THE Manny Pacquiao-Yordenis Ugás bout last August 21 didn’t sell well to boxing fans and yielded a mere $250,000 pay-per-view (PPV) buys, according to an article written by award-winning boxing columnist Kevin Iole bared at Yahoo Sports.
The Pacquiao-Ugás buys extremely paled in comparison with the $4.6 million buys Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. reaped from the so-called “Fight of the Century” on May 2, 2015.
Pacquiao’s chief lawyer, Atty. Tom Falgui, however, said that he hasn’t received any report from fight promoter Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on the PPV sales.
Ugás beat by unanimous decision a slower and less lethal Pacquiao, 42, before a live crowd of 17,438 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas last August 21.
And because Ugás was a replacement for an injured Errol Spence Jr., the International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Council welterweight champion, Pacquiao’s supposed purse of $5 million was also cut.
Neither Pacquiao nor PBC would say how much of the Filipino boxing icon’s purse was reduced.
But Pacquiao stressed it’s not just all about the money, telling BusinessMirror whole on hotel quarantine on Friday that he could even fight for free.
“I am not a materialistic type of guy. As I said, I can fight for free, even without money,” Pacquiao said. “Boxing is my passion, I can fight even if there is no prize money.”
The president of his fight promotion agreed.
“Senator Manny is not fighting for the money, he fights for what he does,” MP Promotions President Sean Gibbons said.
Pacquiao will announce in October if he will retire from boxing or run for president in the May 2022 elections.
“What matters is the welfare of my fellow Filipinos,” Pacquiao said. “When it comes to politics, the people are my priority and for the progress of our country.”