Wilder v Fury III projected to be an expensive outing for sports fans in December
Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury are projected to fight on December 19 at the Allegiant Arena in Las Vegas.
The long-awaited conclusion to the Deontay Wilder/Tyson Fury saga may come to a close by the end of this year. The bout, which was initially slated for July, has since been rescheduled due to the safety concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
The fight is now projected to take place at the Allegiant Arena in Las Vegas in December. The UFC has set a president amoungst sports as the first to open and do so safely. However, with Cornoavirus expected to peak again in the winter months, the date may once again be subject to China in the future.
Frank Warren, Tyson Fury’s promoter, said that nothing is set in stone, and no agreements have been signed.
“Tyson is doing extremely well. He has kept himself in great condition,” said Warren. “We just have to sort the day out, and when we can find out what is happening regarding live gates, we’ll be ready to press the button on that one.”
The financial cost of safely running a bout during COVID-19 must also be taken into account.
Though the UFC has taken significant precautions in the past, maintaining a safe and sterile work environment for fighters, audience, and crew members is not an easy or cheap feat.
According to ESPN, the fight’s tickets will be selling at a premium to account for the limited seating in order to maintain social distancing. The 65,000 may only be able to seat at half capacity.
“You would imagine supply and demand for a ticket to a live sporting event,” Max Kellerman said to ESPN. that supply is very low. The demand must be quite high...”
With millions of Americans still unemployed or otherwise under-employed, many fans may not be able to pay premium prices. For those who can afford the tickets The idea of paying the equivalent of luxury box seats for general open-air seats isn’t appealing.
Lastly, the issue of wearing face masks remains. Face masks have become a political issue, with many refusing to wear them, with reasons ranging from discomfort to the requirement infringing on their personal rights. Several videos have also recently emerged, depicting customers assaulting and verbally betraying staff when they are asked to wear a face mask.
Any portion of the audience not wearing face mask would pose a significant threat to both staff and fellow audience members, regardless of social distancing measures.
With an active audience, the risk is even greater, as the virus can also carry through aerosol particles, which are expelled when we talk. The louder a person is talking, the more particles are expelled. Given the lively nature of bouts like this, there is unfounlty going to be yelling in the stands, and lots of aerosol particles being expelled as a result.
Regardless of whether or not the UFC decides to mandate masks for audience memebers, it can be expected that there will be some pushback.
With the uncertain nature of the fight, ranging from the protective measures to the date itself, there is a great deal of trust being placed in the UFC to host an exciting and safe event to remind people why they take the risk of hosting bouts in the first place.
