After the whole ticket snafu that finally ended Thursday with just 500 of tickets being released and sold out in 60 seconds to the public for the Floyd Mayweather Jr. versus Manny Pacquiao bout, Pac-man is planning to ditch a popular event that marks the beginning of fight week.
The grand arrivals usually take place the Tuesday of a major fight held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, where the mega-fight will take place May 2, but Pacquiao is planning on being a no-show next week to show his displeasure of how the whole ticket situation was handled.
Top Rank Inc. promoter, Bob Arum, told the Associated Press (via the New York Times) Thursday that Pacquiao would only show up for the final press conference next Thursday, and the weigh-in taking place next Friday, May 2.
“We’re not gonna stay there any more than we have to, because we know the way they’ve been acting we’re not welcome,” Arum said.
Pacquiao will be staying at the MGM Resorts-owned Delano at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, just a few blocks away form the MGM Grand.
The arrivals is a popular event for fans to get a glimpse at a fighter before fight week, and with the magnitude of this fight, like everything else associated with it, a record number of fans should be expected for the event.
Although Pacquiao has fought at the MGM several times over the years, including five of his last seven bouts, Mayweather’s likeliness in on the MGM year-round, as it is known as Mayweather’s home away from home. Money May has fought their in his last 11 bouts.
Arum has had issues with the MGM before, even trashing them while there before Pacquiao’s rematch with Timothy Bradley last April. He was angry about the lack of Pacquiao signs up, and the amount of Mayweather versus Marcos Maidana ones as that bout was a few weeks after.
The problem began with Arum thinking MGM executives were working with Mayweather’s camp to give Mayweather more tickets to the super-fight than what was stated in their contract contract.
Instead of appearing at the grand arrivals, Arum explained that he will invite the media to go to the Delano, to hold interviews of their own.
“We told them we’re coming in Monday night and we’re going to the Mandalay Bay and we’re not doing a grand arrival at the MGM,” Arum said. “We’ll have the press come over to Mandalay Bay and do an interview with Manny there.”
