Pacquiao vs Mosley tickets nearly sold out in 3 hours

MANILA, Philippines – For a fight branded as “garbage” by one boxing analyst, the Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley bout remains a hot sell.

According to Top Rank Inc., which is promoting the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title fight, approximately 16,000 tickets were sold in just 3 hours.

“Incredible, simply incredible,” Bob Arum said in Ringtv.com. “I have never promoted a fight that has sold so many tickets so quickly.”

The tickets were released at 10 a.m. (Pacific Time). At 1 p.m., there were only 1,000 tickets left.

Arum said the ticket sales prove the drawing power of Pacquiao, who is now considered a crossover star.



“Manny Pacquiao never ceases to amaze the world with his achievements. The excitement he generated today with the initial ticket sales makes it feel like fight week already,” he said.

Negative reaction

The Pacquiao-Mosley tiff has drawn flak from several boxing analysts who have cited the advantages of the quick-punching Filipino champ against an aging former world titlist.

They also said the WBO welterweight title bout between 32-year-old Pacquiao and 39-year-old Mosley is a mere money fight.

“Arum doesn't care. He only wants to do what is best for himself, certainly not for boxing. He is going to put Mosley in the ring with Pacquiao solely because of name. It's a move that will squeeze out the last gasps of Mosley's once-outstanding career so Arum can generate another big payday while doing a disservice to real boxing fans who actually care about the match-ups and not just a famous but faded name,” ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael said earlier.

Yahoo! Sport’s Kevin Iole’s reaction was even more blunt.

“You know it’s garbage. I know it’s garbage. Heck, even Bob Arum, the guy who is putting the money up to stage the Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley fight, which will take place May 7 in Las Vegas, knows it’s garbage,” he said.

Pacquiao and Mosley are scheduled to fight on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

On February 10, the 2 fighters will begin their 5-city press tour to promote their match. The tour will begin in Beverly Hills, California followed by stops in Las Vegas, San Francisco, New York and Washington.

source: abs-cbnnews.com/