Mike Tyson will receive $10M for his fight with
Francois Botha Saturday at the MGM Grand, as well as "an
undisclosed percentage" of PPV TV receipts, according to
Norm Frauenheim of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. However, PPV sales
for the event have been "reported to be slow," and America
Presents and the Showtime network are "hoping for 1 million
sales, which would translate into nearly" $50M. Showtime
Senior VP Jay Larkin: "As to the value of the show, at the
end of the day, it is compelling entertainment. People want
to see Mike Tyson and want to see whether he'll blow someone
out of the ring" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 1/15). Larkin: "People
will watch him fight in the same way they watch car races,
to see the wrecks" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 1/15). In Las Vegas,
Royce Feour writes that there are "many factors working
against Saturday's date for it to be a financial success,"
calling the time between New Year's and the Super Bowl "not
the best timing for a Las Vegas casino." Feour: "But don't
write Tyson off. He is still the biggest draw in boxing and
isn't finished as an attraction" (REVIEW-JOURNAL, 1/15).
America Presents promoter Dan Goosen: "We projected a
million (PPV) buys at the start. Now we're looking at a
million and a half" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 1/15). In Akron,
Ralph Paulk writes that Tyson "remains an attractive draw,"
and that the fight "is expected" to be seen by 5-8% of Time
Warner Cable's 150,000 customers in Summit, OH and
surrounding counties (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 1/15).
TICKET UPDATE: In Newark, Chris Thorne writes that
"about" 10,500 tickets have been sold, but the count "may
be" 12,000 by fight time. MGM Senior VP/Marketing Don
Welsh: "We are estimating that it will be up to 12,000"
(Newark STAR-LEDGER, 1/15). In Las Vegas, Royce Feour says
the figure "isn't as bad as it seems," because "gross gate
receipts are most important for a fight card, not the total
crowd." Ticket prices range from $200 to $1,200 and with a
paid attendance of 12,000, the gate would be around $8M.
Feour: "But I would say that the failure for the Tyson-Botha
fight to sell out does mean some of Tyson's luster might
have rubbed off" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 1/15).
