The much anticipated so called mega fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao exceeded the projected PPV buys, and grossed a ridiculous unheard of amount of money. It’s a shame that so many fans couldn’t afford the ticket prices or the PPV price that were being asked. The wealthy and corporations got pretty easy access, but the average Joe on the block had to forgo 1/3 of a car payment, or a month’s phone bill just to be able to see the fight on TV.
Never again should boxing fans be treated like 3rd class citizens. Charging people a hundred bucks to watch a fight is completely ridiculous. Ticket prices for the fight were simply asinine. The prices were bad enough, but the amount of tickets that were available for the fans was worse. By the time Mayweather’s side and Pacquiao’s side got their tickets, and the corporations gobbled up all their tickets, there were very few tickets available for the fans. Truly a shame.
Opinions vary concerning the fight itself. If you’re a sweet science style fan, then you enjoyed the clinic that Mayweather displayed defensively, and with his movement. If you’re a phone booth, punch for punch, IE Barrera Vs. Morales kind of fan, then you were disappointed. That said, anyone that follows Floyd’s career already knew, or at least should have known the style that he’d bring into the ring. Was the excitement in this fight worth the 100 bucks that was forked over by the fan? I think not.
Asking fans to hand over over a hundred bucks for a fight in today’s economy is ludicrous. If there’s a rematch at play here, I would hope that the 2nd fight’s prices and ticket availability are far better than in the first fight. I honestly don’t see how the promoters can ask the fans to pay up to 100.00 US dollars for a rematch fight. The majority of fans that did hand over the hundred bucks have buyers remorse today. I am betting that many would not pay that much again. This being said, I hope the powers that be see this.
Much of the media didn’t make out so well either. Many boxing websites were turned down media credentials, and the ones that were granted credentials were made to watch the fight outside of the venue. I understand the reasoning, as media demand for this fight was unheard of. That said, the MGM was just too small to accommodate all media. A bigger venue would be better if and when a rematch takes place. I get it, I know that Floyd loves to fight at the MGM, and the people in Vegas love it as well. The money Floyd brings to Vegas speaks for itself. With all of that said, it still would be a slap in the face of the fans if the same kind of prices are asked of them to see any rematch that takes place.
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