Arum looking at $10M in gate receipts

MANILA, Philippines - Tickets to Manny Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight title fight against Australia’s Jeff Horn are flying off the booths, and chief promoter Bob Arum, this early, is looking at a sellout.

“I don’t know exactly but at a sellout we’re looking at approximately 12 million Australian dollars which will be about $10 million or $10 and a half million US dollars,” he told The STAR.

Arum has remained tight-lipped on how much Pacquiao is getting paid to bring his act to Brisbane, but said the 38-year-old senator will surely benefit from a sellout crowd.

Reports said Pacquiao stands to earn close to $10 million against Horn.

The fight will take place on July 2 at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. It is expected to attract as many as 55,000 to witness Australia’s biggest boxing event in history.

Arum said early ticket sales, which actually started two days ago while the two boxers were touring the key cities of Australia, are very encouraging.

“The early sales for corporate tables and big blocks of tickets have been phenomenal. I’ve talked to the Australian promoter and he’s overwhelmed,” said the Top Rank CEO.

Promoter Dean Lonergan said there are 6,000 general admission tickets at $39 each and 27,000 under $100 each. Corporate boxes are being sold at $495 per seat.

Corporate tickets for the World Boxing Organization welterweight title fight went on sale on April 20, priced from $495 per head in a corporate box.

Arum joined Pacquiao and Horn in the press tour earlier this week, a promotional gig that took the two fighters around Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne selling the fight.

“It looks like we’re going to have a sellout and if we do it will be the biggest attendance ever in a Pacquiao fight, even bigger than those at the Cowboys Stadium,” added Arum on the phone.

Arum was referring to the 2010 fights of Pacquiao at the massive Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas, against Johua Clottey in March and Antonio Margarito in November.