Fury vs AJ: It Seems People are Interested After All

We've been hearing the same thing for months from cynical British boxing fans. "Who cares about Fury vs AJ?" "It's happening ten years too late." "If the pair were fighting in my garden, I'd draw the curtains".  And so on.

I wonder how those cynics received today's news that tickets for the match at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on December 11th have gone through the roof.

Fans have reported going online to book their seats within an hour of the opening of sales, only to be greeted with a message that the fight was sold out.

The man who made this fight happen, Turki Al-Sheikh said as many as 700,000 people were queuing for tickets. The stadium's capacity is just 74,000.

Ticket resellers are making a killing. Fancy an inner ringside seat? Getting that close will cost you more than $10,000.

The same goes for hotel rooms in Cardiff. They are all booked. The fact is, that if you didn't get in early, it's too late now.

The fight has a magic appeal. Both former world champions are extremely charismatic and have captivated legions of fans who either love them or hate them. Both emotions drive ticket sales and PPVs.

The bitter dispute over who is putting on this show, between AJ's promoter, Eddie Hearn and the American UFC boss, Dana White, has added massively to the build-up. 

The waves of excitement have reached the US, with many high-profile combat YouTubers, including Ariel Helwani, talking of little else. 

It now looks increasingly likely that Dana WILL be playing a role in the promotion, and will be imposing his presence at the final press conference, the weigh-in and the fight itself. A face-off between him and Eddie will blow up the internet and massively boost Netflix's audience for the fight.

Eddie has maintained that Dana White is contractually barred from involvement in the promotion, but that hasn't stopped the American from going on camera to drum up sales.

Eddie is shrewd enough to understand that in terms of building hype, Dana's presence can only be a good thing. He is now saying that he may be inclined to "permit" Dana to get involved, if it can be demonstrated that it will be good for AJ.

Well, the inevitable extra hype will increase profits, which will of course be great for AJ, and all the other parties concerned. 

Hearn has also said that he'll welcome Dana to Cardiff if he gets a slice of his rival's boxing action in the US. Dana can handle the main events while Eddie gets his fighters out on the undercards. 

It's a tough balancing act for Eddie, because the benefits of working with Dana come with real danger. White has made no secret of the fact that he wants to destroy Hearn's business. A promotional role in Fury vs AJ could present Dana with the perfect opportunity to undermine the British promoter.