Is Mayweather vs McGregor in danger of becoming a flop?

IT’S been billed as the most lucrative event in the history of combat sport. But is Floyd Mayweather’s fight next month with Conor McGregor in danger of becoming a complete flop?

Tickets for the fight first went on sale on July 24 in a blaze of publicity, with fans clamouring to snap up the cheapest seats, priced at £390 (RM2,145). But after an initial rush, ticket sales have slowed dramatically, with hundreds still available to buy.

That might be because of the astronomical prices set by promoters – the cheapest original tickets on Ticketmaster have a face value of US$3,500 (RM15,000). Or maybe fans are just waiting for the right time to buy, hoping the price will go down.

Either way, promoter Leonard Ellerbe isn’t terribly concerned. He says the fight will not only sell out, but break records for the richest gate.

“We’re very excited and very happy with ticket sales so far,” Ellerbe told The Associated Press.

“We're well on our way to smashing our own record which transcended the sport."

That record was a US$72 million (RM308m) gate set by Mayweather in his 2015 fight with Manny Pacquiao. That live gate was more than three times bigger than any previous boxing gate.

Still, five days after tickets first went on sale, seats throughout the arena are widely available. They are not, however, for anyone a little light in the wallet.