We are just under one week away from Manny Pacquiao vs Jessie Vargas live on PPV. It’s an interesting fight from a business standpoint, as it’s the extremely rare non-HBO, non-Showtime PPV. Bob Arum and Top Rank are hoping Pacquiao’s name will lead them to big PPV numbers despite the absence of boxing’s biggest broadcast players, and as Arum made clear in a recent Q & A, they think they are on the right track (via Fight News):
We think we are going to do very, very big pay per view numbers. Do I know that for a fact? No... Am I optimistic? Off the charts. Off the charts optimistic.
Arum bases this optimism on what he calls both high ticket sales at the gates, plus big interest from closed circuit distributors “reminiscent of Manny Pacquiao of a couple of years ago.” According to Arum, the lack of HBO as a partner is not an issue, as they are instead focusing on their own “ALL IN” preview series, which Arum says “will be seen all over the internet – on Facebook, Twitter and on the stuff the young kids are watching.”
According to a Top Rank press release, “ALL IN: Pacquiao-Vargas” is a “new and innovative video series... designed to bring the fan closer to the action and the event.” It was announced as airing daily on Top Rank’s Facebook and Twitter starting Monday, October 24. As of press time, no “ALL IN” videos have been released on either site.
Pacquiao vs. Vargas is live on PPV this Saturday night. Bloody Elbow will have live fight night coverage.