With the original 16,000 tickets for “X-Plosive!” — the June 9th world welterweight championship between Miguel Cotto and Zab Judah — projected to sell out this week, Bob Arum, CEO of Top Rank, and Madison Square Garden have decided to open the upper mezzanine section creating an additional 3,000 seats ($50 each) to accommodate the ever-growing demands of boxing fans. This will be the first time since 2001 The Garden has opened the mezzanine for a boxing event. Limited tickets at other price levels are still available.
“Naturally we are ecstatic, but not totally surprised,” said Arum. “We have been grooming and showcasing Miguel Cotto at The Garden and on national television for years in preparation for exactly this circumstance.
New York has embraced Miguel and this fight as proven by the action at the box office. I expect the same thing internationally with pay-per-view sales. This isn’t going to be ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ it’s a real fight and the fans know it. This fight is generating the same buzz we had for the Roberto Duran-Davey Moore fight 24 years ago.”
Cotto, the undefeated World Boxing Association champion and the pride of Puerto Rico, defends his title against two-division world champion Judah in the main event of “X-Plosive!” Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Prize Fight Boxing, “X-Plosive!” will be broadcast live, Saturday, June 9, on HBO Pay-Per-View, from the main arena at Madison Square Garden. (NOTE: The Boxing Writers Association of America’s 82nd Annual Awards Dinner takes place the night before, Friday, June 8, at the Copacabana in New York.)
Remaining tickets, priced at $500, $300, $200, $100 (soldout) and $50 and include a $4.50 facility charge, can be purchased at the MSG Box Office, TicketMaster outlets & TicketMaster phone (866-448-7849), and online at www.ticketmaster.com / www.thegarden.com
This marks the third consecutive year Cotto (29-0, 24 KOs), of Caguas, Puerto Rico, has headlined at the ‘Mecca of Boxing’ on the eve of New York’s annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade. Judah (34-4, 25 KOs), from Brooklyn, is no stranger to dethroning world champions. He has promised a major urban renewal of the welterweight division, beginning with the demolition of the defending champion.
The Cotto vs Judah four-bout pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, has a suggested retail price of $44.95. It will be distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to more than 61 million pay-per-view homes. HBO Pay-Per-View is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For your daily Cotto vs Judah fight week updates, log onto www.HBO.com