Megafight packed with celebrities
The celebrity starpower in the MGM Grand Garden on Saturday represented a return to boxing’s heyday.
An MGM Resorts rep said more than 100 celebrities were on property for the superfight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.
Mayweather won Saturday’s fight in a unanimous decision.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady pulled off a rare double-event day. He flew in from Louisville, Ky., on a private jet with a group of New England Patriots teammates after attending the Kentucky Derby. His sidekicks included party hound Rob Gronkowski.
World No. 1 golfer Rory McIlroy competed in the WGC-Match Play Championships on Saturday then planned to fly from San Francisco to Las Vegas. He reportedly paid for his third-row seat in the ringside area.
Mayweather pal Justin Bieber flew back from Italy on Friday to support the unbeaten champion. He was filming a cameo in “Zoolander 2.”
Oscar winner Jack Nicholson, a ringside fixture at Las Vegas prize fights over the years, was expected, a rep said.
Other early confirmed sightings: Denzel Washington, Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Clint Eastwood, Jimmy Kimmel, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg, Jake Gyllenhaal, Don Cheadle and Reggie Miller.
BIG FIGHT MEMORIES
There was an infamous wardrobe malfunction during the epic Marvin Hagler-Tommy Hearns fight on April 15, 1985.
For the play-by-play on that, I went to veteran boxing writer Tim Dahlberg, longtime Las Vegas-based sports columnist for The Associated Press.
“The fight was outdoors at Caesars. A ring girl was climbing through the ropes before the start of round two when a boob slipped out of her toga.” Cheers erupted. “That was the one of the great moments in boxing,” Dahlberg said. “Round Two, we called her.”
Then there was the 1982 showdown between Larry Holmes and Gerry Cooney, billed as “The Great White Hope.” It didn’t live up to the hype in front of a Nevada boxing record 29,000-plus at Caesars’ outdoor venue, but a Review-Journal photographer scored a dubious trophy.
Holmes took so many low blows from Cooney that when the fight ended, his cornermen discreetly removed his jock strap and tossed it out of the ring.
R-J photographer Scott Henry picked it up and stashed it among his photo equipment to show to his colleagues.
It was prominently displayed in the R-J photo department for years until someone delicately dropped it in a garbage can.
Photographer Jeff Scheid retrieved it and took it home with plans to send it to Henry.
“It’s still in a cookie tin,” said Scheid, who is in no hurry to check on its condition.
Full disclosure: Jeff happens to be my brother, and that was one Vegas story we never shared with our mother.
SIGHTINGS
NBA icon Michael Jordan, stopping at a blackjack table at Aria (City Center) to say hello to George Maloof, former co-owner of the Sacramento Kings and the Palms. Jordan reached toward the dealers and said, “be nice to him.” It worked. Maloof ended up with a hot hand, winning his next eight hands. … Legendary jockey Laffit Pincay Jr., who rode nearly 9,000 winners including Swale in the 1984 Kentucky Derby, at the sports book at Green Valley Ranch Resort on Saturday. … At Encore Beach Club (Wynn) which set an attendance record on Friday: NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook, watching DJ Avici spin from backstage. At Andrea’s (Wynn) on Friday: boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard, with his family.
THE PUNCH LINE
“They estimate that the fight (between Mayweather and Pacquiao) will be seen by more people than any fight in history that did not take place between Jay-Z and his sister-in-law in an elevator.” — Jimmy Kimmel
Norm Clarke’s column appears Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Reach him at 702-383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find more at normclarke.com. Follow @Norm_Clarke on Twitter.
