SAUSALITO, California – Manny Pacquiao’s star is shining bright again.
Latest pay-per-view track of Pacquiao’s hot-as-hell victory over Keith Thurman is going way above the 600,000-buy mark, according to the Filipino fighter’s right-hand man Sean Gibbons.
“It’s like going back to 10 years ago when Manny was putting huge numbers on pay-per-view,” said Gibbons on Thursday from Las Vegas, where Pacquiao scored a 12-round split decision win over the previously undefeated Thurman at the MGM Grand.
Gibbons noted that Pacquiao’s big numbers on PPV only proves that PPV remains a solid revenue-earning vehicle provided that the lead star is a bona fide attraction like Pacquiao.
Pacquiao is now being promoted by Premier Boxing Champions of Al Haymon and Gibbons swears that while rival promotional outfits Top Rank of Bob Arum and Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions have proclaimed that the PPV is dead in the water, the Pacquiao-Thurman slugfest is proof it isn’t.
“PPV is alive,” said Gibbons, who is set to rejoin Pacquiao in the Philippines next week.
Pacquiao has been involved in two of boxing’s biggest ticket sales in Las Vegas history.
In May 2015, Pacquiao’s megabuck matchup with Floyd Mayweather hit more than $72-million in ticket sales while his landmark Dec. 2008 upset of De La Hoya posted more than $14-million.
The ticket sales likewise show that the 40-year-old Pacquiao remains a hot commodity.
The Grand Garden Arena crowd was announced at 14,356 although
according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, only 11,346 tickets
were sold.
Still, it produced a live gate of $6,260,275. (NICK GIONGCO)
