By Chris Williams: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum was working hard to to try and pump up interest in the the fourth fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez during the press conference to hype the December 8th fight. However, shockingly there are still 1000 tickets available for the Pacquiao-Marquez fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The seating capacity is 16,800 and you have to wonder why the tickets are flying off the shelves like past Pacquiao fights. Could it be that boxing fans have tired of this affair? After all, Pacquiao and Marquez have four times previously and it’s getting a little old at this point to see them fighting over and over again.

Arum said this will be “A fight that will go into the annals of boxing history because these gentleman have fought three previous times and there’s no doubt in my mind this fourth fight will be the best of all.”

It looks like Arum is really trying hard to get interest in this fight because the hardcore fans just aren’t talking about it for some reason. It could be that they’re waiting until the week of the fight or maybe they’re just plain sick of seeing this fight trotted out every so often. The timing of the fight is the thing. It’s coming right after a Pacquiao loss where he he drew less than spectacular numbers on pay per view.

Perhaps knowing that the past Pacquiao-Marquez fight did well on PPV, we’re now seeing them fight again. I hope Arum doesn’t make the 5th fight immediately, as there really needs to be new blood brought in to help build for the future. Matching the same fighters up over and over again doesn’t help his promotional team and doesn’t help the sport.

There is talk that Arum will match Pacquiao up with one of his Top Rank stable fighters Brandon Rios next April. Rios is the guy that won a controversial decision over Richard Abril this year in which Rios appeared to lose the fight badly by a 10 rounds to 2 score, yet was given a 12 round decision win. Rios has now redeemed himself by beating one of Arum’s unproven light welterweights Mike Alvarado recently, so Rios could at least bring a little new blood for Pacquiao.

It’s too bad Arum can’t put Rios back in with Abril so that he could clear up the controversy of that fight. As it is now, Rios just looks like a guy that is being given the Pacquiao fight simply because he’s with Top Rank and one of the few guys they have near that weight they can put in with him.