Pay-per-view price will test Parker’s pulling power
Joseph Parker has a major test coming up tomorrow night. It’s not his skills as a pugilist that will be coming under examination against Alexander Flores, more his pulling power.
Following two defeats this year, Parker is firmly in a rebuilding phase.
But you wouldn’t know it by the $39.95 pay-per-view price for his bout with Flores.
Flores is ranked 176th in the world and if we’re being honest, how many Kiwis had heard of him before this fight was announced? Not many.
Tomorrow night’s undercard is arguably the strongest domestic card New Zealand has seen in years but Parker is the pay-per-view seller.
The number of buys on the strength of the undercard will surely be minimal.
Parker is a hugely popular figure in New Zealand and losing two fights to a unified champion in Anthony Joshua and a top five fighter in Dillian Whyte – in close and controversial circumstances – hasn’t dented his huge fan base and nor should it.
But spread the net wider and the casual sports fans no longer seem to be the regular commuters on the Parker hype train they once were.
So how many punters will be prepared to part with $40 to see Parker complete what should be a relatively easy win against Flores?
Commercial sensitivity means pay-per-view numbers are almost always kept a closely guarded secret but surely the Parker and Flores fight will be one of the lowest featuring the former WBO world champion as the main event.
Pay-per-view prices of around $40 were par for the course on the way up and peaked at $59.95 to watch Parker win his WBO belt against Andy Ruiz Jr in Auckland back in 2016.
In Parker’s early days with Duco Events, he was hyped up as a guy who could rule the heavyweight division – a Kiwiborn Samoan who could shock undefeated kingpins such as Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder.
Following consecutive defeats, that dream is looking a long way off. Not impossible but not happening anytime soon.
At just 26, Parker is still a major player in the heavyweight division.
Ring Magazine, the unofficial bible of boxing, released their latest rankings following the draw between Wilder and Fury.
Parker was ranked seventh. The Kiwi boxer is world class and putting on a world class fighter on a show in New Zealand does not come cheap.
An opponent such as Flores who has a strong record – albeit against less than world class opposition – is not going to take the toughest fight of his life in Parker’s home country for peanuts.
And Parker isn’t going to take the risk against Flores for chump change either.
With tickets starting at $39 for tomorrow’s fight night, the payper-view price is essentially the same as walking up to Horncastle Arena and you can pack as many as you like into your lounge room.
New Zealand pay-per-view punters are not hit as hard in the pocket as our neighbours across the ditch.
The recent Jeff Horn and Anthony Mundine fight – that was $39.95 in New Zealand – was going for A$59.95 (NZ$63.21) and the Wilder and Fury fight was A$49.95 (NZ$52.67).
As much as berating pay-perview prices is a popular pastime for fight fans the reality is you either want to see it enough to the pay the price or you don’t.
Tomorrow’s pay-per-view price seems exorbitant but the alternative is probably having Parker on an undercard in the UK or US and not fighting in New Zealand.
At least this way Kiwis have the option of watching Parker on home soil.