Comments Thread For: Amir Khan Returning To The Sport, Matchroom Bound

[Sir_Didymus]

Old Trafford can apparently hold 70000 people, and your whole premise was that Matchroom Sport and StubHub have some nefarious deal where, after the Fight Pass fans get tickets, StubHub buys up the rest of the tickets to simply gouge fans. A foolish idea, but everyone can have their opinion.

Grudge matches are fun, and the UK may love itself a grudge match, but let's be realistic here. Amir Khan's last fight in the UK allegedly sold 11k tickets in Sheffield, before he got KTFO by Alvarez.

Even selling 50000 tickets is likely going to be a tall order, with Brook having put 27000 into Brammall Lane as his largest audience to date, and the venue being discussed here seats 70k.

If StubHub literally simply buys up the rest of the tickets, "to guarantee a sellout", as you've tried to argue, they are risking having to eat a massive loss if they can't flip those tickets, for a 70000-seat building when the combined audience of their two biggest live draws having never even crossed 45000 fans. A move that makes no sense.

Keep believing in conspiracy theories all you want.

Yep that's true. Khan did sell 11k. If you look at the post above you'll understand why. Boxing was dying a slow death in Britain at the time. There was no Matchroom/StubHub/Sky machine working in tandem back then. Nor was there any ticket reseller involved. Also...it was in his rivals, Kell Brook, hometown of Sheffield. 11k with all those reasons factored in is very decent.

Anyway the point is most of us boxing purists in the UK dislike Hearn and probably always will but I think I'm done underestimating the man when it comes to business and doing numbers far better than he really should with some of the mediocre crap he's put on PPV and as stadium filling events. I mean who the hell would put Brook vs Gavin on PPV?? Yet he still made bank.

The only good thing I'll say about Hearn is that all his events have become very family friendly and accessible. When I went to see Brook vs Spence (after getting robbed by StubHub) the drunkards were dealt with quickly and the families were looked after at the gates and inside the foyer where freebies were handed out to the younger fans with even giving some a chance to meet with boxers from the Matchroom stable who were there to support their stablemates. I have kids who love boxing so that is something I was happy to see.

Whilst Hearn is moving with the times...Warren is still putting on events that look like they belong in the early 90's and unfortunately Warren isn't going to update his events to bring them upto modern standards anytime soon with the amount he has invested in just improving his stable.

[Scipio2009]

Yep that's true. Khan did sell 11k. If you look at the post above you'll understand why. Boxing was dying a slow death in Britain at the time. There was no Matchroom/StubHub/Sky machine working in tandem back then. Nor was there any ticket reseller involved. Also...it was in his rivals, Kell Brook, hometown of Sheffield. 11k with all those reasons factored in is very decent.

Anyway the point is most of us boxing purists in the UK dislike Hearn and probably always will but I think I'm done underestimating the man when it comes to business and doing numbers far better than he really should with some of the mediocre crap he's put on PPV and as stadium filling events. I mean who the hell would put Brook vs Gavin on PPV?? Yet he still made bank.

The only good thing I'll say about Hearn is that all his events have become very family friendly and accessible. When I went to see Brook vs Spence (after getting robbed by StubHub) the drunkards were dealt with quickly and the families were looked after at the gates and inside the foyer where freebies were handed out to the younger fans with even giving some a chance to meet with boxers from the Matchroom stable who were there to support their stablemates. I have kids who love boxing so that is something I was happy to see.

Whilst Hearn is moving with the times...Warren is still putting on events that look like they belong in the early 90's and unfortunately Warren isn't going to update his events to bring them upto modern standards anytime soon with the amount he has invested in just improving his stable.

A ticket seller is still a ticket seller; the time of Ricky Hatton was maybe a little off, but he had no issue selling tickets during the "slow death". David Haye had no problem selling tickets either.

Beyond that, the Brook-Gavin PPV wasn't just the main event; you got three legit world title fights, Anthony Joshua in his biggest fight to date and, what I'm assuming, were booked as to 50/50s for the British title. Add Nathan Cleverly in what was basically a nothing fight (though coming off of just having fought on PPV), and Hearn basically maxed out the show under Brook-Gavin, and got rewarded for it.

The machine can only go as far as the pieces put into it; case in point Dillian Whyte is fighting Lucas Browne in March at the 20k-seat O2 Arena. Not knowing a lick about any fights that could possibly go with it, there's no way that that fight sells out the building, full stop.

Amir Khan is a draw, Kell Brook is a draw, and the fight is a grudge match; will concede all of those points.

As an outsider looking in, I don't fathom how Amir Khan of Bolton and Kell Brook of Sheffield, can draw 75k people to Manchester for a fight, and buy a ticket. Could be wrong, but that's my opinion.

[Sir_Didymus]

A ticket seller is still a ticket seller; the time of Ricky Hatton was maybe a little off, but he had no issue selling tickets during the "slow death". David Haye had no problem selling tickets either.

Beyond that, the Brook-Gavin PPV wasn't just the main event; you got three legit world title fights, Anthony Joshua in his biggest fight to date and, what I'm assuming, were booked as to 50/50s for the British title. Add Nathan Cleverly in what was basically a nothing fight (though coming off of just having fought on PPV), and Hearn basically maxed out the show under Brook-Gavin, and got rewarded for it.

The machine can only go as far as the pieces put into it; case in point Dillian Whyte is fighting Lucas Browne in March at the 20k-seat O2 Arena. Not knowing a lick about any fights that could possibly go with it, there's no way that that fight sells out the building, full stop.

Amir Khan is a draw, Kell Brook is a draw, and the fight is a grudge match; will concede all of those points.

As an outsider looking in, I don't fathom how Amir Khan of Bolton and Kell Brook of Sheffield, can draw 75k people to Manchester for a fight, and buy a ticket. Could be wrong, but that's my opinion.

What?? Brook vs Gavin wasn't an undercard fight. It was the main event. Look it up.

[Scipio2009]

What?? Brook vs Gavin wasn't an undercard fight. It was the main event. Look it up.

I know it was the main event.

Brook-Gavin was a so-so main event, so Hearn loaded the undercard with arguably the strongest supporting card that they've ever put on, and it paid off.