After a much-publicized move to Showtime for his May 7 Shane Mosley fight, Manny Pacquiao will return to HBO for his November 12 rubbermatch with Juan Manuel Marquez.
The news was confirmed via Top Rank president Todd DuBoef. Pacquiao’s one fight under Showtime resulted in the Filipino champion’s biggest pay-per-view numbers of $1.3 million, besting the $1.25 million buys for his 2008 bout against Oscar De La Hoya.
Bob Arum cited a lack of boxing acumen from HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg as the reason he moved Pacquiao to Showtime. He further stated a Pacquiao return to HBO would be hinge on how well the company utilized cross-promotion with their cable affiliates, as Showtime did with marketing their Fight Camp 360 series on CBS. Greenburg resigned from his HBO position last month.
Manny Pacquiao’s last HBO fight was a November 13 decision victory over Antonio Margarito that posted 1.15 million pay-per-view buys and $64 million in revenue.
At press time, HBO’s cross promotion plans for Pacquiao-Marquez III have not been disclosed.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 