Ticket Sales

I'm surprised we haven't heard of this for Zhang vs Joyce II when we have heard it for the smaller Matchroom events. This is Queensbury's biggest UK show all year! They probably should have went to the Copperbox. I'm surprised as there are some of Queensbury's big names on the undercard. Too many shows filled with weak fights like September 23 and the quality being spread too thin are the main reasons for this happening. I'm sure Matchroom's double World Title show on September 30 will also struggle with ticket sales. To be fair though they have announced Zhang vs Joyce II for a while.

It's a bit of a concern considering Queensbury's best prospects in Sam Noakes, Moses Itauma, Pierce O'Leary, and Barney-Smith are on the card. Hopefully they can build their profile up.

I don't think a lot of people know that you can get the free tickets a week before the event. If someone posts this on Twitter and gets a big account to spread news about it, I'm sure promoters will worry. This is something the media needs to question the promoters on.

 

Yeah I was looking at Joyce tickets the other day and there are tons left. My Mrs has bluelight so might and a couple now

EDIT: They are not on bluelight or been taken off?

 

You're literally on a thread about it

 

It's a reflection on UK boxing but also times are tough.

Tickets are more expensive but so are hotels and transport. If I wanted to watch a fight in London these days it'd cost me about 500 quid for a decent ticket, hotel, train fare and beer/food. Not worth it anymore.

 

There’s just not the public demand to go and watch boxing in this ‘post-golden era’. It’s a bit of a weird lull at the moment, even in those years of the early-mid-2000s, there were enough stars to fill the big arenas occasionally, and everyone else fought in the York Hall or leisure centres without much of a stigma attached to it.

Now, and I don’t know whether it’s a demand from TV to only use shiny big arenas, or the stubbornness and arrogance of promoters, but it seems like everyone needs to be fighting at the O2, MEN or even a ruddy stadium show, and very few boxers have the pull to fill them. As a result, loads of free tickets.

I don’t think giving tickets away is a huge problem in terms of accessibility, they’re still not really available to every man and their dog, often only become available on short notice ahead of a fight, which won’t suit everyone if you’re not in the vicinity.

It would certainly put me off ever paying full price for boxing though, which I’ve not done in ages. Reckon the last four or five times I’ve been in recent years have been ‘free’ tickets through various means.

 

Yes the prices are driving many fans away.

For every Silver Spoon named Hearn, there are 1,000 boxing fans in towns and cities across the UK who can no longer afford to go to boxing.

Got to lay the blame right at the door of Eddie Hearn for inflating the purses from low 6 figures to 7 figures for non elite UK fighters such as Whyte, Bellew, Joshua, Chisora.

That is when the rot started, why the ticket prices increased and why fights can no longer be made.

 

Ticket prices aren’t. going up that much you know. I started going in the late 00s and the cheapest were 40 then, still are now, think the 80s have gone to the 90s, but not too bad in 15 years when compared to the rest of inflation. I’d rather pay that than pay 20-30 quid to sit in my own house to watch it. The problem with thicket prices is an £80 ticket costs you £95 because of the fees so if you go with your missus it’s £30 out your household on something that is literally just thieving.

Need to just sort their heads out and go back to normal venues and only use big arenas for big fights. Easy enough. Modern society is all about image though, much to the detriment of most things including boxing.

 

True regarding the venues. Top tiers rarely get used at the O2 and Manchester these days. Fights like the Sunny Edwards one and Opetaia v Thompson would struggle to fill half the Copper Box but they get put at Wembley Arena.

 

Completely agree re choice of venues. Why on Earth do promoters persist hosting certain events in O2/Wembley Arena when it's painfully obvious there will be no chance of selling out.

It actually hinders the TV experience massively having a half empty arena, e.g. Parker vs Ryder and the last Sunny Edwards fight. I'd say the Copper Box or even Royal Albert Hall seem to be the sweet spot for capacity. Just look at the Wood vs Lara fights - the first one was at Nottingham Arena which was packed out and made for great viewing, whereas the second fight in Manchester was in front of a not even half full crowd.

 

The Matchroom FC shows in the UK are 2 home games per month with the odd Carabao Cup tie thrown in featuring 2 reserve sides.

 

I keep hearing about these blue light tickets, but whenever I look on the my blue light account, they’re not on there.

could you please share a link with me of where I can find them?

thanks

 

The issues is the lack of small to medium size arenas.

If you can sell 10,000 - 12,000 tickets in London you have Wembley Arena which holds 12,500 but say Wembley Arena is already booked you can only then going the O2 or leave it money on the table going to the copper box.

If you can sell 8000-9000 tickets there is no arena. You have to go to the Copper box whichever holds you 7000 so money is left on the table.

O2 holds 20,000

If you can sell say 12000-15000 tickets you have no choice but to use the 02.

A few thousand empty seats is a better option than leaving money on the table going to be much smaller arena.

 

That's why the arena in Wales is good. It holds 5000 and Cordina has sold it out both times headlining there. The next best option in London is York Hall which is too small and gets too hot.