Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao prepare to face off, photo from ESPN.com
Tickets for the much-anticipated match-up between Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand sold out in mere hours, totaling a gate of nearly $17 million, second-largest in boxing history (after the Golden Boy’s showdown with Floyd Mayweather, jr last year). With foreign television, Pay-Per-View, closed circuit broadcasts, and sponsorship still to come, De La Hoya-Pacquiao figures to be one of the richest fights in boxing history.
A couple of interesting subplots …
Due to Floyd Mayweather Sr’s commitment to train Ricky Hatton for his November defense against Paulie Malignaggi, Oscar De La Hoya will turn to Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain to train him. This will be the first time De La Hoya has worked with Beristain.
And …
Philippines congressman Rufus Rodriguez will ask the country’s Games and Amusement Board to suspend Pacquiao’s license as well as inform the Nevada Boxing Commission that the Philippine government does not sanction the bout with De La Hoya. Rodriguez looks at Pacquiao as a national treasure and feels it is the government’s duty to protect him from accepting such a mismatched bout.
Manny Pacquiao is one of Nike’s more prominent international spokespersons and of course the face of Nike Philippines.