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John Chavez
10/22/2007
Fifteen Hundred Dollars for nosebleed seats.
One-Five-Zero-Zero dollars to see Ricky Hatton fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. from way up top.
Don't believe me? Look for yourself.
It’s about twice as much as tickets for the World Series are currently going for. It’s about 3 quarters of what Superbowl tickets might cost. In essence, it’s a whole lot of money for a twelve round fight that’s doesn’t guarantee “Fight of the Year” type violence.
While many fans complained about the lack of action in the rematch bout between Marco Antonio Barrera and Manny Pacquiao, they should consider themselves lucky having paid only a couple hundred fazooles in order for the privilege to attend the “Baby Faced Assassin’s” farewell fight.
Slowly but surely I think I’m finally figuring out as to exactly why boxing fans seem to be pessimistic beyond the most pessimistic supporters of virtually any sport out there today. Unfortunately these fans are regularly disappointed with the outcome of their most anticipated events as it rarely exceeds their expectations due to the hefty price tag on these prize fights.
Q: Pacquiao-Barrera II on regular HBO and 50 bucks for tickets?
A: “Could have been better but I’m not complaining”.
Q: Pacquiao-Barrera II on Pay-per-view and 200 bucks for tickets?
A: “Waste of money and a terrible display of “Willing to Win””.
This isn’t coming from me but rather the thousands of fans who either purchased or attended the fight live.
As I write this blurb I ask myself… is there any fight card out there that’d I’d pay $1500 to attend?
Yes, but it’d have to involve five championship fights that’d guarantee pure destruction.
Maybe something along the lines of… Juan Diaz vs. Mike Katsidis, Kassim Ouma vs. Antonio Margarito, Manny Pacquiao vs. Edwin Valero, Miguel Cotto vs. Ricky Hatton, and Kelly Pavlik vs. Mikkel Kessler. This card would be titled, “Guaranteed Fight of the Year Sometime Tonight!” (Notice the lack of heavyweights in the equation)
A ridiculous fight card that would never happen?
Of course, but for $1500 to sit up where the seagulls frolic I’d expect something along those lines. There just is no one fight out there that’s worth that type of money in my eyes. Unless you can pay that pile of currency to work the corner of one of the combatants involved then it’s just plain ludicrous, ridiculous, and indubitably a waste of moolah.
That type of money would allow you to purchase virtually all the major pay-per-view events for at least the next three years if not more. If you’re a bonafide strung out boxing junkie then it’d probably last you nine or so months as there are a myriad of third and fourth rate pay-per-view cards taking place virtually every week.
This is why I find it somewhat saddening that as big as an event that is Hatton-Mayweather, the atmosphere most likely won’t be anything like the “Hitman’s” past championship fights.
You know those stadiums filled to the brim with drunken Manchester hooligans that sing and chant crazily throughout the entire night leading up to, during, and after the fight? Instead they’ll probably be replaced by some astronomically wealthy individual who doesn’t know that Mayweather started off his career at 130 pounds or that Hatton bludgeoned Kostya Tszyu into submission back in 2005. It is possible as I sat next to a gentleman at the De la Hoya-Mayweather bout that didn’t have a clue as to who Floyd Mayweather was.
As for the closed-circuit extravaganza taking place…
In my estimation those are Ricky Hatton fans that opted to have a couple extra thousand dollars for their weekend stay in Sin City. For $1500 you can purchase three whole bottles of your favorite Vodka at the best nightclubs Vegas has to offer (some people do have their priorities intact). Another option would be to simply purchase a closed circuit seat, bet a grand on your hometown hero, and still have $450 left to destroy your liver with.
Let’s be frank. Floyd Mayweather Jr. has solidified himself as a solid draw but nothing on par to what the sport has seen with De la Hoya and Tyson. I fail to believe that even a small fraction of those thousands of closed-circuit seats have been gobbled up by rabid “Pretty Boy” fans eagerly anticipating his blood and guts on display… or lack thereof.
Maybe I’m looking at this all wrong. Perhaps boxing has become the new ultimate form of “Flossin”?
Definition of Flossin (Urban Dictionary): showing off an object in which usually possesses great value.
(I do happen to know of some clown that was willing to pay $30,000 in cash for two tickets to De la Hoya-Mayweather. This is after the undercard was already underway.)
The true boxing fans that I know are generally humble people who just enjoy solid fight cards. These are the people that will shell out fifty or even seventy-five dollars in order to enjoy their local fighters engage in battle. These are the fans that appreciate the historical significance of the sport as well as following the sweet science as a whole rather than just a specific fighter.
These are not the types of people that will pay fifteen hundred dollars to see Hatton-Mayweather.
Since when the hell did boxing become a sport for the wealthy?
I was always under the assumption that it was the regular Joe’s of the world that followed boxing. The next time I’m at the French Laundry I’ll make sure to bring my camera and ask everyone inside the restaurant as to their thoughts on the potential rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. If anybody besides the kitchen workers has any clue as to what I speak of, I’m picking up their tab at whatever cost… even if it’s fifteen hundred big ones.
PS. These prices of $1500 are the current stubhub.com prices I’m seeing. The whole arena was sold out before any regular fans could get their hands on the tickets. My guess is that brokers went ahead and pre-purchased huge blocks of tickets in order to resell them for a substantial profit. Cotto-Mosley is a fight in which guarantees just as much action if not more with tickets going for ten percent of their counterparts in Mayweather-Hatton. Las Vegas is indeed a strange place that can hurt boxing much more in the long run that it helps…
10/22/2007
Fifteen Hundred Dollars for nosebleed seats.
One-Five-Zero-Zero dollars to see Ricky Hatton fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. from way up top.
Don't believe me? Look for yourself.
It’s about twice as much as tickets for the World Series are currently going for. It’s about 3 quarters of what Superbowl tickets might cost. In essence, it’s a whole lot of money for a twelve round fight that’s doesn’t guarantee “Fight of the Year” type violence.
While many fans complained about the lack of action in the rematch bout between Marco Antonio Barrera and Manny Pacquiao, they should consider themselves lucky having paid only a couple hundred fazooles in order for the privilege to attend the “Baby Faced Assassin’s” farewell fight.
Slowly but surely I think I’m finally figuring out as to exactly why boxing fans seem to be pessimistic beyond the most pessimistic supporters of virtually any sport out there today. Unfortunately these fans are regularly disappointed with the outcome of their most anticipated events as it rarely exceeds their expectations due to the hefty price tag on these prize fights.
Q: Pacquiao-Barrera II on regular HBO and 50 bucks for tickets?
A: “Could have been better but I’m not complaining”.
Q: Pacquiao-Barrera II on Pay-per-view and 200 bucks for tickets?
A: “Waste of money and a terrible display of “Willing to Win””.
This isn’t coming from me but rather the thousands of fans who either purchased or attended the fight live.
As I write this blurb I ask myself… is there any fight card out there that’d I’d pay $1500 to attend?
Yes, but it’d have to involve five championship fights that’d guarantee pure destruction.
Maybe something along the lines of… Juan Diaz vs. Mike Katsidis, Kassim Ouma vs. Antonio Margarito, Manny Pacquiao vs. Edwin Valero, Miguel Cotto vs. Ricky Hatton, and Kelly Pavlik vs. Mikkel Kessler. This card would be titled, “Guaranteed Fight of the Year Sometime Tonight!” (Notice the lack of heavyweights in the equation)
A ridiculous fight card that would never happen?
Of course, but for $1500 to sit up where the seagulls frolic I’d expect something along those lines. There just is no one fight out there that’s worth that type of money in my eyes. Unless you can pay that pile of currency to work the corner of one of the combatants involved then it’s just plain ludicrous, ridiculous, and indubitably a waste of moolah.
That type of money would allow you to purchase virtually all the major pay-per-view events for at least the next three years if not more. If you’re a bonafide strung out boxing junkie then it’d probably last you nine or so months as there are a myriad of third and fourth rate pay-per-view cards taking place virtually every week.
This is why I find it somewhat saddening that as big as an event that is Hatton-Mayweather, the atmosphere most likely won’t be anything like the “Hitman’s” past championship fights.
You know those stadiums filled to the brim with drunken Manchester hooligans that sing and chant crazily throughout the entire night leading up to, during, and after the fight? Instead they’ll probably be replaced by some astronomically wealthy individual who doesn’t know that Mayweather started off his career at 130 pounds or that Hatton bludgeoned Kostya Tszyu into submission back in 2005. It is possible as I sat next to a gentleman at the De la Hoya-Mayweather bout that didn’t have a clue as to who Floyd Mayweather was.
As for the closed-circuit extravaganza taking place…
In my estimation those are Ricky Hatton fans that opted to have a couple extra thousand dollars for their weekend stay in Sin City. For $1500 you can purchase three whole bottles of your favorite Vodka at the best nightclubs Vegas has to offer (some people do have their priorities intact). Another option would be to simply purchase a closed circuit seat, bet a grand on your hometown hero, and still have $450 left to destroy your liver with.
Let’s be frank. Floyd Mayweather Jr. has solidified himself as a solid draw but nothing on par to what the sport has seen with De la Hoya and Tyson. I fail to believe that even a small fraction of those thousands of closed-circuit seats have been gobbled up by rabid “Pretty Boy” fans eagerly anticipating his blood and guts on display… or lack thereof.
Maybe I’m looking at this all wrong. Perhaps boxing has become the new ultimate form of “Flossin”?
Definition of Flossin (Urban Dictionary): showing off an object in which usually possesses great value.
(I do happen to know of some clown that was willing to pay $30,000 in cash for two tickets to De la Hoya-Mayweather. This is after the undercard was already underway.)
The true boxing fans that I know are generally humble people who just enjoy solid fight cards. These are the people that will shell out fifty or even seventy-five dollars in order to enjoy their local fighters engage in battle. These are the fans that appreciate the historical significance of the sport as well as following the sweet science as a whole rather than just a specific fighter.
These are not the types of people that will pay fifteen hundred dollars to see Hatton-Mayweather.
Since when the hell did boxing become a sport for the wealthy?
I was always under the assumption that it was the regular Joe’s of the world that followed boxing. The next time I’m at the French Laundry I’ll make sure to bring my camera and ask everyone inside the restaurant as to their thoughts on the potential rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. If anybody besides the kitchen workers has any clue as to what I speak of, I’m picking up their tab at whatever cost… even if it’s fifteen hundred big ones.
PS. These prices of $1500 are the current stubhub.com prices I’m seeing. The whole arena was sold out before any regular fans could get their hands on the tickets. My guess is that brokers went ahead and pre-purchased huge blocks of tickets in order to resell them for a substantial profit. Cotto-Mosley is a fight in which guarantees just as much action if not more with tickets going for ten percent of their counterparts in Mayweather-Hatton. Las Vegas is indeed a strange place that can hurt boxing much more in the long run that it helps…
Holy crap!
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