Top Rank Boxing indicated that Saturday night’s fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez is a sellout. The live gate is estimated at over $10.5 million and the 16,000 plus arena at the MGM is sold out.
If the numbers are confirmed by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the gate would slide in at number 13 all-time in Vegas behind Mayweather-Hatton.
Top Rank indicated that there would be more closed circuit outlets which reflect demand despite this being the fourth fight between the two.
Payout Perspective:
Despite a lackluster (in my opinion) 24/7 series running up to Saturday, it appears that there is still demand for this fight. Maybe some want to see how Pacquiao rebounds from a loss or whether Marquez can finally defeat Manny, but the popularity for an unprecedented fourth fight has not diminished. According to reports, the weigh-ins this afternoon will be at capacity. We shall see how this translates into PPV buys.
That $10.5 million will make a nice start on the $28 million Pacquiao is guaranteed for the night. Seriously, though, that’s extremely impressive and shows that Manny and Floyd are simply at another level than anyone else in combat sports. No one else is even in the same vicinity.