By Ronnie Nathanielsz
SOLAR Sports has paid $10 million for the Philippine television rights of the Fight of the Century between between eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao and undefeated pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. to be held at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 2 (May 3 in Manila).
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum told BoxingScene.com/Standard/Viva Sports that the multi-network telecast of the fight, which was requested by Pacquiao himself, is likely to end up with GMA-7, which has telecast most of the Pacquiao fights since the showdown with Marco Antonio Barrera in November 2003; ABS-CBN, which regularly telecasts the Pacquiao fights in the Middle East in particular over The Filipino Channel, and even TV5.
Initially, indications were that the major Philippine networks were in a bidding war for the TV rights, but Pacquiao virtually insisted on a multi-network telecast and since Solar Sports had the rights, they decided to adhere to what the Filipino ring icon, their longtime prized possession, wanted.
