Mayweather vs Maidana nearly sold out at MGM Grand

Tickets for the May 3 Showtime pay-per-view card "The Moment," headlined by Floyd Mayweather and Marcos Maidana at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, are nearly sold out, according to Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, who said in a media conference call that the event is just shy of a $15 million live gate.

"As of yesterday, the gate number was just $100,000 shy, shy of $15 million; $14.9 million worth of tickets have been sold," Schaefer said. "A total sell-out will be $15.4 million; I think we have 283 tickets at $1500 left. There are none left, or it's actually two left, at $1000, and there are 188 left at $750. The $550 ones are gone and the $350 ones are gone, so I anticipate any day that we are going to announce a complete sell-out."

Closed circuit tickets went on sale today. Schaefer gives credit to the fighters on the entire card for making this a special event.

"Khan and Collazo could headline by itself any main event, any Showtime Championship Boxing, and, frankly, without any question would fill up Barclays Center on its own," Schaefer said.

"The same can be said about Adrien Broner and his return. A lot of question marks there, how is he going to be? What affect will that fight have over what Maidana can bring to the table? Any? None? What kind of affects will it have when he returns to the ring on May 3? Clearly a main event on its own, and J'Leon Love and Marco Periban is a 50/50 fight, so just a great card."

He added that the card is the most expensive they've ever put together, and that the fighters putting their egos aside made it happen.

"It's the most expensive pay-per-view card we have ever put together, and I believe the most expensive card ever put together in the sport of boxing," Schaefer said. "I want to thank Floyd, I want to thank Stephen Espinoza and Showtime for making this happen, and, most importantly, I want to thank all the fighters to be on that card, because sometimes fighters-their ego gets into the way, and they're going to say, 'Well, you know, I know I'm a main event, and I know I can headline, and I know I can fill up the venue.'

"So, it takes special fighters who understand what benefit this brings to them to be on an event like this, and that's exactly what Mayweather cards have become; they have become the events, they have to become must see TV. This is our sport's version of the Super Bowl, and I think to be part of that, part of that event shows you that Amir Khan and Luis Collazo and Broner and Maidana and all those guys, they understand that, and they're happy to be part of this big event on May 3rd."