As we get ready for "The Event", one of the big questions going through the minds of the boxing public is how well will this fight do on pay-per-view. Before we place ridiculous expectations on this fight, let's take a look at a reasonable benchmark to draw a comparison. A comparable fight from which to set the bar is the Oscar De La Hoya vs. Ike Quartey bout. De La Hoya was boxing's hottest welterweight attraction, just as Pacquiao is now. Quartey, like Clottey, is also a Ghanaian fighter challenging for the welterweight title.
That fight did roughly 570,000 buys, which was a fairly good number at the time. That being said, the De La Hoya-Quartey fight had a few things going for it. For One, Quartey was an undefeated fighter at the time, one who was given a very good chance of beating De La Hoya. While Clottey is a top five caliber welterweight and a tough fight for anyone, Manny is a heavy 6-1 favorite, compared to De La Hoya's 3.5-1 odds against Quartey.
Considering the fact that many people were let down when the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight fell through, there may be a slightly lower purchase rate than expected. However, Bob Arum and Top Rank made an outstanding move by bringing the fight to Cowboys Stadium. The excitement generated from the venue alone, combined with the celebrity persona of the Cowboys, should make up for the lack of a big name opponent for Pacquiao.
It is my opinion that anything over the 570,000 buys that De La Hoya-Quartey did would be a success for "The Event", giving Pacquiao a legitimate claim to being the world's most popular fighter, regardless of what kind of numbers that Mayweather-Mosley may produce. The logic behind such a statement is that, unlike Clottey, Mosley is an all-time great and a big named opponent who is being given a legitimate chance of beating Mayweather.
While I would have liked to see a more well-known opponent for Manny, it's my gut feeling that Pacquiao-Clottey surpasses 800,000 pay-per-view buys. Considering that Pacquiao brings such an exciting style to the ring and that we're almost halfway through March without a major bout, fight fans are craving some vintage Pacman action. With a strong showing at the live gate and the pay-per-view box, we can hope that this will be the first of many big fights for Cowboys Stadium and Dallas, one which sets the stage for the biggest fight in boxing.