The Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor fight has become one of the most highly anticipated sports events of all time. Which makes us wonder: Why aren’t fans rushing to cop tickets?
As pointed out by the Associated Press, there are still a shit-ton of seats available for the Aug. 26 match at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Tickets went on sale nearly a week ago and were expected to go so fast that promoters implemented a registrations process and lottery system to ensure average fans had a fair shot. Five days later, there are still thousands of seats left, which can mean one of two things: either people aren’t that hyped about the fight, or—the more likely explanation—ticket prices are too expensive.
Original prices started at $3,500 and went up to nearly $15,000 for “platinum” seats. As of Saturday, the cheapest resale tickets were listed on Ticket Master for about $1,700, which is still steep considering they’re for the nosebleed section; however, promoters insist they aren’t worried about the slow sales.
“We’re very excited and very happy with ticket sales so far,” promoter Leonard Ellerbet told the AP. “We’re well on our way to smashing our own record which transcended the sport.”
The highest grossing boxing match—billed as “The Fight of the Century”—was 2015's Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao, which, according to the AP, grossed about $600 million. Will Mayweather and McGregor be able to top that? Only time will tell.
Maybe fans are just waiting for the prices to drop before they head to the box office. Or maybe they’re content with watching the match on pay-per-view for less than $100.
