Punching up sales

      Prize fighters face a grueling schedule when they come to Las Vegas for a boxing event -- tough daily fitness workouts, sparring matches, press conferences, shopping.
      Shopping?
      Boxing champions go a few rounds with the cash registers at Las Vegas' upscale retail stores when they're in town. The cash registers usually win by a knockout, sometimes taking in hundreds of thousands of dollars from a boxer on a shopping expedition.
      "It's probably common knowledge that Mike Tyson is one of our customers. He comes in every once in a while to shop," said Maureen Taylor Crampton, marketing director at the tony Forum Shops at Caesars on the Strip.
      Tyson takes on World Boxing Association heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield -- also a big Forum Shops customer -- in a rematch this evening at MGM Grand.
      The Forum Shops' roster of customers from the world of boxing also includes Buster Douglas, Riddick Bowe, Julio Chavez, Oscar De La Hoya, Tommy Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, Marvin Hagler and Archie Moore, Crampton said.
      Forum shopkeepers close and lock the doors when boxers and celebrities want some privacy and security while perusing the merchandise, be it designer gems or gowns, Crampton added.
      "We consider these gentlemen to be serious shoppers," she said of the special treatment.
      Boxing matches also attract celebrities from entertainment and sports, who visit the shops while they're in town.
      Some include Denzel Washington, Kevin Costner, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, John Travolta, George Clooney, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jack Nicholson and Dennis Rodman.
      "They tend to attract stargazers who hope to get a sneak peek or an autograph, and most of the celebrities are very accommodating. It's a lot of fun for everyone," Crampton said.
      Next door to Forum Shops, Caesars Palace executives are prepared for the expected deluge of shoppers, including boxers and celebrities.
      "Caesars Palace routinely prepares for increased retail activity during weekend events. The shops put on more staff and make sure merchandise is well stocked," said Caesars spokeswoman Debbie Munch.
      MGM Grand, where the Tyson-Holyfield rematch gets under way at approximately 8:30 p.m., has more cautious expectations about retail sales during the event.
      "Retail usually depends on how the fight goes," said Bob Bowman, MGM president of merchandising. "If the fight goes a few rounds, and people feel they're getting their money's worth, it increases their propensity to spend some money after the fight. But if they don't feel good about the fight, it has an (negative) effect on their spending."