I understand that ticket sales have been rather slow for the bout this Saturday between Pacquiao and Diaz. Colleague Ricardo ?RiGordo? Lois has made it quite clear through his inside connection that the Mandalay Bay Events Center might be less than completely full by the time the ?Pacman? sets foot into the ring.
There are plenty of significant reasons for this including? air-fare is hovering around $300 as of this very moment while the same ticket to Sin City cost somewhere around $120 several months back. Should you choose to stay at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, the cheapest room sits at a hefty $350.
Without even shelling out a single penny for a fight ticket, you?re spending somewhere in the region of over $700 just to be in the same building as the ?Pacman?. Should you choose to see two cricket-sized creatures fight rather than ant-sized, you?ll be spending at least $200 if not more which might run your entire bill in the minimum region of $1000.
Let me get this straight? boxing fans are considered amongst the most ardent supporters of their sport without a doubt. However, this is boxing, not golf, cricket, or badminton were most of the spectators can afford to piss a thousand dollars without a blink of an eye. Sometimes it feels as though certain boxing promoters can tend to be out of touch with reality as it seems as they believe that boxing fans are stupid enough err? willing to spend several paychecks in order to view a battle deemed as not quite so meaningful.
It?s another reason as to why this Saturday?s bout points to a potential Pay-Per-View bonanza. Okay? maybe not a full-fledged blockbuster but perhaps at least a decent sales figure.
We must remember that the most recent HBO Pay-Per-View just so happened to be the Pacquiao-Marquez bout in March. Who would have thought that fight fans would ever get such a long break from the Pay-Per-View madness that we?ve seen in recent years?
This points to the fact that casual and hardcore fight fans might just happen to have some extra duckets lying around to purchase the fight this Saturday. The difference between $1000 to attend the bout and $50 to view the bout in the comfort of your own home is quite a difference in current state of this economic recession. You sure could do a lot with that extra $950 such as? paying off some of that credit card debt, catching up on default mortgage payments, paying down your bar tab at the local watering hole, purchase every pay-per-view bout for the next two years, etc. etc. etc.
I see this trend continuing should boxing continue to be held throughout the various venues in Las Vegas. Transportation and hotel costs have risen significantly over the past six months in addition to a general loss of wealth amongst the public which will lead to poorer and poorer turnouts for bouts not involving Oscar De la Hoya. Let?s face it? De la Hoya doesn?t draw the blue-collar crowd that generally supports boxing on a regular basis.
Eventually what might occur is that the Vegas hotels will no longer find it profitable in order to hosts these events which might eventually force boxing promoters to actually go where the people are. The current state of the world economy will eventually bring out the truth in the fundamentals or lack thereof when it comes to the business of boxing. There?s no doubt about it.
The upcoming Pay-Per-View bouts between Diaz-Pacquiao this Saturday & Cotto-Margarito in July should serve as good barometers in gauging the current health of boxing and its intrigue amongst the general fan.
I?m guessing that this weekend?s bout does solid numbers.
