Floyd Mayweather’s highly anticipated UK debut has sparked no interest as the O2 Arena has been left virtually EMPTY for the boxing legend’s exhibition against Aaron Chalmers…after fans were offered last minute tickets to the event for just FIVE Pounds
- American fighter first stepped into the ring in the United Kingdom
- Despite that, the event did not seem to attract much fan interest
- Footage from the event showed an almost empty O2 Arena on Saturday evening
Footage from Floyd Mayweather‘s exhibition match with Aaron Chalmers has shown an almost empty O2 Arena.
Mayweather, 46, made his much-anticipated debut in a British ring on Saturday, but despite this, the fight failed to generate much interest or attention and that was reflected in the turnout on the night.
Fight against former George Shore and British reality TV star Chalmers, the 50-0 former champion of the world, seemed to take the occasion very casually as he played much of the eight-round fight with his opponent.
Since his retirement in 2017, the undefeated American has been involved in a series of highly lucrative practice fights, which have largely taken place in the Middle East.
The ‘Royal Pain’ event was painfully delayed after a poor turnout at the start of proceedings coupled with reports of thousands of unsold tickets at the O2 Arena.
Footage from the event at the O2 Arena showed empty seats during the fight
Empty seats could be seen all over the arena and the promoters failed to generate the necessary interest
It almost seemed like a farce at times that the fight was taking place in front of so few people
The farcical feel of the event was only enhanced by the fact that the broadcasters didn’t seem to know that the fight was eight rounds, not six.
Mayweather first came to the UK to fight and after the fight said he had come to ‘entertain the people’. Although based on footage and photos from the O2, it seems few were willing to be ‘entertained’ in the first place.
In addition to the many empty seats, Sportsmail can reveal that a website called ShowFilmFirst, a well-known seat-filling site, was still trying to steal tickets for just £4.95 just hours after the fight.
Their attempts to try and fill the arena came as the promoters tried to save face amid a marked lack of appetite among the British boxing public for the fight.
It came amid claims that the sport was at a crossroads with the number of exhibition fights taking place and the money being offered for them. Jake Paul, known for his YouTube exploits, will fight Tommy Fury, a professional boxer, on Sunday night in Saudi Arabia.
Zeus TV, the broadcaster, appeared to watch only the fighters during the ring walk and refused to cross over to the crowd. It is not clear whether this was for fear of showing the relatively empty arena.
Both fighters failed to acknowledge the empty seats after the fight, with Mayweather herself, in fact, calling British fans “incredible.”
“I want to thank all the fans in the UK. The fans are incredible,” he said. “This guy is very strong, we had the chance to come together. I came to entertain people and I’m glad I came.
Floyd Mayweather played the eight rounds with his opponent and seemed to take the occasion rather casually
Aaron Chalmers said after the fight it would be an event to ‘tell the grandkids’
‘I have a lot of experience. He has to keep working hard and believe in himself. He has a hard chin – anything is possible.’
Chalmers, meanwhile, said his experience would be one to tell the “grandchildren.”
“He caught us on the chin in the second round and it woke me up a lot, but he’s just incredible. That’s one to tell the grandchildren,’ he said.
“We have as many sparring partners as possible, but you can’t get anyone to do what Floyd does. The win for me was to get to the eighth round and that’s what I did. Thanks for Floyd and his team, I’m now in the mix for KSI and Jake Paul.”