Can Manny Pacquiao help HBO with declining PPV sales?

by Igor Frank: "I heard your barber renounced buying Pay Per View boxing since Hopkins fiasco," exclaimed Big Steve pouncing on the heavy bag at the Y in Glendale:" I almost joined him. Think about it; all the big shows were a bust. Even Pacquiao's last fight against Mosley was very disappointing. Could Manny save HBO from disaster in November? He certainly has the right kind of opponent facing him. Marquez promised to leave it all out in the ring and he will. What do you think?" A month after the biggest PPV boxing event to date, with a main event between Mayweather and Ortiz ending in a controversy, HBO still has not released the official figures. Could it be because they are still trying to tally up all the PPV buys? I doubt it. Most likely scenario is that numbers came in well short of expectations and management is trying to burry it under the rug. The latest Pay Per View event with Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson was not expected to generate huge numbers, but to add an insult to injury a bizarre conclusion with Hopkins being slammed down on the canvas for TKO did not do much to help deteriorating image of the sport of boxing. King of boxing broadcasting, HBO is counting on pound for pound king of sweet science, Manny Pacquiao to help them to reverse the trend. The most popular fighter on the planet is doing his part. Normally a sweet and mild mannered athlete, Manny has an edge to him concerning his upcoming bout with rival, Juan Manuel Marquez. He is tired of listening to Marquez claiming that he won two previous encounters and he wants to erase all doubts when they meet to settle the score on November 12th in Las Vegas. Manny says this time it is personal. He has been training like the man possessed. Strength and conditioning coach, Alex Ariza has to pace his star not to burn out too soon. Tickets to the live event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena have been sold out for over a month, but HBO and Bob Arum are pulling out all the stops promoting the fight to boost PPV sales. Global promotional tour that spanned three countries, Phillipines, Mexico and United States was launched to announce the fight. HBO has teamed up with CNN to deliver their renowned 24/7 series to a lot wider audiences. The first episode of 24/7 is scheduled to be aired this Saturday. According to Las Vegas book makers Manny Pacquiao is eight to one favorite to win this fight and you will be hard pressed to find a pundit who believes that Marquez can defy the odds. With that in mind and the fact that the whole world only wants to see Pacquiao Mayweather… The stage is set; there is drama, there is rich history between the two culprits and there is animosity. Would the fans embrace this match up?