Fans hit hard in pocket to watch fight

The recent birth of his daughter pushes boxer as he prepares for his most important fight, writes Simon Plumb.

Punters should be prepared to pay at the door to watch Joseph Parker’s heavyweight world title fight at the pub next weekend.

At least one popular central Auckland bar is already advertising entry fees for next Saturday’s fight night in an attempt to claw back higher-than-usual costs for commercial licences — a move which is outraging some fans.

Sky TV boss John Fellet has previously said his organisation has no control over the event’s payper-view pricing. Because Parker’s promoter, Duco Events, holds the rights they also get to decide how much Sky charge for pay-per-view — both for residents and commercial operators.

Auckland’s Empire Tavern is already telling customers a $10 entry fee will be in force for the bout. A spokesman for the venue said the charge was a direct result of a licence costing “about $2500” to screen the fight.

“Everyone wants to watch the fight. We’re being charged more to show it, so to cover those costs we’re charging people $10 to get in — which is less than the cost of a beer,” he said. “We will be full for it.” However, some fans aren’t happy with the costs, taking to social media to vent their anger, with one critic on Facebook saying “charging a cover to watch a sports event at a pub is a dangerous precedent”.

Another who doesn’t agree with door charges is Brett MacLean, owner of popular Auckland sports bar The Fox.

MacLean says he will take a financial hit for allowing free entry, but says he wants to put punters first and won’t charge on the door “out of principle”.

Home viewers are also facing bigger pay-per-view prices than previous Parker fights, with Duco charging $59.95.