense of history that is palpable all over the place and the real feeling you get when, every time Pacquiao makes a move, the audience lets out of a deafening roar,” noted an Araneta press release. “Aside from the ambiance that cannot be matched by any other sporting venue in the country, the Big Dome also offers the utmost in comfort and safety – rain or shine – to both promoters and spectators.”
Making Sunday’s event even more significant is it will usher in the 50th anniversary of the coliseum which was inaugurated by the Flash Elorde-Harold Gomes bout for the world junior lightweight title on March 16, 1960.
The Araneta Group’s corporate affairs and PR manager Genny Marcial said the Big Dome will celebrate its golden anniversary by staging a benefit concert, featuring Spanish icon Julio Iglesias, on March 20. The concert is entitled “Heart of Gold” and will deliver all revenues to charity. Iglesias’ talent fee, coliseum rental and all ticket sales will go to beneficiaries, mainly the families that lost homes in the wake of typhoon Ondoy’s onslaught in Rizal province.
“We’re celebrating our Golden Year by giving back to the people especially those who experienced first-hand the devastation of Ondoy,” said Marcial. “All concert proceeds will be given to charity. For the first time since the coliseum opened in 1960, a world-class major production featuring an international artist will donate all revenues to charity. The beneficiaries are several hundred families who were severely affected by Ondoy and for whom complete communities will be built through a partnership with Gawad Kalinga. Other beneficiaries are the ABS-CBN Foundation and the UN’s world food program.”
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.
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