Crawford vs Madrimov tickets are at a price point that is too high, taking the blame for seat availability in the thousands for Riyadh Season’s US debut.
Terence Crawford challenges for two versions of the super welterweight title on August 3 when the two-weight undisputed king battles Israil Madrimov. However, despite hopes of a 30,000 sellout by organizers from the Middle East, thousands of tickets remain unsold with just over a fortnight remaining.
The lowest-priced seats for Crawford vs. Madrimov are $200, and ringside seats are $2000 for the event featuring rap superstar Eminem. Despite the promise of a multi-Grammy-winning bonafide ‘Rap God,’ boxing fans are not rushing to snap up all those places available.
“Ticket prices are way too high,” said one disgruntled boxing fan.
Many are waiting for a drop in fees to secure seats, and a sellout remains predicted due to a solid undercard. WBA lightweight titleholder Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz faces Jose Valenzuela, and former unified three-belt heavyweight ruler Andy Ruiz Jr. battles controversial contender Jarrell Miller.
Ex-WBA, super middleweight champion David Morrell, aims to grab the 175-pound version of the secondary strap against Radivoje Kalajdzic.
In the final two bouts of the evening, Andy Cruz steps up in class against Antonio Moran, while heavyweight slugger Jared Anderson takes on Martin Bakole.
The man behind the event, Turki Alalshikh, has been active on social media, encouraging fans to buy tickets, which hasn’t always happened at previous events on Saudi Arabian soil. Despite the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh holding 26,000, there’s usually plenty of interest, and the venue usually brims to capacity.
However, the United States and Los Angeles, in particular, are entirely different markets altogether. It may simply be a case of slightly lowering the prices to get the packed arena they desire.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
