Photo by Tom Donoghue

Saturday Fight Night In Vegas: Pacquiao Wins Split Decision Before More Than 14,000 At MGM Grand Garden Arena

July 21, 2019July 21, 2019 Alan Snel Caleb Plant, Keith Thurman, Manny Pacquiao, Mike Lee

Las Vegas might be a sports city in transition with new professional teams, but its soul will always have a place for an electric night of boxing.

The MGM Grand Garden Arena’s announced attendance was 14,356, and the boxing fans soaked up 40-year-old Manny Pacquiao (62-7-2) defeating previously undefeated Keith Thurmon in a 12-round split decision.

It was a nice pay night for the Pacman.

Before Pacquiao scored his win, Tennessee native and Las Vegas-based boxer Caleb Plant easily handled Mike Lee with a third round KO to retain his IBF middeweight title.

Alan Snel

Alan Snel brings decades of sports-business reporting experience to LVSportsBiz.com. Snel covered the business side of sports for the South Florida (Fort Lauderdale) Sun-Sentinel, the Tampa Tribune and Las Vegas Review-Journal. As a city hall beat reporter, Snel also covered stadium deals in Denver and Seattle. In 2000, Snel launched a sport-business website for FoxSports.com called FoxSportsBiz.com. After reporting sports-business for the RJ, Snel wrote hard-hitting stories on the Raiders stadium for the Desert Companion magazine in Las Vegas and The Nevada Independent. Snel is also one of the top bicycle advocates in the country.

July 5, 2021

LVSPORTSBIZ.COM, launched June 2017: We are a digital magazine providing market-leading news, intelligence, enterprise and breaking info on Las Vegas’ sports/stadium industry. Our stories are quoted nationally and we set the sportsbiz news agenda in Las Vegas. Publisher Alan Snel has reported on the business of sports and stadiums in Denver, South Florida, Seattle and Tampa besides Las Vegas and is considered a national authority on the topic.

ADVERTISEMENT: Please shop at Jay’s Market at 190 East Flamingo at the Koval Lane intersection east of the Strip. Jay’s Market is the official presenting sponsor of LVSportBiz.com’s stories.

Hirings and Firings:

Las Vegas Aces President Nikki Fargas said the Aces are not renewing the contract of General Manager Natalie Williams. The Aces hired Williams as the team’s general manager in April 2022.

Vegas Golden Knights said the NHL club has signed defenseman Shea Theodore to a seven-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $7,425,000.

Our coverage of the Athletics stadium project in Las Vegas.

Mark Rosentraub on A’s stadium site on Strip.

Big League Sports With Small Town Politics

Man of Many Hats

Athletics’ long, strange journey for new ballpark

Athletics consultant Jeremy Aguero is eye of Las Vegas’ sports hurricane

How Deal Was Made For A’s Ballpark On Strip

Bally’s Corp, Gaming & Leisure Properties team up with A’s for ballpark on Strip

Bally’s Corp Chairman Wants Hotel Open When A’s Stadium Is Ready In 2028

To contact LVSportsBiz.com Publisher Alan Snel or buy his book, Bicycle Man: Life of Journeys, email him at asnel@LVSportsBiz.com

LVSportsBiz number for 2024: $1,178,161,041. That’s the amount of debt Las Vegas (actually, Clark County) owes for its public share of building the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium.