Ready, on your mark, get set, go – make Bob Arum some money.
It’s not a fight that anyone particularly wants to see, but it’s what we got: Manny Pacquiao v. Juan Manuel Marquez on November 12 at the MGM Grand. It’s supposed to settle the old rivalry between these two men about whose better, but that question doesn’t really require an actual answer anymore. Pacquiao knows. His camp knows. Vegas knows. And deep down, in his heart of hearts, Marquez knows too.
Nevertheless, the match is a go and, as such, Top Rank head honcho Arum has created the media tour to end all media tours (according to him).
"There is no question, there has never been a press tour that will have encompassed this distance," Arum said (via RingTV). "This is incredible because it's one complete tour that is going around the world."
The press junket that promises to be more entertaining than the actual fight encompasses a week-long, four-city tour which is expected to cover three countries beginning with Pacquiao’s hometown Manila, Philippines on September 3. From there, the group will head to Marquez’s terrain in Mexico City on September 8. In between, Arum has scheduled stops in New York on September 6 and Los Angeles on September 7.
"The Philippines is not just a hop skip and a jump. It takes a full day to get there. Then you have the fact that they're having this massive press rally in the Philippines is something special," Arum said.
"And then coming to New York on Labor Day and having a press conference the day after. I mean, there is going to be stuff that you've never seen before happening with these press conferences."
Check out the entire press tour schedule below.
Pacquiao-Marquez III Press Tour
Friday, Sept. 2 (Sept. 3 in Philippines)
Quirino Grandstand
Manila, Philippines
2:30 p.m. – News Conference
Open to the public
Tuesday, Sept. 6
Chelsea Piers at Pier 60
23rd Street and the Hudson River
New York, N.Y.
10 a.m. – News Conference
Open to the public
Wednesday, Sept. 7
The Beverly Hills Hotel
9641 Sunset Boulevard
Beverly Hills, Calif.
Noon - News Conference
Closed to public
Thursday, Sept. 8
Monumento a la Revolucion
Mexico City
1 p.m. – News Conference
Open to the public
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