WHAT about watching an iconic boxer, in an exhibition bout on the helipad of one of the most famous hotels in the world, in the exclusive company of just 20 wealthy individuals?
Each of these filthy rich people would have paid about US$187 000 to watch this bout featuring the legendary Floyd Mayweather Junior, who has a net worth of more than US$450 million.
And, in all this, throw in local businessman, Pedzi “Scott” Sakupwanya, who was one of the select individuals invited by the American superstar to attend his bout against Don Moore.
That’s huge, especially if you are a boy from Mabvuku, who grew up a world away from the hustle and bustle of the fast lane where such celebrities like Mayweather live.
What an experience this would have been- on top of the Burj Al Arab Hotel helipad in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Of course, the bout was postponed after the death of the UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
But, the world is still discussing what would have been a revolutionary moment in the history of sport.
It’s even remarkable that a Zimbabwean businessman, who just won a seat to represent a part of Mabvuku at the Harare City Council, would have been part of this historic event.
The sporting news website noted that it would have been “a unique fight experience and not just because of the event location, tickets for the event (were) only available for 20 VIP fans.
“Part of the Global Titans Fight Series, all tickets were sold as NFTs. NFTs are digital assets used to represent physical objects, and can be sold at a certain price.
“Those who purchase an NFT ticket will have opportunities to secure fight videos, photos, and a special 3D VIP ticket.
“Per the Global Titans website, one ticket for the event costs about US$187 000, in order to pay, you connect your cryptocurrency wallet, with Ethereum as the main form of payment.
“The price makes this one of the most expensive sporting events of all time.
“The last few boxing events that were close to being this expensive included Mayweather. In 2015, Mayweather and Pacquiao fought one another in a dream match, years in the making.
“Tickets for the fight ran from US$1 5000 to US$180 000. StubHub sold seats for around US$35 000. The fight earned US$400 million in total revenue, and US$72 million in paid attendance from inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
“In 2017, Mayweather competed in his last pro bout against MMA star Conor McGregor. Per Yahoo Finance, some of the best tickets cost around US$157 700.
“The live gate for the event, which took place inside the T-Mobile Arena, ended up being over US$55 million, per the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
“The total revenue gained from that fight was a whopping US$370 million.
“When Mayweather fought Logan Paul in 2021, one fan reportedly bought four ringside seats worth US$87 000 dollars. That was another exhibition bout for Mayweather.
“When the Chicago Cubs faced the then-Cleveland Indians in the 2016 World Series, CBS Sports had tickets ranging from US$1 100 to almost US$20 000.”
Mayweather told FightHype:
“I was able to leave boxing on my own terms and now the boxing critics are upset that I am still able to milk and finesse the sport of boxing by throwing exhibitions.
“Sixteen minutes and I am able to get eight and nine figures from the fruits of my labour.
“Once again I am not hurting for my money, I am far from hurting for money. I didn’t retire from getting money.”
When Mayweather staged his European Victory Tour, he charged fans up to £2 000 just to meet him. – H-Metro
