Why Are You Brits So Concerned With How Many Tickets Saturdays Fights Sells?

[acb]

I'm reading that the U.S. is a disgrace and that we should be ashamed of not selling more tickets. What is your point?

This is a cultural difference, there are very few sporting events that sell as many tickets as you sell for events in European countries. This doesn't signify that we aren't good fans or don't care about boxing. It just means that we don't equate sporting events with places we have to be live in person. Most would rather save their money, and watch the event at home with family and friends.

There is a lot of nationalistic bullshit coming into this fight from your side (from some posters, like Rusty Craver) that lacks class. It smacks of arrogance, and to be honest its the same type of arrogance that you criticize the U.S. for.

Lets grow up and enjoy the fight. When I watch this Saturday the last thing I will be thinking of is your country or mine.

[David_TheMan]

THey know their boy is going to get that ass whooped Saturday, so they are trying to find small victories, such as we would have sold out the arena if the fight was in the UK. You know insignificant shit to make them feel better.

[jc]

How is it 'insignificant'. the whole show is a better event with more fans there, simple as that. Also after years of beign called a homeboy, Joe Calzaghe travels but has nobody to fight in front of other than 6000 Welsh boys who would have watched him at home as would an extra 44,000...

[kirk]

I'm reading that the U.S. is a disgrace and that we should be ashamed of not selling more tickets. What is your point?

This is a cultural difference, there are very few sporting events that sell as many tickets as you sell for events in European countries. This doesn't signify that we aren't good fans or don't care about boxing. It just means that we don't equate sporting events with places we have to be live in person. Most would rather save their money, and watch the event at home with family and friends.

There is a lot of nationalistic bullshit coming into this fight from your side (from some posters, like Rusty Craver) that lacks class. It smacks of arrogance, and to be honest its the same type of arrogance that you criticize the U.S. for.

Lets grow up and enjoy the fight. When I watch this Saturday the last thing I will be thinking of is your country or mine.

sorry i cant agree with you

USA is becoming more pussy by the year... you have the best middleweight of our era against the best supermiddle of our era fighting for the light heavyweight championship and its getting NO coverage, and selling little tickets.

They can say whatever they want about us because its true.... US doesnt care about boxing anymore.

Theyve been hounded since day one about coming over to the 'us' to fight, and blah blah blah... when they get here, there has to be price cuts, there is no support for the fight, ect, ect... and we want them to swallow that?

US is embarresing when it comes to boxing, to me

[acb]

How is it 'insignificant'. the whole show is a better event with more fans there, simple as that. Also after years of beign called a homeboy, Joe Calzaghe travels but has nobody to fight in front of other than 6000 Welsh boys who would have watched him at home as would an extra 44,000...

Who cares who he fights in front of? I can't remember a single fighters victory being enhanced because of who he fought in front of, or how many tickets sold. At the end of the day its the two men in the ring that matter, and nothing else.

[acb]

sorry i cant agree with you

USA is becoming more pussy by the year... you have the best middleweight of our era against the best supermiddle of our era fighting for the light heavyweight championship and its getting NO coverage, and selling little tickets.

They can say whatever they want about us because its true.... US doesnt care about boxing anymore.

Kirk, you know this is more complicated than that.

He is an old man, fighting an unknown man who hasn't fought here enough in his career to draw fans himself.

This isn't about the US. Its a simple equation:

43 year old man fighter with increasingly uneventful style and who has pissed of the boxing establishment a million ways
+
relatively unknown entity who hasnt fought enough outside of his home country to have a fan base here
____________________________

Few tickets sold

[kirk]

I can see your point acb... true enough.

Though i would say that its not just this fight that has poor us support....

Cotto vs Mosley only did what.... 400k???

im sorry but to me thats horrible.... not when the AVERAGE UFC event is getting that much, and this is Cotto vs Mosley we are talking about. two arguably top 10 guys in the sport.


The FACT that JC is NOT known in the US to me is embarresing.... im just disgusted with the shape of US boxing and this news highlights that to me.


But i know what your saying, the reason for the poor outcome is its hopkins vs JC, but the fact that it ISNT bigger, to me, calls for outcry. Its the media, its boxing and its poor management, and its the US people whod rather watch basketball or UFC then a boxing match.

idk im just bitter about it all... lol.. sorry. but i know what your saying.

[mattress]

Unfortunately, as we all know, boxing in the US is dying on its feet. There is no doubt about it. I don't know why people are getting upset about it, or about the fact that if staged in the UK, 100,000 seats would have been sold. Let's look forward to a great fight and hopefully prove the doubters of boxing wrong.

[acb]

I absolutely agree with you Kirk that boxing's status isn't where I want it to be. My problem is with those who act as if we are a disgrace based upon these numbers alone.

[acb]

Unfortunately, as we all know, boxing in the US is dying on its feet. There is no doubt about it. I don't know why people are getting upset about it, or about the fact that if staged in the UK, 100,000 seats would have been sold. Let's look forward to a great fight and hopefully prove the doubters of boxing wrong.

The fight means more to Brits than it does to Americans, and more to Joe's fans than to Bernard's. Bernard has had more legacy making events to speak of. His fans aren't pinning their memory of him on a fight with Joe at this age.

Joe on the other hand, is coming to the US for the first time, and its seen as a more monumental event (right or wrong) for his career and shutting up the doubters.

[mattress]

The fight means more to Brits than it does to Americans, and more to Joe's fans than to Bernard's. Bernard has had more legacy making events to speak of. His fans aren't pinning their memory of him on a fight with Joe at this age.

Joe on the other hand, is coming to the US for the first time, and its seen as a more monumental event (right or wrong) for his career and shutting up the doubters. I agree but doesn't the fight look good to neutrals or real fans of boxing. I can't wait for the bell to ring.

[kirk]

I absolutely agree with you Kirk that boxing's status isn't where I want it to be. My problem is with those who act as if we are a disgrace based upon these numbers alone.:good

[Arriba]

I absolutely agree with you Kirk that boxing's status isn't where I want it to be. My problem is with those who act as if we are a disgrace based upon these numbers alone.

Exactly. The blanket statements are dangerous and to further the issue pretty stupid if ya ask me.

It's a guy nobody likes in Bernard Hopkins against a guy nobody knows in Joe Calzaghe. Calzaghe/Kessler was the lowest rated boxing event of all time on HBO, Hopkins/Wright IIRC was a PPV flop.

It's not surprising to say the least.

They had to bring race, country, 5 months worth of dissing and a countdown video together to cover up for this...yet......it's only sold 6000 tickets.

Hopkins just isn't liked.

[rusticraver]

If it doesn't matter where they fight why didnt hopkins earn a shitload more money fighting at the millenium or wembley.

They could have put it in NYC for the italian connection or near philly.

I think this fight has been promoted terribly

[acb]

I agree but doesn't the fight look good to neutrals or real fans of boxing. I can't wait for the bell to ring.
I'm intrigued by the fight. I rewatched the Lacy fight last night and my admiration of Joe was reaffirmed. At the same time, Bernard is a tricky bastard and I can't wait to see whats up his sleeve. But only as a boxing PURIST would you know these things.

But if you aren't hard core boxing fan, you don't understand this fight on any level... because you don't know that ring smarts and guile can make up for age (you only understand KO's and hype) and you don't know who Joe is (some pasty white guy from another country).

Its low numbers seem natural to me, not an indication of us fans in the US. There are plenty of other indications that we as fans aren't the greatest, lets just not get stuck on this.

[Arriba]

Honestly I think Vegas is being oversaturated with boxing. It's like every other week there's another show there...and crowds are getting tired of it.

Wasn't Pavlik/Taylor 2 in Vegas?

[rusticraver]

I would be pissed off if i spent a grand flying over there and getting a ticket to watch a fight in a half empty arena... could this effect Hopkins? it's all rather embarrasing whatever the reasons

[acb]

If it doesn't matter where they fight why didnt hopkins earn a shitload more money fighting at the millenium or wembley.

They could have put it in NYC for the italian connection or near philly.

I think this fight has been promoted terribly

Boxing is politics. Joe should have campaigned here a long time ago.

If he kicked some ass here years ago he would have been able to call his shots. He is at least part to blame.

[acb]

I would be pissed off if i spent a grand flying over there and getting a ticket to watch a fight in a half empty arena... could this effect Hopkins? it's all rather embarrasing whatever the reasons

And this is where I disagree. This is a huge fucking country. The average worker gets a single fucking week off for vacation (contrary to the six that many European workers get). That means that he gets off at 6:00 PM tonight and has to fly or drive to Vegas. If he lives on the east coast he has to travel 2,000 miles to see a fight with a grandfather aged man and a European he has never heard of.

Get real, this isn't an embarassment, this is an ordering of priorities that is really all very logical given the larger context.

[rusticraver]

Boxing is politics. Joe should have campaigned here a long time ago.

If he kicked some ass here years ago he would have been able to call his shots. He is at least part to blame.

No1 wanted to fight him, low reward high risk.

Hopkins upped the money what 6 hyears ago? that would have been perfect.

[acb]

No1 wanted to fight him, low reward high risk.



Ehh, thats coming from his camp. You could easily argue the opposite coming from other camps. The truth is somewhere in the middle, meaning that some fighters may have ducked him and he may have not pushed hard enough to make the most meaningful fights.

[rusticraver]

And this is where I disagree. This is a huge fucking country. The average worker gets a single fucking week off for vacation (contrary to the six that many European workers get). That means that he gets off at 6:00 PM tonight and has to fly or drive to Vegas. If he lives on the east coast he has to travel 2,000 miles to see a fight with a grandfather aged man and a European he has never heard of.

Get real, this isn't an embarassment, this is an ordering of priorities that is really all very logical given the larger context.

I'm a football (soccer) fan and i travel home and away to watch West Ham United as do thousands of people. My home season ticket alone not including travelling all over the country for away games costs $1600...
I go all over the shop for fights as well and im hardly rich..

I think maybe were a bit more sport mad than Americans. It's a cultural thing

[pipe wrenched]

Kirk, you know this is more complicated than that.

He is an old man, fighting an unknown man who hasn't fought here enough in his career to draw fans himself.

This isn't about the US. Its a simple equation:

43 year old man fighter with increasingly uneventful style and who has pissed of the boxing establishment a million ways
+
relatively unknown entity who hasnt fought enough outside of his home country to have a fan base here
____________________________

Few tickets sold

This is exactly what it comes down to. People have talked for years that Bernard is no draw, I've even seen posts making fun of him for nobody showing out to his parade in his hometown. Did they think just because this fight involves Super Joe US fans would come flocking?? Not to mention, as you also mentioned earlier, this fight is on free HBO, why spend $250 for the cheapest seat in the house (as well as high travel expenses) when you can enjoy the battle from home in comfort?

And lastly as you said, Joe is unknown in the US, to non-hardcore fans. This is why people are always saying "If Joe wants accolades from US fans, he should have come over here years ago and earned them".

Fine summing up post ACB.:yep

[rusticraver]

This is exactly what it comes down to. People have talked for years that Bernard is no draw, I've even seen posts making fun of him for nobody showing out to his parade in his hometown. Did they think just because this fight involves Super Joe US fans would come flocking?? Not to mention, as you also mentioned earlier, this fight is on free HBO, why spend $250 for the cheapest seat in the house (as well as high travel expenses) when you can enjoy the battle from home in comfort?

And lastly as you said, Joe is unknown in the US, to non-hardcore fans. This is why people are always saying "If Joe wants accolades from US fans, he should have come over here years ago and earned them".

Fine summing up post ACB.:yep

The experience is 10x better in the flesh

[pipe wrenched]

I would be pissed off if i spent a grand flying over there and getting a ticket to watch a fight in a half empty arena... could this effect Hopkins? it's all rather embarrasing whatever the reasons

You've got to realize, this is how it's been for years with Bhop. He's usually boring as hell, although effective.

[onceagain]

And this is where I disagree. This is a huge fucking country. The average worker gets a single fucking week off for vacation (contrary to the six that many European workers get). That means that he gets off at 6:00 PM tonight and has to fly or drive to Vegas. If he lives on the east coast he has to travel 2,000 miles to see a fight with a grandfather aged man and a European he has never heard of.

Get real, this isn't an embarassment, this is an ordering of priorities that is really all very logical given the larger context.

:lol: Truth. Why anyone is acting surprised about this is beyond me. Some fuckin' tool here going on about how all American boxing fans should go buy a ticket quick is fucking laughable and shows him to be a goddamn moron. Me going to Las Vegas is about as much of a trip as somebody from Wales, and like I want to go through the effort to see these two fight anyways. Fuck that, I'll stay here thank you very much.

[acb]

Thats been my contention the whole time, its cultural.

Here in the U.S. its outside the generally defined bounds of what is culturaly acceptable to do some of the things that fans do in other places. Our wives would kill us if we did that much traveling and spending money to watch games. Our employers would fire us if we were anywhere near riots. Now I am not generalizing European fans here, obviously many dont do this, but it seems as if sporting is more accepted as an outlet for recreation there than it is here. Football is the lone exception.

To be honest, America is becoming a sterile country. I hate that. Whenever I travel to Europe or Latin America, I see people enjoying themselves much moreso than we do here. Too many rules in the U.S. You can't even drink a beer on the beach in California. But I digress...

[rusticraver]

Thats been my contention the whole time, its cultural.

Here in the U.S. its outside the generally defined bounds of what is culturaly acceptable to do some of the things that fans do in other places. Our wives would kill us if we did that much traveling and spending money to watch games. Our employers would fire us if we were anywhere near riots. Now I am not generalizing European fans here, obviously many dont do this, but it seems as if sporting is more accepted as an outlet for recreation there than it is here. Football is the lone exception.

To be honest, America is becoming a sterile country. I hate that. Whenever I travel to Europe or Latin America, I see people enjoying themselves much moreso than we do here. Too many rules in the U.S. You can't even drink a beer on the beach in California. But I digress...

Fair enough

[Streets_Of_Gold]

So what!
This fight isn't about attendance. It's about Joe Calzaghe trying to gain some respect by actually fighting someone significant before he retires.
Don't louse up his effort with attendance figures and that other crap.
After he gets TKO'ed tomorrow, he'll be much better off record wise then he was before the fight.

[rusticraver]

it really does come down to priorities. europeans care about many things, while americans just live to work and don't have the time to take a trip to vegas to supprt a gapped toothed, old man from philly.

What about all residents of vegas?

[cardstars]

Thats been my contention the whole time, its cultural.

Here in the U.S. its outside the generally defined bounds of what is culturaly acceptable to do some of the things that fans do in other places. Our wives would kill us if we did that much traveling and spending money to watch games. Our employers would fire us if we were anywhere near riots. Now I am not generalizing European fans here, obviously many dont do this, but it seems as if sporting is more accepted as an outlet for recreation there than it is here. Football is the lone exception.

To be honest, America is becoming a sterile country. I hate that. Whenever I travel to Europe or Latin America, I see people enjoying themselves much moreso than we do here. Too many rules in the U.S. You can't even drink a beer on the beach in California. But I digress...

This is exactly why I suggest to everyone that they get out and see the world. My trip to Australia for school a couple years back opened my eyes quite a bit. Americans don't have enough fun imo and worry about too much shit

[acb]

What about all residents of vegas?

Vegas residents are usually from other cities.

[acb]

This is exactly why I suggest to everyone that they get out and see the world. My trip to Australia for school a couple years back opened my eyes quite a bit. Americans don't have enough fun imo and worry about too much shit

I completely agree. A lot of Americans reading this would say thats not true, we do have fun. But I challenge you to go look at a place like Rio de Janeiro or just travel to a large city out of the U.S. to see how people in other places party. Entertainement here is watered down and about all the wrong shit here, throwing money around and being someone you aren't.

[onceagain]

I completely agree. A lot of Americans reading this would say thats not true, we do have fun. But I challenge you to go look at a place like Rio de Janeiro or just travel to a large city out of the U.S. to see how people in other places party. Entertainement here is watered down and about all the wrong shit here, throwing money around and being someone you aren't.

It depends where you are. There are money cities everywhere, but you go to smaller southern cities and life will slow down a fair bit. This probably applies to smaller cities everywhere, but hustle is emphasised much more in the north

[dragosuhail]

i don't think boxing is dying etc. what i do think is that we have far more things to do with our time as consumers compared to our grandparents.

more choice plus advances in technology have changed the way we do many things and boxing is affected like anything else.

for example, boxing arenas used to be packed to the rafters in the olden days. one good reason for that is that it beats listening to the fight on the radio! also with high quality broadcast, why would a family or a bunch of friends want to navigate hours in traffic, bad weather, then contend with drunken hooligans in the the rows in front and behind them etc etc etc. when they can simply watch it in the comfort of their home? and it's cheaper to boot! not to mention replays, closeups, no big head or flags blocking your view etc.

as for the european thing, i'm sure it has more to do with population density combined with tiny countries in comparison to america or australia where you gotta drive for friggin hours/day/months to get anywhere. also espeically in northen europe, the weather is pretty shithouse most of the time, so people tend to do indoor things like boxing/gymnastics etc. in countries like america or australia where there is a diverse range of climates, people have more choice in what they wanna do. beaches, outdoor activities etc.

also saturation of the marketplace is lessening interests in many sports. for example take rugby league and cricket. i dont watch them anymore because there's way too much of it. rugby starts earlier and earlier each year and eventually might become a summer sport! cricket is insane now. instead of being a summer sport it is now a 24/7 all year round tour for all teams. our aussie team gets like 1-2 weeks off between tours. it's just rediculous. before i could look forward to winter for rugby, and summer for crcket. now i see it on the tv 24/7 i've lost interest. to me boxing is more quality because i can look forward to roughly 10 big fights per year, plus many lesser fights. that is enough for me. i dont need to see 1 particular fighter fighting every 2 weeks.

all that combined with more disposable income, means people can switch between various things such as boxing one week, then poker comps the next. tv/tech has allowed for lot of weird and obscure sports/activities to thrive in the limelight.

back in the grandfolks day, there were way less sports, saturation, and recreational things to do.

boxing is doing fine. but of course it could be boosted a litte bit if the promoters stopped fucking around and gave us regular and consistant fights and obviously no more one sided beatings, which makes the fighters look like thugs sometimes.

[acb]

It depends where you are. There are money cities everywhere, but you go to smaller southern cities and life will slow down a fair bit. This probably applies to smaller cities everywhere, but hustle is emphasised much more in the north
Yea I believe that.

Everyone where I live thinks Los Angeles is the place to be. :tired

Maybe for the weather and beach, but its got to be the most overated city on earth for the nightlife. Expensive, flashy, fake, closes at 2:00 AM sharp. The women, while beautiful, think they are to be bought at any price.

The only people who know how to party here are the Latinos, and they are just begging for DUIs (the streets after 2:00AM are full of DUI traps). The club scene is ridiculous, and the people who frequent it don't know any better, and act like its the greatest thing in the world.

[jsimps]

Bottom line is people can't afford to pay the ticket prices, especially in todays environment. Plus, it's on HBO.

[onceagain]

Here (esp near big cities) it's nothing but a damn rat race. Personally, I'm tired of it.

Explains why everyone else from fucking New Jersey is living in North Carolina :lol: goddamn there are a lot of y'all...

[Montero]

Anybody with half a brain knows that the REAL reason there isn't a sellout is b/c Golden Boy is overcharging for the tickets. IF this fight was at Yankee Stadium with tickets as low as $40 or something, there would be a big gate. If it was at Philly with cheap tickets - there would be thousands in attendance...

Say what you will about ****** - he GETS IT! He puts on big events in the UK and makes tickets affordable for the "common man". The only people that can afford Hopkins-Calzaghe tix are wealthy fucks that like to gamble.

[acb]

Anybody with half a brain knows that the REAL reason there isn't a sellout is b/c Golden Boy is overcharging for the tickets. IF this fight was at Yankee Stadium with tickets as low as $40 or something, there would be a big gate. If it was at Philly with cheap tickets - there would be thousands in attendance...



This is an excellent point. A trip to Vegas, with the flight, hotel, ticket price, etc., would be at least $1,000- $1,500 for two.

You take the average American, making something like $35,000 to $75,000, with a good percentage of that taken out in taxes, and its no suprise why nobody attends.

A perfectly valid question for the Brits is how do YOU afford these events? How much are they? What does transportation cost?

I will be honest. I have been a student and now a graduate student for years now, and don't have a lot of cash. The only live fight I have ever seen was Barrera vs Juarez II. My tickets (one for me and one for my girl) were 75$ each with a "fuck you fee" or whatever they call it when you buy it online. The fight was here at Staples, so I just payed for parking and food, and it still cost me about $200 plus. Thats not a lot, but it is for a student who has other bills.

I'm not sure how much money I would have to make to dedicate a thousand dollars or so to see a fight, a few times a year. But it would have to be a lot.

[cardstars]

I completely agree. A lot of Americans reading this would say thats not true, we do have fun. But I challenge you to go look at a place like Rio de Janeiro or just travel to a large city out of the U.S. to see how people in other places party. Entertainement here is watered down and about all the wrong shit here, throwing money around and being someone you aren't.

EXACTLY. Most people think that you have to spend loads of money to have fun or go to the best night clubs and drop hundreds of dollars and act like the king shit ultimate badass :patsch . Plus women in the states piss me off to no end......like you said in another post most of the good looking chicks you run into at the clubs and bars think they are the greatest thing since sliced bread and won't give the regular Joe who's not flashing money around the time of day. The night life in "most" of the states does not even come close to as fun as Australias imo. I have never been to any other places overseas but I seriously cannot wait to check it out :yep

[Montero]

I'm not sure how much money I would have to make to dedicate a thousand dollars or so to see a fight, a few times a year. But it would have to be a lot.

Exactly!

Imagine if you went to 5 or 6 big fights a year (Las Vegas, Atlantic City, New York, etc). For GOOD seats you're dropping at least $1K each - you figure you're gonna take a chick right? That's $2K per event, plus plane tickets, hotel, food, etc - add another $1K to that.

So if you live in "anywhere" America and travel to five big fights a year - you're talking $15,000 spent on live boxing! That's absolutely INSANE!

Compare this to five pro basketball of football games a year in your hometown - it might cost you $1K total!!!

And people wonder why boxing isn't what it once was in the USA? It's simple fucking math!!!

[nickthegreek]

Exactly. The blanket statements are dangerous and to further the issue pretty stupid if ya ask me.

It's a guy nobody likes in Bernard Hopkins against a guy nobody knows in Joe Calzaghe. Calzaghe/Kessler was the lowest rated boxing event of all time on HBO, Hopkins/Wright IIRC was a PPV flop.

It's not surprising to say the least.

They had to bring race, country, 5 months worth of dissing and a countdown video together to cover up for this...yet......it's only sold 6000 tickets.

Hopkins just isn't liked.

Is this true?

Not trying to start no shit, and i ain't going to come back with some bullshit slagging off the U.S fans, but that can't be right, surely?

[tays001]

Who cares who he fights in front of? I can't remember a single fighters victory being enhanced because of who he fought in front of, or how many tickets sold. At the end of the day its the two men in the ring that matter, and nothing else.

on the contrary it does make a difference at how the fightis looked at after the fact.

lets see B-hop the 43 year old legend walks into the lions den the heart of joe Calzaghe , 50,000 plus Fans screaming in Wales pulls off the upsets and beats JOE at home overcomes the hostle enviorment.

now you see how nice thats sounds

now flip it the other way JOE goes to vegas beats B-hop infront of 6,000 plus mostly uk fans in vegas.

or b-hop beats koe in vegas in front of samll crowd doesn't sound to thrilling.

or JOE smashes Hopkins in front of sold out crowd in at the millenium stadium. dazzles home town with win over legend:thumbsup

sorry but it makes a world of a difference

[Alcaldemb]

Who cares who he fights in front of? I can't remember a single fighters victory being enhanced because of who he fought in front of, or how many tickets sold. At the end of the day its the two men in the ring that matter, and nothing else.

It does matter. Boxing is a business, like any other sport, and the fact that the casino is going to take a five million dollar hit and that the promoters had to return two million says that this was a poor business decision. Calzaghe has proven to be a draw in Wales, Hopkins isn't a proven draw anywhere, this fight should have taken place in the UK where it would have made the most money.

[acb]

on the contrary it does make a difference at how the fightis looked at after the fact.

lets see B-hop the 43 year old legend walks into the lions den the heart of joe Calzaghe , 50,000 plus Fans screaming in Wales pulls off the upsets and beats JOE at home overcomes the hostle enviorment.

now you see how nice thats sounds

now flip it the other way JOE goes to vegas beats B-hop infront of 6,000 plus mostly uk fans in vegas.

or b-hop beats koe in vegas in front of samll crowd doesn't sound to thrilling.

or JOE smashes Hopkins in front of sold out crowd in at the millenium stadium. dazzles home town with win over legend:thumbsup

sorry but it makes a world of a difference

I disagree. Unless the ring changes dimensions, or it takes place in a cold weather stadium as in other sports, it just doesn't change the charachter of the fight that much.

And the lions den thing, its overated to me. Its not as if they are fighting the fans. These guys are highly trained fighters who are risking themselves in the ring against other elites. I doubt any number of drunk, fatass fans yelling and holding up signs affects them too much.

[acb]

It does matter. Boxing is a business, like any other sport, and the fact that the casino is going to take a five million dollar hit and that the promoters had to return two million says that this was a poor business decision. Calzaghe has proven to be a draw in Wales, Hopkins isn't a proven draw anywhere, this fight should have taken place in the UK where it would have made the most money.

I was clearly speaking of legacy (how much each fighter stand to gain for the W), not business.

[Alcaldemb]

Is this true?

Not trying to start no shit, and i ain't going to come back with some bullshit slagging off the U.S fans, but that can't be right, surely?

That is, and don't call me Shirley.

[TroubleLurks]

I still think the place will be packed by the time the bell rings.

[Boro chris]

Most of the points that acb has made have been illuminating and fascinating. They make a lot of sense.
I would add that the area of contention as far as a British fan is concerned is that Calzaghe is often criticised for being a stay at home fighter, so when he finally decides to fight in the U.S no tickets are sold, so its clear it makes financial sense to have most of his defenses in the U.K. Far too much emphasis is placed on where a fight is staged. These only matter to some hard core fans. Foolish really when the financial considerations nearly always take precedent when deciding a venue.

[Smazz20]

That is, and don't call me Shirley.



Class:rofl :rofl :rofl


A lot of good points made and nice to see a thread going with no bullshit arguments flying back and forth.

I'd have to say though, that it was a monumental fuck up to stage this fight in LV. Philadelphia or New York would of made far more sense. Closer for the Brits to travel, therefore more of them night of gone and it's either in or closer to BHOP's hometown, so most likely he brings in more fans. It's undeniable that this would of been a far bigger draw in the U.K, but that's besides the point. This is a good fight for Calzaghe to take, just a pity that it wasn't marketed right.

[Boro chris]

[quote=Smazz20]
A lot of good points made and nice to see a thread going with no bullshit arguments flying back and forth.
quote]

Makes a fucking change!:D

[buffalobert]

This is an excellent point. A trip to Vegas, with the flight, hotel, ticket price, etc., would be at least $1,000- $1,500 for two.

You take the average American, making something like $35,000 to $75,000, with a good percentage of that taken out in taxes, and its no suprise why nobody attends.

A perfectly valid question for the Brits is how do YOU afford these events? How much are they? What does transportation cost?

I'm not sure how much money I would have to make to dedicate a thousand dollars or so to see a fight, a few times a year. But it would have to be a lot.


In the UK you can get anywhere quickly so any trip would take less than three hours generally. People are so passionate about their sports here. I was on the internet the minute tickets went on sale for Hatton vs Lazcano, i didn't think about how I would get there or who with, just 6 tickets cause i knew friends would want to come. Share petrol with friends, drive or train, tickets cost upwards of $25. My ticket to see Hatton vs Tszuyu cost $40 with a good view. Overall you're gonna spend maybe $100. If i had an extre $600 i would have gone to Vegas but that's what fans are prepared to do and J.C has got a crazy following, same as Hatton.

acb made the point about fights being enhanced by the crowd, yes it's the two men in the ring that count but if you're being backed up by 6000 screaming fans from your own country then that must give you an extra lift when you're fighting. J.C has said in the past that when he heard the crowd shouting he'd often try harder to rip the guys head clean off. That's what I pay for anyway.

[buffalobert]

Great thread too! Keep it coming.

[acb]

In the UK you can get anywhere quickly so any trip would take less than three hours generally. People are so passionate about their sports here. I was on the internet the minute tickets went on sale for Hatton vs Lazcano, i didn't think about how I would get there or who with, just 6 tickets cause i knew friends would want to come. Share petrol with friends, drive or train, tickets cost upwards of $25. My ticket to see Hatton vs Tszuyu cost $40 with a good view. Overall you're gonna spend maybe $100. If i had an extre $600 i would have gone to Vegas but that's what fans are prepared to do and J.C has got a crazy following, same as Hatton.

This is very usefull information. Thank you.

If boxing was this accessable to me, I would see more events. I envy you guys in a lot of ways. Its funny because most of the best sporting events in the US are so expensive that real fans can no longer attend, and you end up with a crowd that simply wants to be present so that they can say they were there, but that has no passion either way.

Fans like me- for example, I am a life long Laker fan- can only affort to go to meaningless regular season games and sit in the top section of the arena. You know full well you won't be going to the huge playoff games, so it dampens your spirit a little bit. You get accustomed to being a t.v. fan, and I imagine there are a lot of people in this boat in the US.

[buffalobert]

I find soccer games are so expensive here and i can't follow Arsenal as i can't afford to go when i want to but when i know that these fights will come along maybe four times a year, i can spend that money because i know the occasion is so meaningful and it'll be worth it (unless there's a 2nd round k.o(David Haye)).

The point i see that makes more and more sense is about the poor promoting of this fight. The more we talk about it, the more it's obvious they should have used their brain and staged this somewhere accessible to the real fans; people from Pennsylvania; Philly, new york, U.K. These are the people who would want to see the fight most I think. It's not hard to get to Madison Square Gardens from any of these places.

[nickthegreek]

Fair play to you ACB. I thought this thread was going to turn into the same nationalistic bullshit ESB gets hammered with these days, but you make some great points and you have stayed civil all the way through. :good

[Killer_Fish]

I think the prices of the tickets are a big turn off. 1500 to 350 is a bit steep.

[acb]

I think the prices of the tickets are a big turn off. 1500 to 350 is a bit steep.

This isn't the lowest priced ticket, is it?

[Tencount85]

It's a good thing it's not ppv. I suspect the majority of america will be watching the ufc ppv.

[HOF]

If you dug up a prime Ali and put him against a prime Tyson it still wouldn't justify these ticket prices. Ridiculous

[Killer_Fish]

This isn't the lowest priced ticket, is it?

I guess not any more - I just check some sites and it's down to 105 in the upper

[acb]

I guess not any more - I just check some sites and it's down to 105 in the upper

Still very high though, I must say.

[2ironmt]

unless you're ultra wealthy, you'd have to be a fool to buy a decent seat for this type of fight. the prices are outrageous, and any smart fan would simply catch it at a sports bar or chip in for $10 for ppv. how much do you brits pay for a seat at a big fight there?

[buffalobert]

unless you're ultra wealthy, you'd have to be a fool to buy a decent seat for this type of fight. the prices are outrageous, and any smart fan would simply catch it at a sports bar or chip in for $10 for ppv. how much do you brits pay for a seat at a big fight there?

I mentioned it before, I paid £80 to see Hatton vs Tszuyu which was about $40, the same price for Hatton vs Maussa and i've just paid £40 / $25 for tickets for Hatton vs Lazcano. Sure the seats won't be amazing but the atmosphere will definitely make up for it.

The beauty of boxing in the UK is, no matter where it is, it's never far away. So if Haye, Hatton or Calzaghe are fighting i'll always get a ticket if i'm quick enough. Some of the best tickets you can get for $150 / £250.

[bullseye8]

I mentioned it before, I paid £80 to see Hatton vs Tszuyu which was about $40, the same price for Hatton vs Maussa and i've just paid £40 / $25 for tickets for Hatton vs Lazcano. Sure the seats won't be amazing but the atmosphere will definitely make up for it.

The beauty of boxing in the UK is, no matter where it is, it's never far away. So if Haye, Hatton or Calzaghe are fighting i'll always get a ticket if i'm quick enough. Some of the best tickets you can get for $150 / £250.


Where exactly is this planet that you can get 1 American dollar to 2 pound sterling???

I only ask because I just got back from Vegas and have a couple of hundred dollars to exchange... :lol:

[Jack]

I mentioned it before, I paid £80 to see Hatton vs Tszuyu which was about $40, the same price for Hatton vs Maussa and i've just paid £40 / $25 for tickets for Hatton vs Lazcano. Sure the seats won't be amazing but the atmosphere will definitely make up for it.
You got it the wrong way round, mate. £1 is worth $2, so your Hatton/Tszyu ticket would have been roughly $160.

Anyway, I think this finally proves that the money isn't always in America. I'm sick of the excuses that fights make moe money if they are held in America by the promoters, fighters and fans. I had this debate with sues2nd before Calzaghe/Hopkins was finalised. We were talking about the fights location and I maintained that despite the betting/PPV and whatever else, the fight would make more money if it took place i front of a packed Millenium Stadium. Guess I was right.































...God, I'm a smug cunt :D

[buffalobert]

Yeah you're right, i'm an idiot. Currency mix up ahoy

[ghostlybadge]

i pay just over $1800 for my season ticket for Man U. It also costs me $90 to get to home games and up to $150 if i got to go to Newcastle or Portsmouth..
Add in your FA cup tickets League Cup tickets and Europe tickets. its about $10,000 a year.

i was brought up with the fact that if you got the option to see it live take it with two hands and appreciate it becuase it will be much better than watching it on tv.

If the fight was in UK or east coast i would have gone to watch te fight but with it being vagas its to far for me to go after work on friday night and be back on sunday night and be ready for work on the monday