Despite the announcement earlier in the week that the MGM Grand has officially sold out for the May 7th clash between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley, Top Rank is discovering
that the widely-criticized match-up is a tougher sell than even they had imagined. As a matter of fact, the lack of buzz in the boxing community for this contest is palpable.
Looking at things objectively and not from the point of view of a fan or supporter, Pacquiao's selection of opponents has been, to be optimistic, rather opportunistic.
Being a heavy betting favorite in each of his last four contests, Team Pacquiao's main chore was in trying to market his bouts to the casual and hardcore fan alike. With his massive popularity, Manny will always be a draw, but even the biggest of draws needs a marketable and intriguing opponent to help boost buy rates.
Against Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto, the event was an assured success due to both fighters' loyal fan base from England and Puerto Rico, respectively. By all estimates, both could easily have brought in between 300,000 and 400,000 buys from their countrymen and long-time fans.
Against Antonio Margarito, a loyal Mexican fan base was dumped into the mix, as well as the buzz created by the controversial Tijuana Tornado's dubious return to the ring.
Even against the relatively unknown Joshua Clottey, the event could count on a publicity boost created by the debut of Dallas Cowboys Stadium as a boxing venue.
But Shane Mosley?
Coming off a poorly-received pay-per-view against Sergio Mora, Mosley can hardly be seen as a viable, marketable opponent with a clearly-defined and loyal fan base. And, in the fight before last, he lost a one-sided, unanimous decision to Floyd Mayweather jr., so many are just not seeing him as a viable opponent in terms ability to compete or challenge the eight-division champ.
Source: associatedcontent.com
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