Pacquiao Fight Attracted Decent Crowd Saturday, But Manny-Floyd Rematch In Question Because of Pacman’s Eye Injury

By CASSANDRA COUSINEAU

LVSportsBiz.com

 

T-Mobile Arena is a bigger venue than MGM Grand Garden Arena across the street on the Strip. But MGM Grand Garden is still a mecca for boxing.

 

And the fans bought into Saturday’s Manny Pacquiao vs. Adrien Broner match that drew a respectable 13,025 to MGM Grand Garden before 48 hours of chaos ensued for the boxing senator from the Philippines the past two days.  (The Pacquiano-Broner fight competed with the Golden Knights vs Pittsburgh Penguins game that drew 18,511 on the other side of the Strip the same night. UNLV also beat San Jose State at Thomas & Mack Center before a small crowd a few hours before the Manny fight.)

 

Saturday’s Pay Per View Pacman/Broner card also went head-to-head with UFC’s debut on ESPN with Las Vegas headliners Pacquiao and Broner going the distance in the 12-round show. Of note, a sell-out was reported at MGM Grand Garden even though there were a handful of sections closed off in the upper levels of the arena.

 

Saturday’s attendance was respectable, though a far cry from the 16,219 on hand for the so-called “fight of the century” of #MayPac, when Pacquiao battled undefeated Floyd Mayweather of Las Vegas. However, the Manny fight Saturday was in the ballpark of the 13,094-fan crowd at T-Mobile Arena for the Mayweather vs UFC fighter Conor McGregor that was more sports entertainment and spectacle than a legitimate boxing match.

 

Saturday, the 40-year-old eight-division champ, Pacquiao, controlled each round and easily cruised to a unanimous decision over the 29-year-old Broner. The humble champ spent most of the week quoting the biblical passages Jeremiah 9:23-24 about not being boastful. That’s about right for a guy who began boxing to earn a $2 prize to help his mother feed the family.

 

 

Most of the fireworks happened outside of the ring starting with the fighter’s entrance to a bevy of pyrotechnics briefly startling fans with loud booms shaking the arena.

 

Perhaps the worst kept secret in boxing is the looming Pacquiao vs. Mayweather rematch expected later this year. The semi-retired Mayweather was a front row guest of Showtime Boxing and was pressed to confirm speculation of MayPac 2. “You keep asking me about Manny Pacquiao.  He needs to get past Adrien Broner first. And right now I’m living a happy and healthy life.”

 

Pacquiao responded to the same question asked by in-ring interviewer, Jim Gray, after the fight. “Tell him to come back to the ring and we will fight.  I’m willing to fight again Floyd Mayweather if he’s willing to come back to boxing. “

 

Floyd didn’t take him up on that offer. Instead opting to sit dead faced in a silk, black jacket from his ringside seats. That still doesn’t mean this fight won’t happen. It just means Floyd will be Floyd and orchestrate this event on his own terms.

 

Unfortunately, ESPN’s number three ranked welterweight in the world had his victory lap cut short. He suffered two losses over the subsequent 48 hours after the fight — and,  if true, the senator’s boxing career would effectively be over.

ADVERTISEMENT

The least of his worries is an incident at his L.A. home where police responded to an apparent break-in Saturday night.  Pacquiao was likely targeted while tending to his boxing business in Las Vegas. There have since been reports that a safe in his containing thousands in cash and jewelry had been accessed.

 

Manny also reportedly complained of pain and vision loss in his left eye the morning after the fight, according to the New York Daily News’ Wallace Matthews. At worst, the injury is a detached retina, at best the injury is a minor corneal scratch as claimed by Pacquiao’s camp due to tape on Broner’s gloves.

 

Despite Broner’s claims to have “controlled the fight and beat him,” nothing during the 12 rounds would indicate such an injury occurred. Pacquiao was sharp and very quick in the ring.

 

In addition to asking Manny about the Mayweather rematch question, Gray asked Pacquiao about his career in politics.

 

“I don’t have becoming president on my mind right now.  I’m happy serving people as a senator.  I’m so happy that my fans and the Filipino people who came here live and watched my fight,” Pacquiao said.

 

Many fighters end their careers in the ring — usually due to a lopsided loss. But in Pacquiao’s case, this would be one of the more unusual sendoffs. Perhaps the senator will fast track his accession to President of the Philippines after all.

 

*

 

Follow LVSportsBiz.com on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.