Fans pay big money for Mayweather-McGregor tickets

[August 12, 2017]  By Philip O'Connor

(Reuters) - Fight fans attending the much-hyped boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and mixed martial artist Conor McGregor will have a chance to rub shoulders with the stars in Las Vegas -- but it won't come cheap.

The cheapest ticket listed on reseller StubHub is going for an eye-watering $1675 with two weeks to go until the Aug. 26 fight which pits undefeated boxer Mayweather against the UFC's lightweight champion in a 12-round super welterweight matchup.

"Usually for these large events it's comparable to a Super Bowl. There's going to be a lot of stars at these events, especially in the high-priced ticket range, the ringside seats," StubHub spokesman Cameron Papp said.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime, bucket-list event, so the die-hard Mayweather and McGregor fans are usually going to find their way to the event."

The fight has not yet sold out, with high face values and a lack of access seeming to have slowed down demand.

Yet Leonard Ellebre, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, dismissed concerns about the fight's popularity earlier in the week.

Conor McGregor of Ireland works out at the UFC Performance Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., August 11, 2017. REUTERS/Steve Marcus

"This isn't a damn Rolling Stones concert. They're the only thing that sells out in seconds, he told reporters at Mayweather's media workout in Las Vegas on Thursday.

"Right now we have over 60 million (dollars) in ticket sales - what part of that remotely looks like ticket sales are slow?

"We're talking about tickets that go form $500 to $10,000. That's an expensive ticket."

(Reporting by Philip O'Connor in Stockholm; Editing by Toby Davis)

[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.