A lot has been said (mostly negative) about the pay-per-view price for this upcoming bout between WBA lightweight champion, Gervonta 'Tank' Davis, and Lamont Roach. The retail price is right around $80. Which will probably get you about a dozen eggs from the grocery store at this current time.
It never fails, anytime there is a pay-per-view show nowadays, there is a lot of chatter regarding the pricing. The perception of this event being held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and promoted by PBC isn't helped by the fact that last week's 'Last Crescendo' card was priced at around 25 bucks.
A lot will be made about just how well this card will fare in terms of pay-per-view buys. The 'source wars' will be in full effect in about a week or so. But there's no denying that Davis will prove once again that he is a bona fide box-office attraction.
"It's completely off the charts, it's selling extremely well," said Jim Boone, the head of KO Tickets, one of the leading ticket brokers in the country. "This one legitimately has a shot to go completely clean. It seems like it's trending in that direction."
This ticket is so hot, that Boone (@kotickets on X/Twitter) who has already sold a few hundreds, tells SNAC.com that he's looking to add more inventory before the weekend. While there is fair criticism of 'Tanks' opposition, the manner in which he fights that has earned him a dedicated fan base.
Boone states, "To me, he's almost like a mini-Mike Tyson. He brings in so much excitement when he's fighting. People want to see knockouts. He's always having problems....till he's not. People love him."
PBC
There is no doubt that he is the best American born ticket seller currently in the sport. What makes his situation truly unique is that Davis' ticket selling prowess isn't just based on having strong support from his home region. While he's from Baltimore, he has sold well in locales such as Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New York. It's rare the modern day boxer who can move put butts in seats on both coasts.
"I mean, (Terence) Crawford did big numbers in Omaha (Nebraska), and he did big numbers in Vegas with the (Shawn) Porter fight. But it's not even in the same ballpark," said Boone, who also mentioned the success Jaron Ennis is now having in Philadelphia, and Shakur Stevenson in Newark, New Jersey.
PBC
But that success has given him leverage -- some would call it shelter -- from having to make certain match-ups, such as the one against the difficult Stevenson. The fact is that ticket sellers are often protected, regardless of their race or ethnicity. Which has upset the die-hard fans who want to see Davis tested. Meanwhile, his core base seems satisfied by the shows he puts on, regardless of who he faces.
In Roach (25-1-1, 10 KOs), you have a solid technician who has good skills and his currently the WBA junior lightweight belt-holder. He is rated fourth at 130 by Ring Magazine. This is a good professional prizefighter. But still a 130-pounder who is moving up in weight and a guy who has only 10 stoppages in 27 bouts. There's a reason why he was chosen. This could be a right handed version of Frank Martin.
PBC
Whatever happens will take place in front of a large throng. Which is why we may not actually get the match-ups with him that we yearn for.
JUNTO
On Monday in Japan, Junto Nakatani blasted out David Cuellar in three rounds at the Ariake Arena to defend his WBC bantamweight title. Once again, Nakatani showed impressive form. What was most interesting is that after this latest victory, that IBF titlist, Ryosuke Nishida came into the ring. It looks as though a potential unification bout could be consummated for the summer.
Naoki Fukuda/Top Rank ***)
While Nishida is a relative unknown, the fact of the matter is that Nakatani isn't in the 2025 plans of Naoya Inoue, and Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez, looks like he wants to clear out 115 for the time being. So with all that, Nakatani should see how many belts he can collect at bantamweight before he makes another move up in weight.
3KR
This week's episode of 'the 3 Knockdown Rule', Mario Lopez and I review the rematch between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev, and preview this weeks upcoming card:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS7Bna9dhvU&t=3s
And to subscribe on your preferred podcast platform, click on the Linktree:
https://linktr.ee/3knockdownrule
