Bars banking on big fight

David Tua's fight against Shane Cameron has out-sold the Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson match on Sky TV pay-per-view. Photo / Dean Purcell

Bar owners are trying novel ways to get punters in to watch tonight's Fight of the Century between David Tua and Shane Cameron.

Auckland Hospitality Association branch president Warren Stewart said some bars were charging entry to help recover the $1500 it costs to screen Sky TV's broadcast of the event, others were having "weigh-ins", sweepstakes or selling food.

He said at least 40 bars and clubs throughout Auckland would be showing TV cover of the fight at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton, tonight.

"Some bars are charging up to $15 and offering cocktail food and also putting people into sweepstakes," said Mr Stewart, who owns the Horse and Trap in Mt Eden.

"There's a bar in Sylvia Park charging $5 and you go into the draw for a pair of boxing gloves."

Also hoping for a packed house was Hamilton bar owner Logan Hughes, who has only recently opened his establishment, Agenda.

His bar was having a weigh-in sweepstake for customers. The lucky punter would win their weight in beer on a bar tab if their number came up in the sixth round, he said.

"Obviously it's a lot of money to get the fight, but we are looking forward to it and I'm sure most of the people coming here are as well."

Tonight's fight has out-sold the 2002 Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson fight as New Zealand's biggest pay-per-view event.

Sky TV spokesman Tony O'Brien would not reveal the number who have paid $39.95 to see the fight at home, or the number of new subscribers who have bought decoders.

But he said the number of subscribers paying to watch the fight had, by Thursday, exceeded the 18,000 pay-per-view customers who bought the Lewis and Tyson fight seven years ago.

"It's been an excellent response both from residential customers and commercial customers," said Mr O'Brien.

"In fact, there have been more pre-buys than the entire pay-per-view for the biggest fight we ever had going back some time."

The Lewis-Tyson fight netted the pay-TV operator about $720,000, but profits would have been much higher as the figures did not include earnings from screenings in bars and clubs.

Mr O'Brien would not reveal how many bars had bought the rights to the fight, but said: "It's going rather well with bar and pub owners.

"They do see the value of getting a packed house because that's what they would get on a Saturday evening with something like this."

The $4995 plus GST price tag on a corporate table has also not deterred punters wanting a close-up view of the fight.

Promoter Duco Events says it has sold 150 corporate tables, making it one of the biggest black-tie corporate events in recent times.

Tickets to the event were still avilable from Ticketek at all price levels from blue $99 tickets to $399 gold stand tickets.