Ticket sales for the Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia fight on April 20th show a bleak picture, revealing that fan interest in this match-up is nowhere to be found. The reality is this fight was a terrible idea to begin with, and now the promoters are scrambling.
Haney Goes Begging: The Dignity Deficit
WBC light welterweight champion Haney looked in crisis mode recently, taking to social media to beg fans to purchase tickets for his fight against Ryan on DAZN PPV at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
It’s not Ryan and Haney’s fault their tickets ain’t selling. The promoters overpriced the event. That said, WBC light welterweight champion Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) hasn’t helped promote the event by letting fans know he hand-picked the social media giant Ryan Garcia, saying, “I’m levels above this good competition.” We already know Haney cherry-picked Ryan. He doesn’t have to remind us about the obvious.
Fans already know this fight is a total mismatch, so it doesn’t help that Haney reminds them 24/7 that Ryan stands zero chance of winning and will be whitewashed on April 20th. That’s an unthinking move on Haney’s part, who doesn’t see the big picture. He just doesn’t get it.
Price Drops = Panic Mode
Recently, in a desperation move, DAZN dropped the PPV price from $80 to $69.99 for the Haney vs. Garcia event. But that might not be enough to save this sinking ship of the event. With 12 days to go, DAZN might need to slash the prices in half for the event to save this vessel from going under completely.
The $35 Solution (and a Dose of Reality)
Dropping prices gives a glimmer of hope. The price-cutting move might have come too late to save this promotion. The promoters should immediately slash the PPV price for the event in half to $35 on DAZN and drop the ticket prices to $100 per seat while they’re at it.
Sure, it would be a humiliating move to drop the prices that much, but it’s far better than a barren ghost town with empty seats as far as the eye can see at the Barclays Center and another PPV dud for Haney.
If the promoters drop the prices, the Barclays Center may sell out, and the event will bring in respectable numbers on DAZN PPV.