'Pacman' bids to get rid of 'Money' in highly anticipated fight

The much-hyped "Fight of the Century" between American Floyd Mayweather Jnr and Filipino Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday May 3 (HK time) has once again put the Philippines in the spotlight. 

The fight at the 147 pound (66.7kg) welterweight limit pits the unbeaten five-division world boxing champion Mayweather against Pacquiao, an eight-division world champion. 

Every time "Pacman" fights, it is a huge event in his home country, and opponents don't come any bigger than "Money" Mayweather, long regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet - and the highest paid athlete in the world, according to Forbes. 

Scores of visitors are expected to flood the capital Manila and many of the archipelago's 7,107 islands to make the most of the occasion.

A Manila-based sales agent says he has received numerous queries about the location of hotels near sports bars and clubs that will show the fight. News about the limited number of tickets available to the public has boosted demand - and prices - and reports suggests that prices will range from US$1,500 to US$10,000. Promoters expect the fight to be sold out within minutes of tickets going on sale.

Watching a Pacquiao fight in Manila is a special experience as the whole nation seems to come to a standstill to watch their hero fight wherever they can - in corner shops, bus stations, pubs, shopping centres and ferry terminals. Such is the power of Pacquiao that crime rates reportedly fall sharply across the land whenever he is in action.