Dallas-area fans have had plenty to be passionate about in the sports world. The Texas Rangers made an amazing playoff run to the World Series. Cowboys Stadium has been a host to several huge college football games and, of course, there's the NFL team that plays there too. OK, that hasn't gone so well, but it has produced passion because of the Dallas Cowboys' 1-7 start. Now the area gets another event to get hyped about and decide whether it wants to plunk down the money to see hero Manny Pacquiao against villain Antonio Margarito.
There's no lack of confidence in the camp of Top Rank Promotions.
"Boxing is a world sport, and this is played to a world stage," said Todd du Boef, president of Top Rank. "The Rangers and Cowboys are localized products. The Super Bowl is a global product, and that's what championship fights bring. It brings global products."
Bob Arum is banking on the Mexican fanbase, especially when it comes to the walk up ticket buyers Friday and Saturday.
"They say when they do Mexican soccer games, the walk-up is more than the advance sales," Arum said. "If you have an event that appeals to Mexicans, they tend to be the last-minute buyers."
At minus-450, Las Vegas may not believe Margarito has much of a shot but that's not what casual fans think of the "Tijuana Tornado." And those are the people who can push this crowd to the 60,000 level. Top Rank has been wise in dropping the cost of many of the high- and medium-priced tickets and there's still plenty of cheapies at just $59.
Megan Ewing Kristanna Loken Aubrey ODay Drew Barrymore Marley Shelton
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