Thursday, 28th March 2024
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Ticket goes for $10,000 as Wilder, Fury battle in Las Vegas

Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder will face each other again almost 15 months on from a controversial draw that left punters desperate for a re-run of their thrilling affair in Los Angeles.

Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder will face each other again almost 15 months on from a controversial draw that left punters desperate for a re-run of their thrilling affair in Los Angeles.

Tickets in Las Vegas are exchanging hands for thousands of dollars, the fighters are volleying spiteful words at one another with gusto and pundits who have frequented Sin City more times than they care to remember have labelled the occasion a “monster”.

Somewhere amid the chaos is the prize of Wilder’s WBC world title. If Fury wins it, all four heavyweight belts will be shared between two British fighters – him and Anthony Joshua, who holds the IBF, WBA and WBO titles.

Wilder starts as favourite (just) before the fighters walk to the ring at around 05:00 GMT tomorrow morning. A handful of tickets remain for the fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, with prices ranging from $425 (£330) on the open market to $10,000 (£7,754) on resale.

On the Las Vegas Strip, fans can pay $100 (£77) to watch on a big screen while the fight will cost $74.99 (£58) to buy at home in the US, meaning $150m (£116m) could be raised before even accounting for ticket revenue. In terms of earnings, it will be an eight-figure night for both men.

It is the biggest heavyweight bout in 20, 30, or – if you listen to Fury – close to 50 years. And the hype is not lost in this city of bright lights and razzmatazz. Fight billboards run the length of the famous Strip; on the ground of the MGM Grand itself, three boxing rings act as stages for US TV networks.

“I have been coming here 25 years and I have never seen this kind of investment into the building of hype of a pay-per-view fight,” said BBC Sport boxing correspondent Mike Costello. His 5 Live Boxing sidekick Steve Bunce added: “Two unbeaten men, elite versus elite. Let’s not lose the fact we are seeing something we don’t often see. This is a monster.”
Culled from BBCSports

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