Boxing-Retailers make a killing ahead of Pacquiao-Mayweather megafight (Reuters)
By Rosemarie Francisco MANILA, April 25 (Reuters) – Sales of Manny Pacquiao boxing gear and effects have soared as much as 10 times ahead of his May 2 megafight with Floyd Mayweather, with Philippine retailers struggling to cope with demand from fans snapping up any paraphernalia they could find. Online and front-end retailers are seeing record sales of Pacquiao T-shirts, boxing gloves, figurines, caps and jackets, with buyers stocking up on items they believe could at least double in value if he wins what is seen as the highest grossing bout in history. So while the fight is still days away, they are already buying these items,” said 50-year-old Carolyn Yap-Tan, who has been selling Pacquiao items online for four years. Prices of Pacquiao-autographed boxing gloves, the best-selling item, have also risen at least 50 percent, said Yap-Tan, with buyers coming mostly from the United States, and a few from Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.