ED C. TOLENTINO

Arum is mulling on PacquiaoVargas being distributed by Top Rank or by HBO’s rival Showtime. Regardless of Arum’s next move, it cannot be denied that HBO shunned Pacquiao-Vargas because it cannot make money out of it. Truth be told, Pacquiao’s box-office charisma is no longer the same. There was a time when Pacquiao carried a pay-per-view card by himself, but it seemed eons ago. The former eight-division world champ has not registered a knockout win in seven years and reports have it that Top Rank lost over $10 million in his last fight against Timothy Bradley Jr. When Top Rank announced that Pacquiao is facing Vargas instead of Terence Crawford, boxing fans frowned in unison.

To sell Pacquiao-Vargas, Arum has to beef up the supporting fights and this explains Donaire’s inclusion. Latest reports have it that Arum is planning on having four world title fights in the Pacquiao-Vargas tiff, including Donaire’s title defense.

Pacquiao joining forces with Donaire in the same card is a rare experience from the standpoint of Filipino fight fans. It remains to be seen how the fight will be shown in our shores as Pacquiao and Donaire are identified with two different networks. But considering the historical angle of this “crossover,” a win-win solution is likely to be ironed out. Ultimately, Filipino fight fans both here and abroad and Philippine pro boxing as a whole figure to be the biggest winners. For comment, the writer can be reached at