Pacquiao Watch: Will the Margarito fight sell?

Over the last five years, Philippine Rep. Manny Pacquiao steadily built his reputation not only as a feared boxer but also as a big live gate draw and even bigger pay per view attraction.

With the exception of Oscar de la Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr, no other boxer has breached the one million PPV mark over the same period.  In fact, Pacquiao figured in two of only five PPV fights since 2007 that sold more than one million buys in the US (his Ricky Hatton fight sold 850,000 in the US).  That in itself is remarkable given that Pacquiao is the only non-American boxer in that class of PPV headliners and proved that he can now carry a blockbuster fight by sheer name alone. 

HBO PPV boxing buyrates between 1999 and 2010 included:

He may not be the biggest crossover star in American sports today, but he is giving boxing fans the spectacle and entertainment expected from the world’s top pound for pound fighter.

His last outing, a dominating 12-round decision over Ghanian Joshua Clottey sold over 750,000, which makes it a blockbuster given his opponent’s non-entity status in the US.  But the 50,994 that showed up at the Dallas Cowboy Stadium was the biggest live attendance in the US in over five years and the third largest in the history of boxing in the US.

Manny is again due to fight on November 13 in the same venue.  Under “ordinary circumstances,” that fight should already spell a H-I-T.

But disgraced Antonio Margarito, his penciled opponent, is being pictured as an unworthy opponent considering Manny’s reputation.  Many who wish ill against Manny will drum up Margarito’s image as a boxing cheat to downplay the significance of the fight.  Among them, of course, is Floyd Mayweather Jr, who just recently launched his most vitriolic attack yet against the Filipino boxing champion.

So will the Pacquiao-Margarito fight sell – both live and on PPV?

Reputation-aside, this match-up would have been a blockbuster two years ago – before Margarito was psychologically and physically shamed by Shane Mosley.

Still, the fight is an intriguing one, match-up wise.  Margarito will be the biggest and tallest fighter Manny will ever face and probably the hardest hitting among them (sans plaster of Paris like substance in the hand wraps).

With HBO bringing back its 24/7 Emmy Award winning series as a teaser to the fight, there is little doubt this should be another blockbuster by Manny’s standard (HBO did not run the 24/7 series in the Pacquiao-Clottey fight).  It could even break the one million PPV mark.

With no other marquee match-up lined up for the rest of the year, this one is too intriguing for boxing fans to pass on. I predict at least 850,000 PPV buys for this one.

Let us see how Jerry Jones, owner of Dallas Cowboys will reconfigure his state-of-the-art stadium.  The last time he did it, he had to add more seats to accommodate more ticket buyers to see Manny turn Clottey into a punching bag.

Given also Margarito’s Latino background, I see a live gate attendance exceeding 50,000 and even topping the 75,000 mark.

Now, whether this will add sheen and luster to Manny’s ever growing reputation in the sport is one that will eventually be decided by history.