Promoter says US money makes bout unworkable

Top Rank CEO Bob Arum gave a blunt answer when asked what the chances were that WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao would ever fight in his homeland of The Phillippines, to which Arum replied “Zero.”

Pacquiao, 32, last fought in his native country in 2006 against Oscar Larios and has since gone on to become one of the biggest draws in boxing, generating tens of millions of dollars per fight.

Arum believes that the PPV figures alone out-weight any chance of a Filipino title defence in the future and hopes to break the record for buys in Pacquiao’s next fight with Juan Manuel Marquez in November.

“We’re doing gates now in Las Vegas from $11 million to $12 million,” Arum told philstar.com.

“The problem is you have to hold the fight in the Philippines early Sunday morning.

“And all the newspapers (in the US) have to send their writers to come all the way here when it’s tough enough to get them to Las Vegas.”

The ‘Pacman’ is believed to have only five more bouts before he retires at the end of 2013 to concentrate on his political career and it is highly likely that all of those bouts will take place in the US.