04.01.09 – by James Slater – According to The Las Vegas Review-Journal, the paper of the city most associated with the big fights these days, there may be some pretty lean times ahead for Las Vegas in 2009. After having had a great year financially in 2008 – a year that saw the state take only a fraction less revenue from boxing than it did in 2007 – 2009 looks set to be something of a letdown for Nevada, according to the news article..
This is bad news. Commonly referred to as “Fight Town,” Vegas is seen as a measuring stick of the sport’s success and prosperity. But The Journal says there may well be fewer big fights in Vegas in 2009, due to a number of the big hotels being more selective about the big fights they take because of the slumping economy. Most shockingly in the article, is the suggested possibility that the May 2nd super-fight between Manny Pacquaio and Ricky Hatton – originally seen as the first big boxing show headed for Vegas in ’09 – could wind up being held in mega-rich Dubai, where the money is sufficient to even outbid “Fight Town.”
2008 started off well and finished off well for Nevada, however, as executive director of the Nevada athletic commission said in speaking to The Journal.
“In terms of generating revenue, we’ve had two of the biggest years in history with boxing the last two years,” Keith Kizer revealed. “We had a big fight just about every month in 2008.”
The Journal then listed some of the year’s bigger bouts: there was Kelly Pavlik-Jermain Taylor II in February, Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez II in March, Joe Calzaghe-Bernard Hopkins in April, to start the year – and then the massive Pacquiao-Oscar De La Hoya bout to bring ’08 to a close. The Journal reports that the December 6th bout generated the staggering live gate amount of $14, 380,300.
Kizer then spoke about how 2009 looks set to be different- meaning far less profitable due to the hotels being more picky.
“We have no control over that part of it,” Kizer said. “It’s up to the hotels to determine which fights are worth bringing to town. To be honest, I don’t know how many big boxing cards we can expect this coming year. Or anywhere, for that matter.”
The paper went on to say how Nevada has already lost one big fight, in Antonio Margarito-Shane Mosley, set for January, but now taking place in Los Angeles. Then came the reporting of the talk that says Pacquiao-Hatton may even take place in Dubai!
2009 could well be a different kind of year for boxing.