Mayweather-Pacquiao Tix Go on Sale Today—Finally

Tickets for the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather superfight finally go on sale to the public today at 3 p.m. Pacific—all 500 of them.

Manny Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum and Floyd Mayweather promoter Al Haymon finally put aside their differences, with the aid of CBS President Leslie Moonves, to reach an agreement on releasing the tickets with less than ten days to go before the welterweights touch gloves. The tardiness of the ticket drop necessitates a logistical nightmare for actual buyers compelled to make last-minute travel arrangements and for wannabe buyers who have already splurged for the inflated price of a hotel room and airline ticket despite their chances for landing an actual ticket nearing nonexistent.

Not to worry, MGM properties in Las Vegas play the fight on closed-circuit television for $150 a person.

Unfortunately for the public, secondary-market sellers will get more opportunities to buy tickets to the live fight than individual buyers. Just 500 tickets go on sale today. The remaining 16,000 or so go to the two fighter camps and the MGM Grand, with Mayweather and Pacquiao expected to unload their tickets on brokers, who will charge even more than the listed price.

The bout features approximately 1,100 $10,000 tickets, which will contribute $11 million to the purses; 2,500 $7,500 tickets, which will bring in about $18.75 million; 2,500 $5,000 tickets, contributing $12.5 million to the gate; 4,000 $3,500 tickets, which add up to $14 million, 2,500 $2,500 tickets, grossing $6.25 million; and 2,500 $1,500 seats–for the people!—generating $3.75 million. The hoped-for live gait approaches $75 million, a number nearly four times greater than the box office generated by Floyd Mayweather-Canelo Alvarez, the current record holder.

Along with a pay-per view broadcast charging $100 for an HD subscription, the $74 million live gait looks to pay both fighters something north of $100 million for the 12 rounds of boxing. Pacquiao takes $2.5 million in revenue off the advertising on his trunks.

Most of the professional boxers interviewed by Breitbart Sports at last weekend’s Friday Night Fights card said they would attempt to watch the fight at a party or a bar rather than pay for the expensive pay-per view at home. Several scoffed at the idea of affording a seat in the arena based on their pay on a card partially broadcast on national television.

Calling the gaudy prices for tickets in the arena ridiculous, light heavyweight Lennox Allen said he won’t purchase the fight for his television set. “I’m going to watch it at a bar,” Allen told Breitbart Sports immediately after meting out a knockout to Paul Gonsalves. “I like watching the fights at a bar, anyway. I’m not going to buy the fight at my house. I got a mortgage to pay.”

So, too, does Floyd Mayweather.