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Opinion:

Can arena lure Mayweather into ring to fight Pacquiao again?

More Mayweather-Berto

Steve Marcus

Floyd Mayweather Jr. sits in his corner Sept. 12 during his welterweight title bout against Andre Berto in Las Vegas, which he billed as his last-ever fight.

Based on the announcement that George Strait will be one of the first entertainers to play at Las Vegas Arena, with shows set for April 22-23 and Sept. 9-10, there was a strong feeling that Floyd Mayweather Jr. indeed would fight next spring at the arena during its opening phase.

Too many components are adding up to make that an inescapable likelihood: Mayweather’s opportunity to run his record to 50-0, the possibility of opening a fancy new arena in his hometown and the opportunity to push his career earnings even closer to $1 billion. (He’s at $700 million now.)

A rematch with Manny Pacquiao is the most-discussed bout, as Pacquiao would generate a healthy payday. Even half of the $200 million combined guaranteed purses, the $400 million pay-per-view take and live gate receipts of $74 million they earned for their last fight would be an enormous financial boon.

By spring, most fight fans also will have forgotten the disappointment of the first fight, when Pacquiao fought with an injured shoulder and threw half as many punches as he usually unloads.

When we last saw Pac Man, he had posted a video on Instagram of himself playing a piano keyboard app on his smartphone midway through the Mayweather-Andre Berto bout Sept. 20. He said he was “bored.”

• Felix Rappaport has delivered more than his resume to Foxwoods Resort Casino. He has built a Vegas-style blueprint for the largest casino in North America.

Having spent much of his career at New York-New York, Excalibur, Luxor and the Mirage, Rappaport built a deep appreciation for diversity in hotel operations. When he arrived in 2013 at Connecticut’s Foxwoods, he found that Las Vegas had far outpaced the resort, and others across the country, in varying its offerings.

“Las Vegas had already adopted more of a balance between nongaming and gaming amenities,” Rappaport said. “Coming to Foxwoods, I found that the model was very gaming-centric. We were looking at what had happened in Las Vegas, and I was well aware that the whole evolution arguably started with Steve Wynn at the Mirage and followed with all of these great hotels. These are not just casinos anymore.”

Rappaport then ticked off the ways Las Vegas, particularly the Strip, has distanced itself from the field.

“You’re looking at great convention business, great restaurants, great brands in retail, great nightclubs, the whole dayclub phenomenon, all of these revenue streams you can draw from,” he said.

Rappaport has a similar plan for Foxwoods. It started in November 2014 with the elimination of 1,000 slot machines and 100 table games from the casino floor. There remain 4,800 slot machines and 250 table games, but the idea is to create more space for shops, restaurants and nightclubs.

Rappaport also has borrowed several Las Vegas headliners over the past year, booking appearances by such performers as Carrot Top, Criss Angel, Human Nature, Thunder from Down Under and Murray Sawchuck.

“The biggest focus of this property is to evolve into a destination resort, with gaming just a part of the whole entertainment experience,” Rappaport said. “That is a reality I learned about first-hand on the Strip.”

• While Bill Foley and his investors lurch toward securing an NHL expansion franchise for Las Vegas Arena, news related to Las Vegas’ defunct professional hockey franchise has bubbled over.

You might remember the Las Vegas Wranglers.

Nearly two years after the Wranglers played their final home game at Orleans Arena and the franchise sold off much of its equipment in a public sale, the team’s former president and chief operating officer, Billy Johnson, has left his position as director of University Medical Center Foundation.

In a decision made by foundation officials, Johnson was relieved of his post Aug. 24.

With a deep background in professional sports operations and marketing, Johnson’s next step is to explore opportunities in Las Vegas and beyond. He is developing a consulting firm, Artisan Stew, to promote leadership, creative marketing and revenue strategies. And if anyone needs someone to train a mascot or to conjure up a promotion in line with Regrettable Tattoo Night, Johnson is your man.

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