Why did GBP, Floyd nix Texas?

[JAB5239]

how popular is boxing in texas tho? i always thought it was a football country...

Well, a lot of great fighters have come out of Texas, so it has to have some kind of popularity. I'd also imagine Texas has a large contingent of Mexicans who would be very interested in this fight either way.

[JAB5239]

The thing is. Vegas can make more with an arena 1/5 the size because the casino's are gonna get the high rollers who will drop 500k on a round of baccarat not to mention the normal fans ready to spend a ton.

and they will close circuit all over Vegas for the degenerate gamblers so that nullifies the large screen effect.

neutral site isn't good for this imo.

Personally, I don't care where it is, I just want to see it.

Just thinking of the reasoning of the promoters.

Me to. Im just trying to promote my team's new stadium!

[Killa_Kali]

Texas will satisfy both camps on outside officials for "The Fight"

DALLAS - The state of Texas today (Friday) at approximately 3:00 PM Central sent an email to the promoters of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Manny Pacquiao saying that it would attempt to satisfy both camps as to the selection of ring officials if their March 13, 2010 fight were to come to Texas.

The email was from Bill Kuntz, Executive Director of the Department of License and Regulation, which oversees the Combative Sports Division.

So just that simply, Texas is a player. I take it to mean as long as it's legal, Texas will be a good soldier and go along.

In recent years, there have been high-level or nationally - televised fights in Texas whereas the officiating (judging and refereeing) has appeared erratic.

But in all fairness, often times two of the three judges that saw a fight a particular way were from outside the state. An example of this was the August fight between Houston's Juan Diaz and New Yorker Paulie Malignaggi. They have a rematch in fact Saturday night.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has made a formal bid to promoters to bring the mega fight to his new $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium which has an approximate capacity of over 100,000.

Considered the most anticipated boxing match since possibly Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Tommy Hearns in 1981, Mayweather, Jr. vs. Pacquiao could become the highest grossing fight in history based on the record pay-per-view buys the two fighters have generated in their recent pasts.

The two have been on a collision course for years. They are in their prime years, they are in the same weight division and considered the two best pound for pound fighters in the world today. It is very rare that you get a match up meeting this criteria.

But what is going to make this fight sell are the personalities of the fighters and their rabid fan bases.

Pacquiao is a living legend to 90 million Filipinos back home and many more in America and around the world.

Mayweather wears the black hat and he relishes the role. You either love him or hate him but few have no opinion.

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is 32. His record is 40-0 (25 KO's) and he is right-handed. He's from Michigan but lives in Las Vegas. Mayweather was a bronze medalist for the USA in the 1996 Olympics and has amassed world championships in five different weight divisions.

Manny Pacquiao is 30. His record is 50-3 (38 KO's). He lives in General Santos City, Philippines. He is left-handed. Pacquiao has won won a record seven world championships in seven different weight divisions.

At stake, along with millions of dollars and prestige, is the World Boxing Organization Welterweight (147 lbs.) Championship held by Pacquiao that he won back on November 14 via 11Th round knockout over Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, NV.

http://www.examiner.com/x-11372-Dallas-Boxing-Examiner~y2009m12d11-Texas-will-satisfy-both-camps-on-outside-officials-for-The-Fight

[CubanGuyNYC]

1) Geography sucks. Fan base Pinoys etc isn't there. Some people may fly to Dallas, but it's not a destination place.

2) Vegas will make a ton on things other than the fight, lots of gamblers, high rollers and movie stars

3) Who would be able to actually see the fight in a 20x20 ring when the stadium is designed to watch football.

1) This is one of the most anticipated match-ups in years. You had better believe that tons of people, including wealthy Filipinos, will be making their way to this fight...regardless of where it is being held. And, exactly where, within the U.S., would "fan base Pinoys" be found in droves?

2) True. But, similar to the above response, there will be plenty of the rich and famous flying into wherever the fight is eventually held.

3) This has been well addressed by other posters. Cowboys Stadium has the largest, state-of-the-art display in the world.

Again, I love Vegas, but I think that the sport is better served if some other city got to host this megafight. Make it anywhere: Rio de Janeiro, San Juan, Toronto. Whatever...it'll get done right, because the very event demands it. Think it'll hurt the PPV numbers? Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis fought on June 8, 2002 in Memphis, Tenn. (You know Memphis, that Mecca of boxing.) The fight grossed $106.9 million, a record that wasn't broken for nearly five years (DLH-Mayweather, $120 million, May 5, 2007). Does Lewiston, Maine sound familiar? People remember that town for one thing, the second Ali-Liston fight. The event will make the town, not the other way around.

[Guest]

1) This is one of the most anticipated match-ups in years. You had better believe that tons of people, including wealthy Filipinos, will be making their way to this fight...regardless of where it is being held. And, exactly where, within the U.S., would "fan base Pinoys" be found in droves?

2) True. But, similar to the above response, there will be plenty of the rich and famous flying into wherever the fight is eventually held.

3) This has been well addressed by other posters. Cowboys Stadium has the largest, state-of-the-art display in the world.

Again, I love Vegas, but I think that the sport is better served if some other city got to host this megafight. Make it anywhere: Rio de Janeiro, San Juan, Toronto. Whatever...it'll get done right, because the very event demands it. Think it'll hurt the PPV numbers? Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis fought on June 8, 2002 in Memphis, Tenn. (You know Memphis, that Mecca of boxing.) The fight grossed $106.9 million, a record that wasn't broken for nearly five years (DLH-Mayweather, $120 million, May 5, 2007). Does Lewiston, Maine sound familiar? People remember that town for one thing, the second Ali-Liston fight. The event will make the town, not the other way around.

1) California by a landslide. And overseas Pinoys would go to Vegas.
No brainer here.
2) Sure but Vegas is easy for everyone
3) That doesn't mean much. I think promoters are paranoid about putting asses in seats when it comes down to it.

And Tyson-Lewis. They could've had that in Montana and it would've sold.
Heavyweight championship of the world defines the world's baddest man to the average Joe so it's not comparable.
You had two icons and as beloved as Pac and May are, they don't compare to the mass appeal of Tyson.

I really don't care ultimately where the fight is. I am just giving reasons why promoters would favor Vegas.
Any big fight is good for me, anywhere and the more press it gets the better.

[BIGBOXINGFAN]

They need someone to bid against MGM. Trust me when I say MGM will match any offer.
They have no choice. There are alot of empty hotel rooms out there. They need this fight bad.

[tibbar]

I'm still hopeful that the Pac-May fight will take place somewhere other than Las Vegas. The mere fact that the venue would be different from every other big fight, which is virtually always held in Vegas, would help elevate the magnitude of the event even more. Don't get me wrong: I love Vegas and the excitement it generates for big shows. But this fight should differentiate itself from the other "superfights." It's an opportunity to help spread interest in boxing. The average person will know about this fight anyway, but the intrigue would be greater if they hear that it's being held at an interesting site. A 100,000+ capacity football stadium, worth 1.2 billion dollars, or any number of exotic locations, would be welcome. As electric as Vegas is, boxing won't grow if it's limited to "Sin City."

CONGOis one of the bidder/offer, nothing can be more exotic than that, it should put "the fight" in the level of the fight classics "thrilla in manila" and "rumble in the jungle" it can have the subtitle "duelo in the congo". they should not have dropped the congo right away.

[colormeback]

Void is trying to pull out ffrom the Pac fight. Voids now avoiding retractable roof in Texas. What a void!

[CubanGuyNYC]

3) That doesn't mean much. I think promoters are paranoid about putting asses in seats when it comes down to it.

And Tyson-Lewis. They could've had that in Montana and it would've sold.
Heavyweight championship of the world defines the world's baddest man to the average Joe so it's not comparable.
You had two icons and as beloved as Pac and May are, they don't compare to the mass appeal of Tyson.

I really don't care ultimately where the fight is. I am just giving reasons why promoters would favor Vegas.
Any big fight is good for me, anywhere and the more press it gets the better.

I understand you're trying to look at it from the promoters' perspective. I'm more interested in what benefits the sport and, therefore, the fans. Does anyone on this forum truly care whether a bunch of ******-rich people become wealthier? Or, unless you live in Las Vegas, care whether that town benefits financially? (Which it does every time there's a big fight anyway.)

Your observation that the promoters are "paranoid about putting asses in seats" is acknowledged. But I firmly believe two things:

1- Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys is no fool. He controls a colossal venue with a 100,000+ capacity. If he thinks he can put asses in those seats, no offense, but I believe him before I believe you.

2- Pacquiao-Mayweather will set a new PPV record.

You say that Tyson-Lewis could have been held in Montana and would have sold. Agreed. (Really, what makes Memphis, TN any more desirable?) As for defining "world's baddest man" and Pac-May not comparing to Tyson's mass appeal: I already cited that DLH-Mayweather eclipsed the PPV record set by Tyson-Lewis. The Pacquiao-Cotto fight didn't do too shabby, either (1.25 million buys). And, let's face it, Manny sold that fight. I submit to you, that the combination of these two names, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, will shatter the notion that the "average Joe" is only interested in heavyweights.