Manny confirms over $20M in purse

MANILA, Philippines - It now takes more than $20 million to get Manny Pacquiao fight someone inside the ring.

The Filipino boxing icon has confirmed that he’s getting more than $20 million (P840 million) for his Nov. 12 bout with Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez.

 “Mahigit pa dun (It’s more than that),” he told scribes a couple of days ago on his way back home to Manila from a whirlwind press tour.

But Pacquiao didn’t go farther than that except that for this one he’s getting more than what he received for the Shane Mosley fight held last May.

 “Mas malaki na (It’s now bigger),” said Pacquiao.

He was talking of the guaranteed purse, meaning that by the end of the day, when everything comes in, he stands to get more than $30 million (P1.2 billion).

Pacquiao stands to make a lot more money in pay-per-view sales, live gate receipts, television rights, merchandise and anything else that sells.

Promoter Bob Arum said they expect to surpass the 1.3 million-plus hits on pay-per-view for the Mosley fight, and that it may get near two million.

In return, Pacquiao said Marquez will also get the biggest paycheck of his life at $5 million for fighting the sport’s most bankable star today.

 “He’s never earned $5 million for a single fight,” said Pacquiao as he was wrapping up the tour that took him to New York, Los Angeles and Mexico City.

At 38, Marquez should be very happy to make as much money, and unless he shocks the world, he can think of it as his own retirement pay.

On a private jet, at one point during the tour, Pacquiao reminisced about the days when he struggled as a boxer and had nothing in his pocket.

“Sometimes I’d leave the gym for the jeepney terminal and do the barking. I’d be happy to make two pesos (five cents) just to buy bread,” he said.

But that was a long time ago, all part of history, because on the same flight he toyed with the idea of purchasing his own private plane.

“Do you know you can get one of this (an 11-seater Gulfstream 3) for $20 million? I think I can afford that now,” he said.