Boxing promoter Bob Arum addresses the audience on March 11, 2015 in Los Angeles, California at the Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao press conference ahead of the May 2, 2015 fight in Las Vegas. AFP
HOLLYWOOD — Unlike the megabuck bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao last year, promoter Bob Arum
has modest targets with regards to Pacquiao’s third showdown against Timothy Bradley on April 9 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The 84-year-old Arum, top honcho of Top Rank, will be happy if Pacquiao-Bradley III matches the pay-per-view performance of the first edition in 2012 and the gate recipts of the grudge rematch in 2014.
The controversial first fight, which ended with a despicable split decision victory for Bradley, drew nearly 900,000 PPV buys while Pacquiao-Bradley II, handily won by the Filipino ring icon, lured 14,099 paying spectators to MGM Grand.
Arum, already enshrined in boxing’s Hall of Fame, is looking at a PPV of 700,000 and a crowd of 15,000.
Thus far, all Arum could say is Pacquiao-Bradley III, despite the lack of buzz and hoopla, will meet his expectations.
Arum told Filipino sportswriters Wednesday that only 2,000 tickets are left in the 16,800-seat arena, with sales expected to spike on fight week starting Monday.
The PPV holds promise as Arum has laden the undercards with all-Hispanic bouts to attract the attention of Mexican and Puerto Rican fans.
Mayweather’s victory over an injured Pacquiao, who suffered a rotator cuff tear on his right shoulder during the fight, shattered boxing records, with PPV buys soaring to 4.4 million and gate receipts breaching $72 million despite astronomical prices.
This time, Arum isn’t even looking at the one million PPV mark nor a sellout crowd.
Like him, fight fans aren’t inclined to believe Pacquiao’s pronouncement that he’d be hanging up his gloves after the trilogy.
