By Jake Donovan
Ticket price points still have yet to be established for the May 2 superfight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, yet demand has already exceeded any available supply.
Once they are set, it’s highly unlikely that the sport’s true and every day fans will have any access to tickets. It’s just as well, as few if any will be able to afford them. The event – more than five years in the making – has been the most discussed topic in any medium from the moment it was announced just over a week ago.
From A-listers to common sports fans all the way up to those with the deepest pockets, everyone wants to be a part of the event. How bad? The rich men in the sport can get even richer if they decide to start auctioning off any available tickets.
“Ticket demand is the greatest by far that I've seen,” insists Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s Hall of Fame promoter. “I've never seen anything like it. Maybe it's the fact that the ‘one-percent’ (a reference to the richest people in the world, one percent owning 99% of the money) has so much money, that money doesn't really mean anything (to them).
“I've been offered for top ringside seats $100,000 per seat.”
So will he give in?
“I said, raise it to $200,000, you can have my seat,” Arum quipped.
The event will take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and air live on Pay-Per-View. Most industry experts target the long awaited clash between the sport’s best pound-for-pound fighters and its biggest box office attractions as a slam dunk to shatter every financial record.
Mayweather is reported to earn $120 million for the night’s work, while Pacquiao is guaranteed $80 million, as per the terms of an agreed-upon 60/40 split of the available purse.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
