Pac - May : 200Million, in Macau, Tommy Hearns to help finance?

According to sources, a group of Detroit businessmen, led by boxing great Tommy Hearns and Harley Brown, have partnered with a large Asian hedge fund and will purportedly procure a staggering $200 million USD to hold Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The proposal was submitted today.

According to Las Vegas boxing insider Richard Powell, also involved in the deal, the requested venue is the Sheldon Adelson-owned Venetian Macau-Resort-Hotel in in Macau, China - the largest gambling site in the world.

The targeted date is not yet known although, according to sources, May 5th can be accommodated as well as dates as late as November.

Obviously, Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather Jr is the fight everyone wants to see. It's the biggest in boxing and would be, perhaps, the highest grossing fight ever. Although not everyone agrees who deserves top billing, general consensus is Mayweather and Pacquiao are the top two boxers in the world and, by far, the sport's most popular figures.

Why Pacquiao vs Mayweather is So Compelling
In the annals of boxing, it's very rare for the sport's top two fighters to fight each other because No. 1 and No .2 are usually in different weight classes. For example, during most of the 1990s Roy Jones was regarded as the world's best fighter, pound-for-pound, but the second ranked fighter (whether Whitaker, Chavez or Trinidad) was never big enough to compete with Jones head-to-head.

It's been nearly 31 years since the sport's undisputed No. 1 and No. 2 fighters faced each other. Ironically, like Mayweather and Pacquiao, Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns were also welterweights. Leonard defeated Hearns via TKO in the 14th Round in September 1981.

Some experts, notwithstanding, will argue the epic March 1990 battle between jr welterweights Meldrick Taylor and Julio Cesar Chavez showcased the two top fighters of the day but its build-up paled in comparison to the first Leonard vs Hearns bout and the participants were not universally-recognized as No.1 and No.2. And although De La Hoya vs Trinidad in 1999 featured two of sport's top four fighters, Roy Jones Jr was widely considered the best pound-for-pound fighter at the time.

What also makes this match-up extraordinary is their complementary styles. Manny Pacquiao is an explosive brawler who mauls opponents with his tremendous pressure and high punch output while Floyd Mayweather Jr is an ultra-skilled, pure boxer who dissects his foes with surgical precision.

Why Macau?
It's not yet known why Macau is the proposed location but there's a strong theory. Unbeknownst to many, the bustling city of Macau has been the world's biggest gambling center since 2006, even surpassing Las Vegas.

For years, boxing and gambling have gone hand-in-hand as casinos and nightlife revelry have seemingly been intertwined in the sport's pastime. In addition, Pacquiao vs Mayweather has tremendous international appeal and significance so an alternative location, aside from the typical American Vegas venue, could be more attractive and alluring.

Although it is part of China, Macau has a large degree of governmental autonomy. Tourism is the focal point of its economy and its also the only place in China where gambling is legal.

Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd Mayweather Jr In Macau?

 

But wasn't Tommy nearly broke?

 

I do think that there's too much money involved in this fight for it to take place in an arena the size of the MGM. This could be one of the sports biggest events in history and everyone involved should try to make it the monumental event it should be. The MGM is fine for either Pacquiao or Mayweather fighting separate opponents but for a fight against each other, there are better venues.

 

floyd has to fight in vegas for his next fight

 

I got a crazy idea, lets have it in Vegas . . . the boxing capital of the world, in the best boxing venue in the world (well maybe MSG might have an argument), on the biggest PPV day on the boxing Calender! I know this sounds totally out in left field . . . but it just might work!

 

Not gonna happen.

Floyd doesnt EVER fight outside of his home country.

 

I'm with you Jasper :good

 

didn't Richard or Floyd recently say they don't need no outside investors?

didn't Floyd promise the judge he'll be fighting in Vegas?

atsch

 

The Hearns that was auctioning off his personal items not long ago?

Nice idea.

 

Tons of big business mind in ESB.

That's a **** to them.

 

Yup, he had enough left over to finance this multi-million dollar event!:deal

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=5053565

 

Whew, I thought I was losing my mind for a second:thumbsup

 

I agree. This fight needs to be bigger than your typical MGM/Cinco De Mayo title fight.

Floyd was a short sighted dumb**** for trying to secure another run of the mill event in vegas when the fight could and should be so much more. ultimately, thats whats really holding up the fight.

 

Don't care enough about it to read up on any articles but Hearns helping finance any fight let alone Pac-May? yeah, cool story.

 

First Joe Jackson, now Tommy Hearns...lol.