Box office knockout: More than 70 per cent tickets sold for Rex Tso’s latest bout
Records set to tumble as more than 5,500 tickets are snapped up after just 24 hours as demand to watch the ‘Wonder Kid’ in action reaches unprecedented levels
Rex Tso Sing-yu has been a knockout in the ring. Now he’s proving to be a knockout at the box office with more than 70 per cent of 8,000 tickets for “Clash of Champions II” sold within 24 hours of them going on sale.
Wednesday’s count revealed more than 5,500 tickets were snapped up by the public.
Only the cheaper end of tickets [HK$380 and HK$580] are now available as “pent-up demand has been very strong” for his 12-round contest against Japan’s Hirofumi Mukai (13-4-3, 3 KOs), say organisers.
With more than five weeks to go before the event kicks off on March 11, organisers are hopeful Hong Kong’s “Wonder Kid” will fight in front of a full house with all 8,000 tickets sold by the end of the week for the extravaganza at Wan Chai’s Convention and Exhibition Centre. Tickets on the higher end of the scale (HK$880, HK$1,280, and HK$1,880) have already been sold out.
“People have been buying tickets in bunches. We are hopeful that all tickets will be sold by the end of the week,” he said, adding that spectators will enjoy elevated viewing of the ring this time.
Tickets started to go on sale on Tuesday and ticket updates are only available after 7am each day, which means by Wednesday night, ticket sales would have exceeded 5,500, which already makes it a record for a boxing event in Hong Kong.
Tso’s last fight, a unanimous victory against Japan’s previously unbeaten fighter, Ryuto Maekawa, in October 2016 was held in front of a then-record 5,000 crowd at the same venue but the unbeaten Hong Kong star’s latest bout has already topped that mark as he tries to earn his world title shot.
The 29-year-old (20-0-0, 12 KOs) is attracting more attention than ever with TV commercials and media exposure helping him become a household name with even former financial secretary John Tsang Chun-wah among his many fans.
The “Wonder Kid” will be out to stretch his unbeaten record to 21 victories in “Clash of Champions II” as he faces 31-year-old Mukai (13-4-3, 3 KOs), a former world title challenger. Three belts will be on the line.
Tso will be defending his WBC Asia super flyweight title and WBO international junior bantamweight title (115 pounds) while Mukai will out to retain his WBO Asia-Pacific junior bantamweight title.
