Lewis vs Johnson: Ticket Buyers Can Set Their Own Price For Best Seats Before They Go On-Sale
25.04 – Getting a crack at the best tickets to a historic fight at STAPLES Center just got easier. Both boxing and marketing precedents will be set when a significant number of the best ringside seats for the upcoming June 21 world champion-ship bout featuring World Heavyweight Champion Lennox Lewis defending his title against World Boxing Association (WBA)/World Boxing Council (WBC) No. 8 heavyweight contender Kirk Johnson, are auctioned online to the public through the "Ringside VIP Auction" operated by Ticketmaster.
One hundred and fifty (150) VIP packages of the best seats and the best amenities ever offered to the general public for a championship fight will be auctioned to the highest bidders. Each package contains: two ringside seats, an autographed Lennox Lewis boxing glove, preferred VIP valet parking, pre-fight hospitality in STAPLES Center’s exclusive Grand Reserve Club, access throughout the evening to the luxurious Bank of America Chairman’s Room, a post fight reception and admission to private fighter workouts leading up to fight night.
The live online auction will begin Friday, April 25th at 10:00 am PDT and will end Friday, May 2nd, at 11:00 pm PDT. Guests can log on to: www.ticketmaster.com/lennoxlewis to participate.
"We believe that fight fans are willing to pay a premium price to be guaranteed not only a selection of the best seats in the house but a hospitality package making their total fight night experience one of a kind," said Timothy J. Leiweke, President STAPLES Center and parent company AEG. "The businesses and individuals that are taking advantage of the ticketing marketplace all point to market inefficiencies and distribution problems—highlighting the need for the event promoter to establish prices for live event ticketing closer to what the consumer is ultimately willing to pay. One way to establish a fair price for the best tickets is through an online auction, open to the general public, allowing the market to determine the price. The Internet enables anyone to participate in this auction.”
"Ticketmaster has developed a safe, authenticated, legitimate method of auctioning live event tickets to provide consumers fair, equal access to premium seats. Ticketmaster’s participation will ensure that consumers won’t walk away questioning the validity of their tickets or the integrity of their purchase.” Leiweke added. “The Ringside VIP Auction is the only guaranteed ticket in the online auction marketplace."
The foundation of Ticketmaster’s service features barcode technology for access control combined with express ticket delivery and Ticketmaster’s ticketing guarantee, providing a secure, easy-to-use service for boxing fans--all from the convenience of a personal computer and backed by Ticketmaster’s technology.
"The Lennox Lewis "Ringside VIP Auction" allows you the opportunity to work directly with Ticketmaster, AEG and STAPLES Center removing the veils of secrecy often associated with live auctions, most of which are held by resellers of premium tickets," said Terry Barnes, chairman and CEO of Ticketmaster. "It’s a completely transparent process. You know who you are dealing with, what you are bidding on, where you stand in the process and what the end result will be, creating an environment of equal access and equal information."
Throughout the auction process, bidders will be able to keep track of where their bid stands in the market for seats in each of the eight ringside rows available through the Ringside VIP Auction. Bids, for the all-inclusive package including two ringside seats will start at $3,000.00 and can be raised at anytime in $50.00 increments. Participants can bid on multiple packages and will be notified of their success via e-mail at the conclusion of the auction.
