Promoter: Pacquiao fight was boxer's largest pay-per-view yet -- Los Angeles Times

By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times

Manny Pacquiao's lopsided unanimous decision triumph over Shane Mosley last month has been projected to net at least 1.3 million pay-per-view buys, Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum said Monday, making the bout the Filipino star's best-selling bout yet.

"It'll be something over 1.3 [million], as high as 1.4," Arum said. "Based on what we have and certain projections, we know it's over 1.3 million."

Pacquiao's previous best was his December 2008 victory over Oscar De La Hoya, which generated more than 1.25 million buys.

The victory over Mosley was televised by Showtime, which declined to comment on Arum's announcement.

Arum pulled Pacquiao off HBO for the bout, expressing confidence the added publicity given by CBS' airing of two of the four Showtime "Fight Camp 360" prefight reality episodes would make it Pacquiao's biggest draw.

"I'm delighted with the numbers, very pleased with how everyone did their jobs," Arum said.

Showtime's success will make for an interesting television battle for Pacquiao's next fight, Nov. 13 versus Mexico's Juan Manuel Marquez. The pair previously fought to a 2004 draw and 2008 split-decision won by Pacquiao.

Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com

WOODS: Let's All Let Floyd Be, Stop Begging Him To Fight Pacquiao -- The Sweet Science

By Michael Woods, The Sweet Science

So he turned up his nose at $65 million bucks. Floyd Mayweather, with $65 million reasons to say yes, instead said no, I will not at this time fight Manny Pacquiao.

Difficult to believe, isn't it? We've all played the game "what would you do for a million dollars?" game with pals, and suffice to say, the bulk of us would allow ourselves to be semi debased and disgraced in exchange for securing a fat pile of loot. $65 million, even chopped up into portions for the taxman, and management types, is actually an obscene pile of loot.

The liberal softie in me does some math calculations in my head, dreams of all the good that $65 million could do. Starving kids in Africa could get plenty of nourishment for a long spell with that dough. You could build a real nice cancer wing in a big city hospital for that. And the jokester in me points out that you could get the IRS off your back if you owed him back taxes, if you said yes to $65 million.

But Floyd said no.

Promoter Bob Arum told videographer Elie Seckbach that despite his being an optimist, he now believes Mayweather will never fight Pacquiao. Arum said last week "legitimate people" from Signapore put $65 million on the table for Mayweather to meet Pacman, and "he turned it down...What does that tell you? It tells you he doesn't want to fight Manny Pacquiao."

"Everybody who knows boxing knows Manny Pacquiao would clean his clock," said Arum, skillfully speaking to Mayweather's ego, trying to get him to take the bait, and spurn all those people who know boxing. (By the way, count me out in this Arum scenario...I still lean toward Mayweather, one of if not THE best defender boxing has ever seen, if and when he and Pacquiao meet. I thought Manny took a half step back against Mosley, and wasn't impressed at times with his footwork as he tried to track down Mosley, who was in "not be hit" mode for 95% of the night.)

Arum said Floyd's legacy will take a hit if he doesn't fight Manny, that his record should be 41-1, because he has ducked Manny.

You might think that I will now delve into conjecture, and ponder reasons why Mayweather hasn't embraced the challenge. You might suspect that I will offer my belief that Mayweather enjoys the thrill of the chase as much as the actual preparation and combat, that he gets off on being wooed, on being romanced. You might think I'll offer some speculation on his psyche, talk about his fear of losing, of a fragility of ego. But I won't.

It's time for all of us to ditch the speculation, end the water cooler chats, cease the discussion as to why Mayweather won't fight Pacquiao.

Mayweather has made up his mind, and we have reached the point where the situation is ludicrous. Too much time has been wasted on trying to convince this man to do something he's not inclined to do. For two years, the keyboard tappers have churned out column after column, talking about blood tests, and PED allegations, and played amateur shrink as we covered the "will he or won't he" drama...Well, the drama has become stale, played out. The plotlines have been exhausted. There is nothing new, nothing fresh to be reported. What's next, Floyd will be offered $100 million to fight Pacquiao, and will turn that down?

Let's move on and deal with the concrete, with athletes who unabashedly seek the the challenges that make great sportsmen into legends. Let's focus on the people who don't shrink from the possibility of failure, for whatever reason, and luxuriate in what it is that makes them what they are. Let's let Mayweather fade away, build his brand, brag about his bets, however he wants to spend his time, and if and when he's ready to rock, and sign on to meet Manny, then we'll play along.

Source: thesweetscience.com

Ryan Rhodes can scupper Manny Pacquiao's £40m pay day by shocking Saul Alvarez -- Daily Mail

By Jeff Powell, Daily Mail

A British boxer, who walked unrecognised through the streets of London last week, now stands between the legendary Manny Pacquiao and the biggest purse in ring history.

Pacquiao has been offered a mind-boggling £40million to fight Mexican prodigy Saul Alvarez next spring — but that fortune will be blown away if Sheffield battler Ryan Rhodes, 34, can pull off a major upset in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Saturday week.

Rhodes is in Mexico as the mandatory challenger for the world light-middleweight title which Alvarez won by overwhelming Matthew Hatton, albeit travelling as a heavy underdog.

Certainly, the world’s richest man expects a comfortable victory for his young Mexican compatriot, who is nicknamed Canelo because of his unusual red hair.

Carlos Slim, the telecommunications mogul worth in excess of $60 billion, is planning his mega-fight between Pacqauio and Alvarez in front of a 95,000 crowd in Mexico City’s Aztec Stadium. He has guaranteed his offer to Pacquaio, a recently elected Congressman in Manilla, by lodging it with a powerful politician and businessman there, Governor Luis Chavit Singson.

Slim is a boxing fanatic and funds pensions for many retired heroes of the Mexican ring.

Bob Arum, promoter of the Filipino idol who is now generally regarded as the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the world, is treating Slim’s offer more seriously than an even higher bid for Pacquaio to box in Singapore.

A consortium of Far Eastern tycoons would pay Pacquaio and Floyd Mayweather Jnr $75 million each to face each other in the fight the world most wants to see – but therein lies the problem.

Arum explains: ‘When Floyd doesn’t even appear to be considering this much money, it tells me that he really does not want to fight Manny. So we are looking at Alvarez in Mexico.’

So is Rhodes, as early as Saturday week.

The 34-year-old European and twice British champion passed through London en route from Sheffield to Alvarez’s home city of Guadalajara. Although he did so unnoticed, he was full of belief in his potential for knocking out the new poster boy of Mexican boxing.

While admiring of the way Hitman Ricky Hatton’s brother went the torrid distance with Alvarez, he said: ‘The difference is that I am bigger puncher than Matthew. This lad is a good offensive fighter but he is easy to hit and when I land it will have an impact on him I don’t think he will have felt before.’

Rhodes failed in his only previous world title challenge, against Otis Grant all of 13 years ago. However, like the other three defeats in his career, that came when he moved up to middleweight and he adds: ‘I’m a much more dangerous puncher at light-middle.’

The odds are heavily against Rhodes, especially since he travelled too late to fully acclimatise to the 5,200 feet altitude in Guadalajara.

But if one of those punches proves concussive, not even the wealthiest man in the world will be able to put together again the richest fight of all time.

Source: dailymail.co.uk