Homeland to secure Pacman megafight

MANILA, Philippines - They’re throwing a heavy security blanket on this super fight.

The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security will be on top of the situation when boxing superstars Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao collide at the MGM Grand on May 2.

They will make sure nothing untoward happens. No stone will be left unturned. No bag, no package will be left unchecked, unattended.

Security will be extra tight in and around the MGM before, during and after the fight. Bomb-sniffing dogs will be moving around.

“What I learned the other day is that the Homeland Security and the FBI will be in charge of security while we’re in Vegas,” Pacquiao’s chief adviser, Mike Koncz, told The STAR yesterday.

“It’s not only for the fighters but for the event itself. They’re treating this as THE event and not just a regular boxing match,” he said.

Koncz explained that in any big event in the United States, whether it’s in politics, sports or entertainment, the FBI and the Homeland Security steps into the picture.

“Anytime you have a huge event like that there are potential problems that’s why they get involved,” said Koncz on the phone.

“It’s like the Super Bowl which is regulated security wise by the FBI and Homeland Security,” he said.

The FBI has been around for a century to serve the dual function of an intelligence agency and a federal law enforcement organization, men and women in dark suits and nylon jackets bearing the FBI colors.

The Homeland Security was created after the September 11 attacks “to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure and resilient against terrorism and other hazards.”

On fight night, the MGM Grand will be the hottest place on earth.

It’s the place to be seen.

“You will see hard-core boxing fans but you’re gonna have people there that are socialites, rich that don’t really follow boxing but who will be there for the event,” said Koncz.

But not every Tom, Dick and Harry will be there because they can’t afford to be there. Tickets to the fight, the biggest in boxing history, are more expensive than gold.

The cheapest tickets have a face value of $1,500 (roughly P66,000) while the most expensive ones are at $7,500 (roughly P330,000).

In previous Pacquiao fights, the best tickets sold for $1,500.

But on the Internet, ringside seats for May 2 are now being sold for $87,000 each (roughly P3.5 million), which is bigger than the lifetime savings of an ordinary Filipino.

Pacquiao’s American promoter, Bob Arum, was astounded by the ticket prices on the Internet. He said he’d received offers of around $80,000 for his seat to the fight.

“Anybody who’s willing to pay $200,000 can have my seat,” he told The STAR in jest during a recent chat.

Mayweather has majority control over the tickets. And this time, Pacquiao will have in his hands just enough tickets for his family and closest friends.

“Pasensiya na muna (I beg for your understanding),” Pacquiao told his friends who won’t get any tickets for the fight.