SEN. MANNY Pacquiao was placed in the unrestricted free agent list of the PBA’s Mahindra team before he flew to Los Angeles for his one-stop press conference with his foe Jessie Vargas on Sept. 9 at Beverly Hills Hotel.
Vargas, not the fans’ choice for the Pacman’s comeback fight, is defending his WBO welterweight title against the Filipino icon at Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on Nov. 5.
As a special added attraction, Top Rank’s Bob Arum has included a match between Nonito “Filipino Flash” Donaire Jr., the WBO super bantamweight champion, and Jessie Magdaleno in the undercard.
Many boxing aficionados feel that the Pacquiao-Vargas fight will determine how popular and saleable the senator is among fight fans now after his supposed farewell fight with Bradley in April 2015.
Arum was terribly disappointed with the Pacquiao-Bradley fight because it was a flop, netting only 400,000 hits on pay-per-view.
* * *
To increase attendance at the venue, Arum is offering tickets ranging from $50 —almost the same price for a pay-per-view—to $700.
During the mega fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Pacquiao the cheapest tickets sold at $1,500 and the most expensive at $7,500.
After the fight, however, people felt shortchanged because the match bored them. They wanted their money back.
Speaking of Mayweather, Arum said Pacquiao will not go into retirement until he has arranged a rematch with the retired American boxer.
Pacquiao is hopeful that the fight with Mayweather will push through next year.
The eight-division world title holder himself said during the press conference that he is not about to give up boxing because he misses the sport.
* * *
Friends of Pacquiao who regularly participate in the chess and billiards tournaments he hosts at his posh mansion in Forbes Park are missing him a lot.
A source close to the neophyte senator said the tourneys offer huge prize money.
Participants in the chess tournament include Grandmaster Eugene Torre and other national players.
Billiards participants include former PBA MVP Kenneth Duremdes, former pro cager Zaldy Realubit and members of the media.