REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

SPORTS
12B

FIGHT OF THE CENTURY?

KYLE
BRENNAN

JOE
PALLADINO

The travel
bill of the
century

oxings been
around for a long
time, but the
world has only
seen three fights worthy of
being called Fight of the Century Ali-Frazier in 1971,
Louis-Schmeling in 1938 and
Johnson-Jefferies in 1910.
Saturday, for the first time
in nearly half a century, we
get a new Fight of the Century. And I was going to try my
darnedest to make sure that I
got to see it in person.
So when the promoters announced in February that
Floyd Mayweather Jr. and
Manny Pacquiao were finally
going to fight after more than
five years of kerfuffle, I decided Id have to plan out just
what it would take to head out
to Las Vegas for my generations Fight of the Century.

Fight of the Century.

This century?
There are 85 years left to this

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. answers questions from the media during a press conference Wednesday in Las Vegas.

TICKET
They could have filled
Cowboys Stadium for this
fight, but instead it will be
held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, which holds
16,800.
It took months for tickets
to go on sale to the public,
and when they finally did,
there were only 500 available
that sold in a flash.
I dont know anybody in
the two promotions. I dont
know anybody at HBO and
Showtime. I dont know anybody at the big casinos. That
leaves me scouring StubHub.
As of Bloombergs latest
update, the average ticket is
reselling for $6,300. I could
spring for the cheapest ticket
at $3,400, but I want a good
seat if this is the last Fight of
the Century.
Expense: $6,300.

for many more super-hyped

fights.
A boxing fan who has been
around for even a half-century has witnessed a dozen
fights similarly labeled. Either we live in a dull century
or scurrilous promoters will
say anything to get your 100
bucks. Most of us pay little
attention to todays lackluster fight game, which is probably why we are easily
fleeced once a decade.
Boxing perfected this electronic thievery we call payper-view. It has been part of
the fight game for more than
60 years. The first closed-circuit presentation was in
1951, when Joe Louis
knocked out Lee Savold at

FLIGHT
Im a small-town American
and therefore have never
even been inside an airport,
much less on an airplane. I
actually considered what it
would take to drive to Vegas
heck, I tallyho-ed to
Nashville last summer until I realized it was 2,600
miles away.
See TAB, Page 9B

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Boxer Manny Pacquiao speaks during a press conference

Wednesday about his welterweight title fight against Floyd
Mayweather Jr. in Las Vegas on Saturday.

FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2015

FAIRWAY FOLLOW THROUGH

L M

REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

9B

BOXING

Getting wild over Mayweather-Pacquiao

BY KYLE BRENNAN
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

WATERBURY Saturday nights superfight between Floyd Mayweather Jr.

and Manny Pacquiao is more
than five years in the making.
Buffalo Wild Wings in Waterbury hasnt even been
around that long.
The sports bar at Brass
Mill Commons might be relatively green, but its no rookie at planning for big events
though this weekends
slate required more than
ever.
We probably started in
the first week of March making plans for this, general
manager Steve DiBo said.
Maybe three weeks out, we
drew up floor plans of every
employee thats working,
how were going to handle
the door, how were going to

handle cover charges, how

were going to handle seating. We have scripts on the
phone for somebody who
calls, basically detailing
whats going to happen.
Were hiring out Waterbury police, he continued.
Weve had the fire marshal
in here this week to go over
occupancy, making sure the
exit stuff works in case of a
fire.
The establishment has also
developed its plan for how it
will handle the $15 cover
charge, which will help offset
the cost to show the event.
DiBo said its only the second time the restaurant has
charged a cover, the other
being a previous Mayweather fight.
Were collecting at the
door from 9 oclock on, DiBo
said. At 9:30, were going
around the restaurant and

giving anybody who isnt

sticking around about a 30minute window to actually
eat their dinner. If you want
to stay after 9:30, were going
to go around and issue
bracelets and collect cover
charges.
Its an awful lot of planning
for an event that probably
wont stack up well with other pay-per-view events the
restaurant shows.
Waterburys Buffalo Wild
Wings buys a package to
show all 12 major UFC
events each year. DiBo said
that Saturdays boxing card,
at between $5,000 and
$6,000, will be about triple
what a single UFC event
costs the establishment.
I guarantee that well do
as much or more from the
Ronda Rousey fight (UFC
184 in February) than we will
Saturday, with half the staff,

DiBo said. It was surprising

because Ronda Rousey wasnt the top billing, but the top
billing got canceled and she
got shifted in. (UFC) didnt
know if she was strong
enough to carry the lead on a
(card), but now shes top
billing for her next fight (at
UFC 190 in August).
While Rousey has proven
herself to be a profitable
draw, theres no doubt that
Mayweather-Pacquiao will
be the most emotional draw
the restaurant has seen.
Itll be electric, DiBo
said. I think there are a lot
of people who do root for
Pacquiao, but I think its 2-to1 for Mayweather. Hopefully
its not one of those things
where you wait all this time
for a 12-second fight. Id just
like to see them throw bombs
like the other Pacquiao
fights.

TAB: All you need is 8 grand inVegas

Continued from 12B
Anyway, a prudent man
would book his plane ticket
in advance to avoid the absurd last-minute booking
costs the planes still going whether Im on board
or not, so why gouge me?
at about $400 for a roundtrip ticket. Plus a bottle of
Pepto-Bismol.
Expense: $406.
PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPHER MASSA REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

Under blue skies, Pomperaugs Matt Van Doren chips onto

the green during a golf match against New Milford at Heritage Village Country Club in Southbury on Thursday. The
Panthers won, 162-186, to improve to 8-0. Results on 8B.

Pomperaugs Mike VanDerLaan shows off his form, keeping

his head down on a shot to the green.

New Milfords Kyle Poeti follows through with a chip shot.

by the British (meat, eggs,

bread hearty!) and
breakfast eaten by those
from continental Europe
(pastry, cereal, fruit
cute!).
Thats right: Now I know
what a petit dejeuner really is, and its not the hilarious category from Saturday Night Lives Celebrity
Jeopardy.
Expense: $840.

HOTEL
Hotels seem pretty nice
and bright in Vegas.
Theyve actually come
down to an average of $420
over the last few weeks,
according to Bloomberg,
because people have canceled their original reservations after seeing how
absurdly hard to watch this
fight will be.
By the way, whats up
with a continental breakfast? It seems like a stupid
name.
I did a little research and
found out that it comes
from the old differences
between breakfast eaten

GAMBLING
When in Rome, right?
Not only is Saturday the
big fight Id put down
$100 on Pacquiao because
the odds are nicer and I
think hell come out swinging early but its also
Kentucky Derby day.
Tencendur, which will
start from the No. 4 post at
30-1 odds, is owned by the
father of one of my best
college friends. Lets go!
Id stick $100 on that,
plus another $50 somewhere in some casino.
Expense: $250.

MISCELLANEOUS
I have to throw in about
$250 for incidentals, including food, drinks and taxi
rides. (Ive also never been
in a taxi. I hate going anywhere that precludes me
from driving.)
Im also resigned to the
fact that Id definitely lose
my phone. Im not one of
those people Ive had my
current HTC One for almost
two years but Im pretty
sure that Vegas has the highest percentage of lost phones
by tourists of any city in the
world. Ill pony up $450 for a
new one.
Some things on this trip, of
course, would be priceless.
Like watching two guys try
to steal a giant flamingo
from the front lawn of the
Flamingo casino before being arrested with the cameras from COPS rolling.
(Seriously, that happened
in an episode I watched a
few weeks ago while I was
playing my self-invented
COPS Bingo, and I want to
pretend it happens all the
time.)

Expense: $700.
SUMMARY
Add up my well-organized
and explained ledger, and
we come up with the price
tag of $8,496 to enjoy the
Fight of the Century.
Surely I can afford it. A
Nigerian prince named Mr.
Kumalo still owes me 20
percent of the diamond fortune left by his assassinated
father. He emailed me a few
weeks ago and should be
wiring over some U.S. dollars any day now.
Aw, who am I kidding? I
cant make it happen. Ill
have to enjoy the Fight of the
Century from here in the
Valley.
Someone let me know
where the partys gonna be.
Ill throw in $10 toward the
pay-per-view, $12 for a 12pack of Narragansett and $3
to tip the host a savings of
$8,471!
Reach Kyle Brennan at
kbrennan@rep-am.com or
on Twitter @kylebrennan1.

BARS: Expect packed crowds everywhere

Continued from 12B
and make arrangements
well in advance.
Edwards said he paid
$6,000 for the fight. Lanza
said the cost was about the
same for him. Steve DiBo,
general manager of Buffalo
Wild Wings, said the cost
will be in that same neighborhood for him depending
on how many franchises
(there are 1,090 of them, but
DiBo estimated maybe 10
percent of them will have
Mayweather-Pacquiao)
show the fight. The Buffalo
Wild Wings in Southington
is also showing it.
Smaller establishments
simply cant get in on the action this time.
I dont think they can afford to show it, DiBo said.
I think a lot of people are

priced out of this one. I was

surprised at the pricing. I
was expecting it to be about
$3,000 or $3,500. I thought
that would be pushing it,
and its much more than
that.
Still, he didnt hesitate to
purchase the fight.
Its our brand. Our brand
is wings, beer, sports, DiBo
said. How can you have the
fight of the decade, not show
it and think youre a sports
bar? We have to show it because of what our brand is.
Edwards is charging $20
for advance tickets, Lanza
$25 and DiBo $15. None of
them expects to do more
than hopefully break even
with the cover charge,
though its likely all three
will do a brisker business
than normal Saturday.
Its not your average

sports day. Included in the

day are the Kentucky Derby, NFL draft, NBA and
NHL playoffs and YankeesRed Sox from Fenway Park.
Adding the fight to his menu
makes things a bit more interesting for Lanza.
Sports Rock, the smallest
of the three spaces, has consistently had comedians and
concerts and every other
month plays host to male revues. The fight is far less labor intensive no need to
move pool tables and chairs
and make room for lighting
and a disc jockey so halfnaked guys can dance but
it is something different.
This is my first fight, but
its the fight to have, said
Lanza, who also manages
Lakewood Lanes, which is
playing host to a bowling
tournament Saturday. This

is boxings last hurrah. If

you have it in your budget,
its not really a tough decision.
Edwards expects to hit his
capacity of 375 people and
also expects to have a line
outside the building Saturday night. DiBo figures on
capacity of 350, too, and expects to have some folks trying to peer in the windows.
It was a different story for
Lanza on Wednesday.
Ill be happy with 80 people at this point, he
laughed. The phone is ringing off the hook, but Im not
getting any pre-sales. My
dad (a co-owner) is giving
away free tickets and (ticking) me off. Were just trying to make the room look
good.
I think by that night the
joint will be packed.

FIGHT: For the price, this better be a classic

Continued from 12B
Alis comeback fight was
in October 1970. He bludgeoned Jerry Quarry. Just 42
days later, on Dec. 7, 1970,
Ali met Oscar Bonavena in
Madison Square Garden,
but also in a sold-out Palace
Theater in front of 2,500
fans.
It was an enormous success for Waterbury promoter Tony Paoli. Once the
only man in New England
promoting live professional
fights, Paoli recognized
that closed-circuit feeds
could save boxing in Connecticut.
I am glad to be doing
something, Paoli told the
Waterbury Republican on
the eve of Ali-Bonavena.
We are the only ones in
the area to have this. I really think were going to sell
out.
He was right.
Paoli went toe-to-toe with

legendary boxing promotor

Bob Arum for closed-circuit rights in New England.
We used to get in the
car, me, (promotor) Benny
Singleton and my father,
and drive all over trying to
find theaters willing to
close down (to show a
fight), recalled Paolis son,
Jack Paolino (the original
family name), at the time of
his fathers death in 2011.
By showing the AliBonavena fight, Paoli
earned the right to carry
closed-circuit boxings
grandest event, the Ali-Joe
Frazier fight of March 8,
1971. It was set for Waterburys now lost State Theater.
But the fights backers, a
group led by Jack Kent
Cooke, also claimed exclusive theater rights and they
successfully wrested the
event away from Paoli. AliFrazier I was screened in a
packed Palace Theater. Top

ticket was $15.

That night, across the
street at the State, the featured movie was When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth,
with a second big show,
Prehistoric Women. At
the Palace, it was Goodbye, Dolly!
For one night only, Barbra Streisand was kicked to
the curb.
The Palace was Waterburys boxing home until
the advent of cable TV and
set-top descramblers.
There was nothing better
than a sold-out Palace on
fight night. The floors were
sticky, the seats were broken and you didnt care.
For the Thrilla in Manila,
you could hear the crowds
chant even on East Main
Street. It grew in fury when
you hit the lobby. In the
theater, it was deafening. It
never stopped: Ali, Ali,
Ali, Ali.
The Palace was as elec-

tric as Quezon City.

Thats just a guess.
It is all too convenient
now to press a button on
your TV remote and order
up a boxing match. The
charge is tacked onto your
monthly bill.
Painless, efficient, dull.
If you were there, then
cherish those nights at the
Palace, when the raucous
crowd drowned out Don
Dunphy, when you kicked
over countless bottles of
booze to get to your seat (if
you found a seat) and when
grainy, ghostlike, washedout figures on the screen
punched their way into history.
Now you pay 100 bucks
and watch from the sofa in
your jammies.
It had better be the fight
of the century.
Send comments to jpalladino@rep-am.com, and
follow on Twitter
@RAOffTheRecord.