By Jake Donovan
As long as Manny Pacquiao remains a relevant fighter, you can expect the iconic Filipino to make an annual trek to Macau, China.
The reigning two-time welterweight titlist will head back to Asia—and in fact is deep into training camp in General Santos, Philippines—for his upcoming Nov. 22 showdown with unbeaten Chris Algieri. The bout, which will headline live on HBO Pay-Per-View, marks Pacquiao’s second trip to Macau in the span of three fights, making his debut at the resort destination last November.
A 12-round win over Brandon Rios was meant as means to get Pacquiao back in the win column after having lost two straight, but his presence generated enough buzz to where the demand was made to bring him back every year. The fight aired on PPV to the tune of roughly 475,000 buys, a dismal number by general standards, but graded on a curve when considering the fight took place far from the United States, a risky proposition for any PPV event.
Despite claims from at least one media member that HBO swore to never again stage a PPV show overseas, all parties are back in ball for the November card.
“HBO I'm sure never said they'd go back to China,” Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum dismissed of such claims during a media conference call. “Besides, who are they to say anything? It's my money and Manny's career. We are fighting in probably the best location in the world, the Cotai Arena, which is a tremendous place to watch a fight.”
Pacquiao will headline an HBO-distributed PPV show for the 17th time in his career. The return to Macau comes exactly 52 weeks following his win over Rios. According to his team, this time of the year should be penciled off for future trips to Macau.
“They want Manny to fight there once a year,” Arum insists. “So obviously if Manny is going to fight twice a year, he fights there in the fall and then in the spring he fights in the United States or some other country.”
Representatives for HBO declined comment on claims of never returning to Macau for a pay-per-view show. However, the manner in which the event is being promoted—including a new series launch (“Under the Lights”) and a showcase interview with Algieri during the October 18 HBO telecast headlined by Gennady Golovkin’s knockout win over Marco Antonio Rubio—suggests the network is all in for Nov. 22, and not just giving in to Arum’s demands.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as the Records Keeper for the Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and a member of Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
