PACQUIAO TO FIGHT AT MGM GRAND FOR THE TENTH TIME
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 23 Nov 2012
The MGM Grand at Las Vegas, Nevada is the venue of the fourth Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez encounter on December 8, 2009. This will be the tenth time the Filipino boxing icon will fight at the largest hotel resort complex in the United States.
Pacquiao fought his first fight in America on June 23, 2001 against South African Lehlo Ledwaba at the MGM Grand Garden Arena where he immediately caught the attention of the world because of his big upset win wresting the IBF superbantamweight title by a knockout in the 6th round.
Since then, the MGM Grand was Pacquiao?s favorite fight venue. The previous battles Pacquiao fought there was against Timothy Bradley, Marquez III, Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya, Erik Morales I, Marquez I, and Ledwaba.
Other Pacquiao multi-fight venues include the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada thrice against David Diaz, Marquez II, and Marco Antonio Barrera II; Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas, twice against Antonio Margarito and Joshua Clottey; Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas twice against Jorge Solis and Barrera I; and Morales twice at the Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada.
There were other places in the US where he climbed the ring only once. He fought Hector Velazquez at the Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, faced Emmanuel Lucero at the Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, encountered Agapito Sanchez at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California and battled Jorge Eliecer Julio at The Pyramid, Memphis, Tennessee.
Since his first fight at the United State, Pacquiao fought only four times in the Philippines. Against Oscar Larios of Mexico at the Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City on July 2, 2006; Fahsan 3K Battery of Thailand at the MC Home Depot Open Air Arena, Taguig City on December 11, 2004; Serikzhan Yeshmagambetov of Kazakhstan at Luneta Park, Manila on March 15, 2003; and Fahprakorb Rakkiatgym Rizal Memorial Colleges (RMC) Gym, Davao City, Davao del Sur on October 26, 2002.
The MGM Grand is the third largest hotel in the world and when it began operation in 1993, it was the largest hotel in the world. Owned and operated by MGM Resorts International, the 30-floor main building is 89 m high and the hotel complex includes five outdoor pools, rivers, and waterfalls, covering 2.7 hectares, a 35,000 m2 convention center, the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and the Grand Spa. It has 3,570 guest rooms and 642 suites.
Aside from the Pacquiao superfights, the MGM Grand Garden Arena hosted numerous illustrious professional boxing bouts including that of Mike Tyson, Julio C?sar Ch?vez, Oscar De La Hoya, and Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
MGM Grand Garden Arena is patterned after New York's Madison Square Garden. And has a seating capacity of 16,800 spectators. Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, the former owner of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) movie studio, originally owned majority shares of MGM Mirage until May 2009. MGM Grand, Inc. was formed in 1986 and developed the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. When they were acquired by Bally Manufacturing in 1986, the MGM Grand name was retained.
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