By Steve Kim
Next week's pay-per-view event that features WBO welterweight titlist Jessie Vargas taking on Manny Pacquiao, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, is one that is being produced and distributed by Top Rank.
And with that, there will not be the customary network delay broadcast of the main event.
"I think that's the best selling point we have," Bob Arum, tells BoxingScene.com. "People are hesitating to buy a pay-per-view fight saying - 'look, I have some other social function, I have something else to do. So we can always catch it the following Saturday.' Well, they're not catching it the following Saturday because we're not doing a delay.
"And I think that will help us sell more pay-per-views. I mean it stands to reason, I don't know how many more pay-per-views, but there were people that weren't buying the pay-per-view because they decided to wait a week to see the delay."
Also on this card are title fights featuring Nonito Donaire and Oscar Valdez, and with Top Rank in charge of this whole production it will be at their discretion when these bouts are aired again.
"We have no plans to release a delay," Arum reiterated. "Now, eventually if there's a really good fight, for example if Donaire beats (Jessie) Magdaleo and it's a helluva fight and we end up doing Donaire against the winner of (Carl) Frampton and (Leo) Santa Cruz, we'll probably air a delay of the Donaire-Magdaleno fight prior to Donaire's next fight in order to make a statement. But it would only be done on our timetable to benefit ourselves in the future."
Steve Kim is the news editor for BoxingScene.com.
