NEW YORK — It took just 60 seconds for the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao showdown tickets being sold out as boxing fans have waited upward of five years for the megafight on May 2.
Every ticket for the event at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas was sold within the first minute after being made available to the public Thursday, according to TiqIQ, an event ticket search engine.
Fourteen thousand tickets were released for purchase and worst seats still cost up to USD 5,000.
Although the contest has been set since February, it took an inordinate amount of time for tickets to go on sale due to issues between the two camps in terms of finalizing the contract.
According to ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael, Top Rank Promotions owner Bob Arum said he fought tooth and nail to ensure that Pacquiao received a fair deal in the end.
While it took longer than expected, the two sides were able to reach an agreement in time for the fight, and it certainly didn’t impact fans’ desire to attend.
Mayweather vs. Pacquiao is the biggest boxing spectacle in recent memory, and some might argue that it is the most significant fight in the history of the sport.
It comes as little surprise that so many people wanted to be a part of it, and while some were lucky enough to get their hands on tickets, many others were shut out due to the incredible demand.
Tickets went on sale to the public Thursday, after the two fighters’ camps settled contract details and how tickets would be allotted.
Though the starting retail price was USD 1,500, there were only 500 tickets sold to the general public for boxing’s richest fight ever, though the arena holds about 16,000 people.
Forty percent of the remaining tickets went to the MGM Grand and 25 percent to each of the fighters’ camps.
So, unless you know Mayweather and Pacquiao, the only way to get in now is through the resale market. The average ticket price sold so far on StubHub is USD 6,362, with a range of USD 5,000 to USD 12,000 dollars.