By: Hans Themistode
For the first time in what feels like forever for boxing fans, tickets to a live event will be made available tomorrow morning.
For months now, COVID-19 has prevented all venues in the United States from allowing fans to witness their favorite boxers up close and personal. Yet, that is all coming to an end. At least, for one night.
At roughly 10 a.m. C.T. tickets for the highly anticipated Gervonta Davis vs Leo Santa Cruz showdown which will take place on October 31st, at the Alamodome in Texas, will be made available to the public. Purchasing tickets to the event will be slightly different than what fans are accustomed to.
For starters, tickets will be purchasable through “pods,” of two and four per customer to maintain social distancing guidelines. Secondly, all fans will be screened upon entry and required to wear masks. Although an exact number was not provided in terms of available seating, the Alamodome carries a capacity of 64,000 pre COVID-19. A full house isn’t expected but several thousand seats will be made available.
“The Alamodome is excited to host the Davis vs. Santa Cruz SHOWTIME PPV event and to bring these athletes to San Antonio,” said Steve Zito, General Manager, Alamodome. “Not only is this a great platform for these athletes and their fans, but the event will also spotlight San Antonio through nationally televised matches and generate economic impact for our community during these challenging times.”
Originally, there was a belief that Davis and Santa Cruz could host their battle at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The venue has become somewhat of a de-facto home for Premier Boxing Champions as a number of their events have been held there, including a historic doubleheader Pay-Per-View card which was headlined by twin champions Jermell and Jermall Charlo.
Another possible site for Davis-Santa Cruz was an outdoor soccer stadium in Carson, California. Yet, when news broke of fans being given the green light to enter the Alamodome, the focus shifted to the Texas area.
While the thought of having thousands of fans in attendance captured most headlines, both Davis and Santa Cruz have kept their head down and continued to grind away during their respective training camps.
Due to COVID-19 ravishing through most of the boxing schedule, neither fighter has made a return to the ring this year. In back to back months late last year, the pair would go on to win their contests in impressive fashion.
For the hard hitting Baltimore native, both his power and stamina was put to the test as the long faded Yuriorkis Gamboa pushed Davis (23-0, 22 KOs) like never before. The two division world titlist would go on to bite down on his mouthpiece and push the pace during the second half however, and score a stoppage win in the final round.
Santa Cruz (37-1-1, 19 KOs) meanwhile, picked up the fourth world title of his career in a fairly routine win against Miguel Flores one month prior.