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Rediff.com  » Sports » PHOTOS: Hollywood descends upon Vegas for royal megabout

PHOTOS: Hollywood descends upon Vegas for royal megabout

May 03, 2015 18:21 IST
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Singers Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z attend the welterweight unification championship bout at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday

Singers Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z attend the welterweight unification championship bout at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday. Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images

Floyd Mayweather Jr. preserved his unbeaten record as a professional with a unanimous decision victory over Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines in their welterweight mega bout at theMGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday.

And, with security beefed up at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the rich and famous settled into their expensive seats shortly before the welterweight showdown began.

Mike Tyson shakes hands ringside At 'Mayweather VS Pacquiao' presented by SHOWTIME PPV And HBO PPV at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday

Mike Tyson shakes hands ringside At 'Mayweather VS Pacquiao' presented by SHOWTIME PPV And HBO PPV at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday. Photograph: Ethan Miller/Getty Images for SHOWTIME

Tickets for a hotly anticipated megabout dubbed the "Fight of the Century" have been coveted by A-listers and high-rollers, with no guarantee that prime front row spots would be granted for every request from the biggest names in show business.

Around 900 ringside seats were available for the celebrities, business tycoons and entertainment moguls who have converged on Las Vegas, and actors Clint Eastwood and Ben Affleck were among those who secured the prized positions.

Andre Agassi and wife Steffi Graf 

Andre Agassi and wife Steffi Graf. Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images

Tennis greats Andre Agassi and his wife, Steffi Graf, were also in the front rows, squeezed in alongside boxing great Sugar Ray Leonard, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Hollywood stars Christian Bale and Michael Keating.

Actor Clint Eastwood poses ringside At 'Mayweather VS Pacquiao' presented by SHOWTIME PPV And HBO PPV

Actor Clint Eastwood poses ringside At 'Mayweather VS Pacquiao' presented by SHOWTIME PPV And HBO PPV at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Photograph: Ethan Miller/Getty Images for SHOWTIME

Other high-profile fans watching ringside, where seats have demanded up to $350,000 on the resale site StubHub, included former heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield and retired NBA stars Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller.

Robert De Niro watches

Robert De Niro watches the bout. Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images

Also making their way into the Arena via the red carpet were American actors Bradley Cooper, Mark Wahlberg, Denzel Washington and Claire Danes, Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook and English musician Sting.

Actor/director Ben Affleck poses ringside

Actor-director Ben Affleck poses ringside. Photograph: Ethan Miller/Getty Images for SHOWTIME

The atmosphere in the heavily secured 16,800-seat Garden Arena was electric as the two fighters prepared to make their way to the ring for a bout that is expected to be the biggest grossing of all time with a 'Who's Who' of society looking on.

Michael Jordan and wife Yvette Prieto at the bout

Michael Jordan and wife Yvette Prieto at the bout. Photograph: Harry How/Getty Images

However, not every A-lister ended up close to the action with some of them bumped into the upper seating levels.

Model Cassie Ventura (left) and Sean 'Diddy' Combs pose ringside

Model Cassie Ventura (left) and Sean 'Diddy' Combs pose ringside. Photograph: Ethan Miller/Getty Images for SHOWTIME

"They can't all sit in the front row," said Dena duBoef of Top Rank promotions, who represent Pacquiao. "Tickets and seating have probably been the biggest nightmare for this fight."

Jamie Foxx sings the national anthem of the United States of America before the welterweight unification championship bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao

Jamie Foxx sings the national anthem of the United States of America before the welterweight unification championship bout between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images

Fewer than 1,000 tickets for the Mayweather-Pacquiao bout were offered to the public, and those were snapped up in seconds.

The remainder was divided among the two fighters' promotion companies and MGM Resorts, which made seats available to their best customers -- gamblers who carry a minimum $250,000 credit line in the casino.

Actor Mark Wahlberg attends the welterweight unification championship bout

Actor Mark Wahlberg attends the welterweight unification championship bout. Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images

"It's very disappointing that so few tickets were available to the fans," Pacquiao fan Raymond Avenido from Hermosa Beach, California told Reuters.

Actor Jake Gyllenhaal (left) and director Antoine Fuqua pose ringside

Actor Jake Gyllenhaal (left) and director Antoine Fuqua pose ringside. Photograph: Ethan Miller/Getty Images for SHOWTIME

"It would have been nice to have had a bigger venue, and make the tickets affordable for those of us who are not high-paying customers.

"As a boxing fan, I would have paid between $500 and $800. That should be the ceiling for someone who has been following Manny Pacquiao since he was still boxing in the Philippines."

Actor Denzel Washington (left) with director Antoine Fuqua pose ringside

Actor Denzel Washington (left) with director Antoine Fuqua pose ringside. Photograph: Ethan Miller/Getty Images for SHOWTIME
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Source: REUTERS
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