I made a few calls and from what I am told that is simply not accurate reporting. I am told by those in the know that the real number is more than 2,000.
This is what ESPN scribe Dan Rafael posted at 2:14 pm on Friday, about 24 hours after my exclusive Examiner report that, as of Thursday morning, 339 tickets had been purchased for the Timothy Bradley-Devon Alexander clash of undefeated junior welterweight champions at that mausoleum known as the Pontiac Silverdome.
Has Dandy Dan contradicted me?
Or is that 1,600 tickets were reported to be accounted for to him because that includes the first four rows on all four sides of the ring which have been reserved for co-promoters Don King and Big Gary Shaw and, of course, the company funding not only this but the next three bouts for both Alexander and Bradley meaning HBO?
If my initial report was wrong--please notice that, just like me, Dan was not able to attribute a name to his sources--then how come I did not get an angry phone call from Messrs. Shaw or King or any of their minions?
I know the mail is slow but I didn't get any snail mail or emails asking for a retraction, threatening legal action or anything as fun and amusing as all that.
Nobody said bleep.
Isn't this totally credible given that:
1. Neither Tiny Tim nor Devon The Great are from Metro Detroit or the state of Michigan?
2. Even with the recent financial uplift at Ford, Metro Detroit including Pontiac remains an economic disaster zone?
3. Shaw and King did a show on July 11, 2009,in Sunrise, Fl. Fort Lauderdale) where the crowd was announced as over 11,000 but the actual paid ticket count was a sizzling 757? That hot ticket seller had a main event featuring an Aussie of Armenian extraction (Vic Darchinyan) against an African named King Kong Agbeko?
4. That Las Vegas and Atlantic City spurned this attractive matchup?
5. That Shaw could not believe he found an all day sucker willing to pay he and DK $600,000 to try to inject some life into this white elephant, this 80,000 seat domed stadium that has been as lifeless as cemetery since the NFL Lions took a powder?
6. That Alexander's manager-trainer Kevin Cunningham reiterated to me on the record last week that the fight should've gone into a 12,000 seat venue in his and his boxer's hometown, a venue which ex-cop Kev said would've sold out in 10-15 days?
7. That, according to reports by bloodhound Steve Kim (Maxboxing), Shaw has had to paper the house with giveaway tickets for Bradley in his hometown?
I rest my case.
Plenty of good seats still available as the saying goes...
King knows how to put on a ground game, how to move the ducats. Unfortunately, he's trimmed his staff in recent years due to a diminished roster of fighters.
And King was understably preoccupied, while Shaw sought a neutral site, with the illness and death of his beloved wife, Henrietta.
Had King spent two weeks in Motown, the box office would be energized, no bout, as he would have worked the hustings and hit every radio and TV microphone in the vicinity.
Look, shoot the Marley messenger all you wish.
Don;t you think if my solid source told me 2,000 or 3,000 or 5,000 tickets were actually sold I would have reported that? That would've been more surprising.
HBO seems not to care about the live gate but they should.
Having said all that, I hope that 23 year old lefty Devon and 27 year old bad boy Tim can produce a firecracker of a fight.
I was leaning to Devon and now I'm thinking Bradley may win on the basis of hitting harder if less frequently.
I hope the live gate is not a disaster when the first bell for the main event rings.
Tyson refused a prefight drug test and was bagged for mairjuana use from a postfight test.
Even with a big name like Tyson, ticket prices were slashed at the last minute by local hero Tommy Hearns and his co-promoters.
I want to see boxing, especially young guys Alexander and Bradely thrive.
Until then, keep shooting the messenger.
But blanks don't really bother me.
Source on Darchinyan-Agbeko gate: Florida commission, cited in Sports Business Journal, article by Bill King, published on June 14, 2010.
Comments
Mike, its been a while.
Let's just say I am shocked and in awe that anyone BUT Dan "The Man" Rafael has exclusive inside knowledge of anything boxing related. There is heavy sarcasm implied.
Somehow I am willing trust an individual who worked for Don King for a number of years, (a co-promoter in this fight) than someone who believes that everything he utters on a keyboard (at ESPN only - no other source ever publishes him as being a good reporter and good writer are two VERY different things) is somehow prophetic.
Anyway, this might seem a severe case of pedantry but I feel that maybe it is worth Rafael acknowledging by name someone who at times knows more than him, and, god forbid has a closer inside track than he does sometimes.
Mike, drop me an email, its been a while and we shiould catch another boxing show soon.
Igor
On a side note I agree. Why stage it there. Sure, the site fee must have been a nice Christmas present, but a sell out in St. Louis would have been much more preferable. The whole thing is rather odd. It's very similar to when Goossen promotions put Paul Williams' fights in California, and then wonder why he is not bigger than he is...
Its all about money Mr. Marley. The promoters have already calculated their earnings and tickets paid are merely icing on the cake. Whether the live gates produce dough or not, the profits were already realized from the sponsors. I can't wait for the guys to fight
it seems almost all boxing fans shy away from the box office when 2 slick black boxers are headlining. it seems nobody wants to be fooled that slick black boxing style is really about fighting.
SLICK FIGHTING IS BORING
firecrackers? I don't think so, both of them are modern black guys.
Who are these guys?
Boxing match ups are not that exciting when both fighters are slick,, that they would just finish the bout by point system until the last and final bell.People wants to see head and face smashing and hard body punching not caressing up to the end . by winning in point system. Not by dancing and posturing as in a dance session and snap shot photo session taking.
being slick i think is not really necessary in contact sport like boxing..a real fighter is not afraid to engaged in toe to toe style of fighthing..or else it is just like a shadow boxing.
Not quite...Someone who is prepared to fight toe to toe, facing a so called 'slick' boxer has little chance of victory if he is facing a great counterpuncher.
Yes your are right boxing fans want toe to toe like Manny Pacquiao's fight really interesting.
Watch This.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkKy4pXI53c
Two "slick black american boxers" can't sell a fight and they scream for Manny Pacquiao! This response tells you who can make boxing die in this country!
B-Hops should support this fight in selling thousands of tickets after-all the protagonist are both slick inner city american-african boxers, Isn't this a shame,if they can't sell 500 tickets or more as champions? So, B-hops, skills are not everything. You should have it and charisma. This is what American-african fighters of today lack, charisma. In the case of Fraud,Jr. many fans want to see it hoping Fraud Jr. will be beaten black and blue. But Fraud is an intelligent animal which is why he will move mountains just to avoid a fight with Pacquiao. And he is done it. He is moving to the jail soon for as long as 34 years.
i couldn't said it better than this.
Let's face it, American boxing sports witers and ciritcs (hoping they really are) would do anuthing to discredit any other boxer who is not American. They cannot accept and live with the fact that nowadays there is no real exciting American boxer. Slick ones maybe, but not exciting.
Also, I wish those writers who love to discredit Manny or other non-American fighter should just stop writing about non-american fighters, specially Manny. But no, wait, they cannot, because their hit would go down and their bosses would not be happy.
@cezpel, I second the motion.
Oscar DLH vs Steve Forbes turned up big numbers by giving tickets away although I cannot prove that they gave you a cerveza to take a ticket.
HBO can learn from Vince MacMahon and the WWE with selective camera panning of the crowds to make the joint looker fuller than what it will be.
marley, you are the man, chris williams is the woman.
i agree. well said.
This is ridiculous. The two best fighters in the division and no one knows whats going on.
Kinda shows just how dumb the casual boxing fan has become. They'll pack an arena to see two completely overrate hype jobs in Manny and Floyd take on a Mosley who's best years were 10 years ago. But two undefeated champions who are the two best at their weight class and actually have the balls to fight each other gets so little attention? It's kind of embarrassing.
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