Floyd Mayweather Jr. Vs. Manny Pacquiao: For The First Time, Fans Charged Admission To Attend Weigh-In
It is quite clear that Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao is a fight that transcends the norms for any marquee event. From the promotion put into its advertising, the insane amount of media coverage it gets, to the fanatical hype, Money versus Pac-Man is being seen as the premier boxing “dream match” in years. The Inquisitr made sure to keep up with the latest pertaining to this “dream match,” the latest being that Pacquiao has already won the “Promotional Round” (which is also known as “Round Zero”) for all the support he’s received, especially from the UFC women’s bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey.
The “dream match” is surely living up to its name, especially in price. Ticket prices are far more expensive than past fights. Fortunately for those unable to afford them, weigh-ins are free. Unfortunately for the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao fight, fans will be charged admission.
According to Yahoo! Sports, fans who want to attend the weigh-in for Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao will have to pay admission for the privilege. This detail by itself is peculiar because by Nevada law, weigh-ins are open to the public. Ergo, fans would come by the thousands to glimpse at the fighters, especially those — as mentioned earlier — who can’t afford tickets.
Apparently, the reason for the charge is for crowd control. Officials at the event are expecting up to 50,000 people to watch the fight. The fear they have is that a large percentage of them will attempt to attend the weigh-in, which in turn would possible cause chaos. By charging a nominal fee, only fans with tickets will be able to attend, thus making crowd control easier.
Francisco Aguilar, the chairman of the Nevada Athletic Commission, made a statement validating the admission’s purpose.
“We want to make it as safe as possible for the fighters and for everyone who attends. And if fans know they need a ticket to get in, it might prevent people lining up way earlier or any disagreements as people attempt to get into the arena.”
It should also be reported that Floyd Mayweather Jr., Manny Pacquiao, and the Nevada Athletic Commission are not making a profit from the admission, either, as reported by the Bleacher Report. Instead, all the proceeds will be donated equally to two charities which have been designated by the fighters. Mayweather picked the Susan B. Komen Foundation, while Pacquiao picked the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.
Right now, no price has been given for the weigh-in admission. Given the fact past weigh-ins were free and the only point for said admission is crowd control, the price should be relatively low. If for some reason the price is high, it is surely a slap to fans’ faces, given the fact the “dream match” has inflated the price up on almost everything else around Las Vegas during Fight Night weekend.
Starting hotel room prices on Friday night before Mayweather-Pacquiao: MGM $1,600, Bellagio $999, Aria $899, Mandalay Bay $695, Mirage $499
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 16, 2015
[Image via Stephen Dunn/Getty]
