Pacquiao-Marquez to eclipse Mayweather-Ortiz at gates

The third fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez is sure to surpass the gate receipts of the recent Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Victor Ortiz showdown at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Renowned promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank told ESPN.com Friday that the gate for the trilogy slated Nov. 12 at the same venue would be approximately $11.7 million.

Mayweather’s controversial fourth round knockout of Ortiz raked in $9 million according to the Nevada Athletic Commission despite having 3,052 tickets unsold.

In contrast, Pacquiao-Marquez III is a guaranteed sellout with live attendance to range between 16,000 to 17,000.

If Arum’s prediction holds true, then the trilogy would be the ninth largest gate in Nevada history.

Pacquiao’s eighth round stoppage of Oscar De La Hoya in 2008 ranks third with $14,380,300 in ticket sales.

To further drum up interest in the battle for Pacquiao’s World Boxing Organization welterweight crown, Arum told Dan Rafael that he and the pound-for-pound king will be interviewed by CNN’s Piers Morgan on October 28. In addition, Pacquiao will make his fifth straight pre-fight appearance on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on November 3.