Heavyweight legend Mike Tyson bids to overtake the target held by Canelo for the largest indoor attendance record.
However, according to a poll, Tyson will not be able to break the three-year standing record.
‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ faces YouTuber Jake Paul on November 15 in his first professional fight in 19 years. He has the AT&T Stadium booked for his comeback. The venue can be reconfigured to fit one hundred thousand fans with seats and standing room to become the most extensive NFL Stadium in the world.
As for boxing, Canelo Alvarez faced Billy Joe Saunders in 2021, securing a 73,126 attendance. This feat overhauled the long-standing benchmark Muhammad Ali and Leon Spinks set at the New Orleans Superdome in 1978. Ali vs Spinks saw 63,350 pack in to watch Ali regain the title.
Canelo smashed it by almost ten thousand fans, and now, the event organizers predict that Paul vs Tyson will go even further than that. However, the fans don’t agree. In separate polls by WBN and Dan Rafael, the consensus was that Paul vs Tyson would struggle to reach anywhere near the current record.
One reason was the pricing situation, which Most Valuable Promotions continually monitors and alters. Another is the simple fact of interest in the event. Would over seventy thousand people want to see a 58-year-old Mike Tyson battling an influencer who has never faced a live opponent? That’s a considerable debate.
In June, days before Tyson postponed the fight to receive treatment for a stomach ulcer, MVP substantially dropped ticket prices. The move followed complaints over sky-high expectations for fans attending, possibly due to slow sales.
Once the new date, November 15, was confirmed and tickets were back on sale, prices were massively hiked in a strange move. Over the past few weeks, prices have begun coming down again, but the interest factor must be brought back into the equation once again.
If the organizers of Paul vs Tyson had been confident about a sellout or getting anywhere near the record, the price point would have remained steadfast. However, the fact that prices fluctuate dramatically leaves heavy doubts over the ability to break Canelo’s record unless those prices stay well down for the next two and a half months.
As things stand today, it’s highly unlikely that Paul vs. Tyson would attract over 50,000 fans unless purchasing a seat becomes far more accessible to the average fan.
The closer the date draws, the more we could see a further scramble for sales.
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.
