PaquiaoVSHoya tickets gone in 2-3 hours-Bob Arum

Thursday, September 18, 2008

The remaining tickets for the Dec. 6 welterweight war between Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya will sell out "in two or three hours," Top Rank president Bob Arum said yesterday from Las Vegas.

Arum had met with Golden Boy Promotions (GBP) Chief Executive Officer Richard Schaefer and officials from MGM Mirage on Thursday (Friday in Manila) and they’ve
already decided on the number of tickets that will go to each party.


Only a fraction will be made available to the public since all three companies have already received bulk orders, while the MGM Mirage will use the tickets to entice high-rollers to stay at the MGM Grand and its chain of hotels.

As usual, "Manny also placed an order for tickets," said Arum, although it is not certain if Pacquiao will give tickets away in huge numbers as in the past when nearly every Tom, Dick and Harry can be given one.

The MGM Grand will be reconfigured to seat more than 15,000 although it can hold up to 17,000 spectators. Due to the magnitude of the event, the press will have an unusual number of requests for credentials with lots of applications coming not only from the US, Mexico and the Philippines but from Europe, South America and elsewhere.

Tickets--to be priced at $ 1,500, $ 1,000, $ 750, $ 500 and $ 250-- will go on sale on Sept. 24 and Arum is not surprised why a premium ringside seat on the Internet this early is being dangled for as high as $ 42,000.

"There won’t be a single ticket left for sale (at face value)."
Thursday, September 18, 2008

In anticipation of a huge turnout of sports fans who will not get tickets for the fight, Arum said at least 30,000 seats will be put up for closed circuit in different MGM-owned hotels on the Strip like The Bellagio and The Mirage.

As in the pay-per-view revenues, Pacquiao will also get a cut in the sale of closed circuit showing.

"Everything goes to the pot," said Arum.

When De La Hoya fought Floyd Mayweather last year, all 5,400 tickets that went on sale for the public were bought in three hours and in the final days leading to the bout Ebay had listings of ,000 for a ringside seat.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao is scheduled to leave for the US tomorrow night to start the pre-training camp program and will go full-blast after a six city-five day press tour that will kick off on Oct. 1 in New York.


source:
By NICK GIONGCO
www.mb.com.ph