Boxing fans were able to get hold of tickets to watch Floyd Mayweather‘s UK debut against Aaron Chalmers for less than £5, according to reports. The exhibition bout was poorly attended, with hundreds of empty seats visible at the O2 Arena on Saturday night.
Reality TV star Chalmers was Mayweather’s sixth exhibition opponent since the American’s last professional boxing match in 2017. Saturday night marked the first time Mayweather had ever fought in the UK, with the former five-division world champion previously one of the hottest names in the sport.
The 46-year-old hung up his gloves with a perfect record of 50-0, including an illustrious list of high-profile wins over generational opponents such as Manny Pacquiao, Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya and Canelo Alvarez.
Unsurprisingly, Mayweather outclassed Chalmers over eight two-minute rounds in London, although the match was not scored and did not end with an official verdict.
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The sea of empty seats inside the O2 indicated that the event hadn’t captured the hearts and minds of boxing fans, or indeed the general public. According to Sky Sports, one ticket-selling agency was offering subscribers the opportunity to attend for just the price of the £4.95 booking fee.
Others were also offered heavily discounted tickets just hours before the fight got underway. On his first fight in the UK, Mayweather said: “I would like to thank all the fans in the UK. The fans are unbelievable.
“This guy [Chalmers] is tough as nails, we had a chance to come together. I came to entertain the people and I’m glad I came. I have a lot of experience. He has to continue to work hard and believe in himself. He’s got a tough chin – anything is possible.”
In the post-fight press conference, Mayweather revealed that he thought his left hand may be broken, adding that it was ‘hurt bad’. Chalmers, meanwhile, admitted that the opportunity to fight the American was ‘one to tell the grandkids about’.
Mayweather has fought a series of exhibition bouts since his last official boxing match against Conor McGregor in 2017. He supposedly banked in excess of £6.5million for stopping Japanese kickboxer Tenshun Nasukawa in the first round five years ago.
Fights against YouTube stars Logan Paul and Deji Olatunji also captured public attention in recent years. It has been claimed that Mayweather likely pocketed more than £17m for his fight against Chalmers.