We’ll never know how many tickets the upcoming October 17 lightweight unification showdown between Vasyl Lomachenko and Teofimo Lopez would have shifted had things been any way normal, with fight fans allowed to attend a fight; but chances are the tickets would have moved in big numbers; this fight one that has really got fight fans excited and intrigued.
There is, however, a little good news for fight fans. As Top Rank boss Bob Arum has explained to ESPN.com, there will be 250 people allowed to attend the fight inside the MGM “bubble” in Las Vegas – a number of these people being fans. With a new easing of Covid-19 restrictions being passed by Nevada, with 250 people now allowed to attend a live event, Arum says sponsors will be in attendance at the October 17 fight, as well as some fans: “We’re going to make it available to sponsors, and then give most of the tickets to first responders,” he said. “We’re not selling any.”
This is an admirable move by Top Rank. In putting fans first, instead of looking to charge super-duper prices for the sprinkling of tickets that are available and then aim them at the high-rollers, Arum has done something many other boxing promoters would not perhaps have been willing to do. Good on Bob! But the stampede for those few available tickets might prove to be quite something.
Who the few lucky ones might be is anyone’s guess. Get moving fast if you can! For the rest of us, we’ll have to make do with catching the live action on TV. However, as Arum angrily discussed last week, thus far there is no UK broadcaster willing to buy the Lomachenko-Lopez fight. I’m sure I speak for many UK boxing fans when I say this had better change. There is still time for a UK broadcaster to do the right thing by fight fans and purchase this, very possibly The Fight of The Year.
If Arum can afford to give away tickets instead of charging up to and over a thousand bucks for them, surely a UK broadcaster can afford to buy the fight?