zatoicchi
08.08.08, 09:33
few days before Oscar De La Hoya’s 2003 rematch with Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand Garden, scalpers aplenty could be found traversing the alleys along the Las Vegas Strip.
But these weren’t just any tickets they were hawking.
They were tickets to closed circuit viewings of the fight. People wanted to see the fight so badly they were willing to pay above face value to watch it on a movie screen in a hotel ballroom. In many cases, they weren’t in the same hotel as the fight was being held.
One scalper said he got $200 for a single seat, which had a face value of $50.
By that stage, De La Hoya fights had long since passed from being mere sporting events and had turned into social gatherings for the rich and famous, but even by De La Hoya’s standards, this was amazing.
That scene, however, is small potatoes compared to what will occur in Las Vegas in December. De La Hoya plans to end his illustrious career – or, at least that’s what he’s saying now – by fighting once more, on Dec. 6 at the MGM Grand.
The selection of his opponent has dragged on so long it’s made the Democratic presidential primary seem like a whirlwind process.
Oscar-Pacquiao a match that shouldn't happen (http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news;_ylt=As3wFIZpiB9iMUBL5yvWkf.UxLYF?slug=ki-oscarpac086008&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)
But these weren’t just any tickets they were hawking.
They were tickets to closed circuit viewings of the fight. People wanted to see the fight so badly they were willing to pay above face value to watch it on a movie screen in a hotel ballroom. In many cases, they weren’t in the same hotel as the fight was being held.
One scalper said he got $200 for a single seat, which had a face value of $50.
By that stage, De La Hoya fights had long since passed from being mere sporting events and had turned into social gatherings for the rich and famous, but even by De La Hoya’s standards, this was amazing.
That scene, however, is small potatoes compared to what will occur in Las Vegas in December. De La Hoya plans to end his illustrious career – or, at least that’s what he’s saying now – by fighting once more, on Dec. 6 at the MGM Grand.
The selection of his opponent has dragged on so long it’s made the Democratic presidential primary seem like a whirlwind process.
Oscar-Pacquiao a match that shouldn't happen (http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news;_ylt=As3wFIZpiB9iMUBL5yvWkf.UxLYF?slug=ki-oscarpac086008&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)