Manny Pacquiao’s sparing session with the punching bag AKA Brandon Rios, which took place in China on November 23th, only sold 475,000 pay-per-view units and generated roughly $30 million in revenue according to Mark Taffet, the senior vice president of HBO.
Though it might sound like a lot, it is actually not. It’s a big disappointing considering what Pacquiao has drawn in the past. Pacquiao’s last five fights did over one million buys. It’s a bigger disappointing when you compared to what Floyd Mayweather brought in his last bout with “Canelo” Alvarez. The fight drew 2.2 million buys and set a record for PPV revenue of $150 million in sales.
Bob Arum and HBO executives knew when they made the fight that having it in China would hurt the American PPV numbers.
“It’s very, very difficult when you’re not doing the fight in the United States,” Arum said.
Manny Pacquiao Bank Accounts Frozen over Tax Evasion
If losing to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez plus the pay-per-view numbers he did for the Rios fight weren’t bad already, two days after the Rios fight, Manny Pacquiao’s bank accounts were reportedly frozen in relation to a P2.2-billion tax evasion case.
According to the Manila Bulletin, the tax case stemmed from the supposed failure of Pacquiao’s accountant to report in his income tax returns for the years 2008 to 2009, reportedly amounting to $28 million. Pacquaio, who was preparing to visit the typhoon-devastated city of Tacloban, had to borrowed money for the relief operations.
According to Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports, Pacquiao was guaranteed $18 million with the opportunity to make close to $30 million. Rios was guaranteed a $4 million purse.
Pacquiao’s next fight will be back in the United States, Arum said. Pacquiao is slated to return April 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
As for Pacquiao’s opponent in April, Arum said there are three names under consideration: a fifth fight with Marquez, a rematch with welterweight titlist Timothy Bradley (who claimed a highly controversial split decision against Pacquiao in June 2012), and newly crowned junior welterweight titlist Ruslan Provodnikov of Russia.
With the two recent losses and the low PPV buys, Pacquiao has lost the leverage of fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr.
I think style makes fights. Manny Pacquiao is a excellent boxer. That is not right. What money can do and if you don’t take care of the taxes it can cost a Boxing Hall Of famer with million a big problem financially. I think and believe Floyd makes alot more money because he is undefeated and people are paying to see him lose foot the first time.
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