Duco Events

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Fri, 18 Jun 2010 14:43:00 +1200

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When two young fellas took on the boxing establishment to stage the ‘Fight of the Century’ few expected them to succeed. But, as Vincent Heeringa reports, the Tua versus Cameron fight became the TV event of the decade

If you were to rank the top television events in New Zealand history, what would you include? The Rugby World Cup? The Olympics? Diana’s death?

Well, yes, you’d be right; all three are in the top 12. But what’s number one? Would you pick Lennox Lewis versus David Tua, shown on TV3 in 2000? The bout dragged in 1.8 million viewers, or 43 percent of the country, making it the number one event by an enormous stretch. The second, by the way, is the movie Ghost on TV2 in 1995. How embarrassing.

Anyway, boxing features four times in the top 12, more than any other sport, more than One News and more than most of us would expect.

It’s those kind of numbers that stopped David Higgins and John McRae in their tracks one day in 2007. The owners of event management firm Duco were chatting after a corporate event when the conversation turned to speakers who’d draw a really big crowd. Someone suggested Tua.

“If you ask most marketing managers if they’d sponsor a boxing event, you’d get turned down. The middle-aged women who run marketing departments find boxing unsavoury. But look at the numbers”

“I didn’t get it at first,” says Higgins. “Who’d want to hear from a boxer? Particularly one whose career has stalled. But boxing is misunderstood. If you ask most marketing managers if they’d sponsor a boxing event, you’d get turned down. The middle-aged women who run marketing departments find boxing unsavoury. But look at the numbers.”

In the US, boxing, along with porn, commands the largest pay-per-view audiences; in Europe it attracts big brands such as Hugo Boss; and in New Zealand and Australia boxing consistently pulls the highest viewership on Sky TV.

So it was with great confidence that Higgins and McRae announced mid-2008 that they had signed David Tua to challenge his Kiwi rival Shane Cameron. The signing was big news, getting coverage on all the prime time media. Cameron had long sledged Tua in the media and the journalists were in a frenzy of speculation. It would be the fight of the century, fo’ sure. But who were these young tyros? Could they really pull it off? And would Cameron sign?

Higgins, a tall, slightly awkward-looking fellow with an intense, level voice, shrugged at all the speculation. “We had Tua. What could go wrong?”

Knockout

A lot it seems. The journey to Hamilton’s Mystery Creek was as steep for Duco as it was for the overweight Tua, taking almost 18 months of tortuous and public negotiation, setbacks and media slagging.

With the benefit of hindsight, Higgins and McRae’s early confidence looks justified. Sitting in their artsy office in Auckland’s High Street, the pair nonchalantly reel off the numbers. Tua versus Cameron sold in excess of 80,000 pay per views, a record in Sky’s history and possibly a world record in the proportion of views per total audience. They sold 7,500 tickets to the event, including 150 corporate tables at an average of about $8,000. Sponsorships were secured for undisclosed cash sums from Samsung and Woodstock. Hamilton City helped out with the venue. Duco collected a share of the food and liquor sold at the six-hour event. Estimates for gross revenue from the event range from $3 million to $8 million. Duco isn’t saying. What matters, they say, is that Duco is now poised as the country’s preeminent boxing promoter.

All in all, a knockout performance.

Critics had cause to doubt. McRae and Higgins are young; McRae turned 30 only this year. The largest events they’d handled were black-tie corporate gigs with 800 people coming to hear the likes of Bob Geldof and Bill Clinton. Only four years ago they were working as marketing assistants at the Employers and Manufacturers Association, running networking events and business breakfasts.

- Actually editor McRae was 32 and the largest event was 2200

They were especially inexperienced in the murky world of boxing, dominated internationally by unlovely characters like promoter Don King and convicted rapist Mike Tyson. New Zealand boxing is an even messier affair, a hodgepodge of wannabes and toughnuts. The biggest players until Duco were Mark Hotchin and Eric Watson, of Hanover fame, whose company Knockout Boxing effectively owned Shane Cameron. The millionaires had been trying to sign Tua for their version of the Fight of the Century for years. Tua wasn’t biting.

John Fellet of Sky TV says the company was delighted with the entire spectacle, and confirms that pay per views were “north” of 80,000, making it the biggest show in Sky’s history

Maybe this is where youth helped. Higgins could see the issue was one of mana. “Their offers to David were low and easily interpreted as disrespectful. I knew what the event was really worth and so did David.”

Using back-of-the-envelope accounting, Higgins and McRae calculated they could afford to pay Tua $500,000. The contract was simple, giving Duco two years to pull the bout together and providing Tua with a hefty upfront deposit, followed by regular payments and the balance upon completing the fight.

“I learned about that from watching the movie When We Were Kings,” laughs Higgins. “No one thought Don King could get Ali and Foreman together but he pulled off the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ by apparently paying what everyone said was an outrageous price to the boxers. Of course he knew exactly what the fight was worth and sold the rights for more.”

Duco employed former Tua associate Greg McCalman to do the negotiation (another smart idea) and it worked, with Tua sensing the opportunity to resurrect his career but to also knock the mouthy ‘mountain goat’ to kingdom come. All Duco had to do was sign Cameron.

Easier said than done. Knockout Boxing’s Hotchin and Cameron’s manager Ken Reinsfield were incensed that these young upstarts held the trump card. “Initially they ignored us,” says Higgins. “They really felt that this was their fight to organise. At one point during the negotiations Hotchin turned to his lawyer and said, ‘We better include a clause in the contract that all rights for the fight return to us if these fellows get hit by a bus.’ We kind of looked at each other and didn’t know whether he was joking or not!”

By the time December rolled around the negotiations with Cameron’s camp had been dragging on for months. Duco was forced to double Cameron’s pay to $500,000 but still Reinsfield continued to delay, engaging Higgins in a public spat that the media delighted to report.

Top 12 TV Audiences in New Zealand history

RANK EVENT PERCENT OF NATION WATCHING

1 Tua v Lewis, TV3, 2000 43.1

2 Ghost, TV2, 1995 29.2

3 Diana Exclusive, TV2, 1995 29.1

4 Once Were Warriors, TV3, 1996 29.1

5 One News Special, 1997 (Di’s death) 29.1

6 Tyson v Holyfield, TV3, 1996 28.7

7 NZ Idol Grand Final, TV2, 2004 28.6

8 Forrest Gump, TV2, 2004 28.3

9 Jurassic Park, TV2, 1997 27.7

10 Tua v Lewis Build Up, TV3, 2000 27.1

11 Fight for Life, TV3, 2001 26.8

12 Rugby World Cup NZ v France, TV3, 2007 26.3

Delays

Something snapped over Christmas. Higgins says Duco’s threat to walk away tipped it. Some media reported that Cameron just wanted to fight. “We signed on January 18, the day of the Big Day Out. It was the best day out I think we’ll ever have,” says Higgins.

The delays, the spats and the size of the purse took its toll on Duco. Sports commentators like Bob Jones, Murray Deaker and Joseph Romanos ridiculed the pair as naive and unable to deliver. And when Cameron broke his hand during a fight early in 2009, the show had to be delayed, inviting more scorn.

“We were hammered in the media,” says Higgins. “That really hurt us, but the delay was a blessing in disguise. It gave us time to find the sponsors and find a weekend free of competing sporting events.”

By then Duco had signed Hamilton as host city. It had also contracted a who’s who of the entertainment world to front for the inexperienced pair. Dean Lonergan (who organised the Fight for Life events) was in charge of the table sales and venue; Ian Fraser handled terms with Sky TV; Gordon Campbell handled the host city negotiations; Gray Bartlett was on entertainment; and Malcolm Boyle was on PR.

To amp up the media hype, Duco contracted ‘Colonel’ Bob Sheridan, the legendary US boxing commentator and international referee Bruce McTavish. The big names were all part of the credibility-building programme.

But sponsors remained elusive. Despite the scale of the event, approaches to 30 corporates were knocked back. Blame it on the recession, blame it on boxing, the sponsorship was the weakest link and Woodstock and Samsung were in the end the only sponsors paying cash.

Nigel Owen, senior brand manager at Independent Liquor, owner of Woodstock, says the investment paid off handsomely. “I don’t think anyone realised how popular it would be.”

Sponsors received branding at the event, which was picked up by Sky’s cameras, and advertising slots between breaks during the 4.30pm to 11pm event. The fight was hugely promoted by Sky in the lead up, all with Woodstock, Hamilton and Samsung branding. Higgins has not commissioned any formal research but claims the media value is close to what could be delivered by a domestic showing of a Rugby World Cup final.

John Fellet of Sky TV says the company was delighted with the entire spectacle, and confirms that pay per views were “north” of 80,000, making it the biggest show in Sky’s history.

“Our most popular pay-per-view shows are wrestling and cage fighting, which typically get about four or five percent of the total Sky audience [near 800,000]. But this was much bigger. It’s the biggest event I’ve ever been involved with,” says Fellet.

“It is hard to gauge how many people watched the fight because AC Nielsen does not normally measure our pay-per-view channels and because a large number of people watched the fight from bars. But here is what we do know. About 33 percent of the normal Saturday night television audience disappeared the night of the Tua fight.”

Fellet says advertising agencies find it hard to estimate the media value of such one-off events, despite the fact that Tua historically pulls a huge crowd. Indeed it puzzles Fellet as to why Tua is undervalued by sponsors (see box story).

Final blow

The actual show in late September was an entertainment and sporting spectacular lasting seven hours, and culminating in a three-minute-six-second blast of David Tua fury.

“There was a 30-minute gap between the last bout and the boxers entering the ring and things had reached a fever pitch. Even though the fight was over so quickly we’ve had no complaints. It was such a brutal mauling, people were just stunned,” says Higgins.

As Cameron sprawled on the canvas in the second round, Tua raised his hands in victory with barely any sweat on his brow. Tua was back—as focused, potent and menancing as before. The question now is not if there will be a next big fight, but when.

The same is true of the Duco boys, who have now earned their stripes. Higgins isn’t saying when but he promises there will be more boxing to come.

“I mean, just look at the numbers!”

Postponement Notice

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:59:00 +1200

Whitcoulls Dinners with Gordon Ramsay

Dinners with Gordon Ramsay in Auckland and Wellington have been postponed due to Ramsay’s mother suffering a heart attack, but Chris Hutcheson CEO of Gordon Ramsay Holdings has confirmed the events will proceed as planned within coming months.

Ramsay’s agent notified local organisers Duco Events today of the situation and committed to confirming the new event dates within two weeks time.

A statement provided by Ramsay’s office said: “With great reluctance, Gordon has had to postpone his trip to New Zealand with the news of his mother’s heart attack. He is so sorry to disappoint his fans on this occasion but hopes that everyone will understand. Gordon will be rescheduling his trip and hopes to be able to announce a new date very shortly.”

Duco directors David Higgins and John McRae have put out a joint statement to say “Our hearts go out to Mr Ramsay and his family and we wish his mother a speedy recovery. To ticket buyers, rest assured the events will still proceed as planned and we apologise for any inconvenience. We thank customers for their patience as we work towards confirming the new dates for what will be two fantastic events. The fact there has been a waiting list for the Auckland event for the past three weeks is testimony to Gordon Ramsay’s huge popularity in New Zealand.”

Catherine Collins, spokesperson for naming sponsor Whitcoulls, said “Like all New Zealand book lovers Whitcoulls was saddened to hear of Gordon’s mother’s heart attack. We understand and support Gordon’s decision to postpone his trip and appreciate his commitment to reschedule. We send Gordon and his family our best wishes.”

Duco Events will advise the new dates once receiving guidance from Ramsay’s office.

Ticket holders will be notified by email of the new dates.

For media comment:

David Higgins, Duco Events spokesperson: 021 435 415

The dinners were scheduled for the following dates:

Wellington, Tue 22 June 2010

Auckland, Wed 23 June 2010

Postponment Notice

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:42:00 +1200

New Zealand Dinners with Gordon Ramsay postponed

Ramsay’s agent notified local organisers Duco Events today of the situation and committed to confirming the new event dates within two weeks time.

Duco Events will advise the new dates once receiving guidance from Ramsay’s office.
Ticket holders will be notified by email of the new dates.

For media comment:

David Higgins, Duco Events spokesperson: 021 435 415

The dinners were scheduled for the following dates:

Wellington, Tue 22 June 2010

Auckland, Wed 23 June 2010

David Tua vs. Friday the 13th

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 10:00:00 +1300

David Tua’s single-minded campaign for the world heavyweight title meets its next stern test in New Zealand in his match up with the formidable Friday ‘The 13th’ Ahunanya, on the likely date of 25 March 2010.

October’s Fight of the Century, as predicted, stopped the country. David Tua’s ferocious demolition of Shane Cameron within two rounds was reminiscent of Mike Tyson at his rampaging best. It signalled that Tua is back – with a vengeance.

The bout drew a huge pay per view television audience and unprecedented public attention. It re-established David Tua as the hottest sports star in New Zealand. He ranks second on the list of the Most Googled New Zealanders of 2009, eight places ahead of Dan Carter. The bout also marked David Tua’s second coming as an ‘excitement machine’.

4 of the top ten TV audiences in New Zealand history have been boxing-related, according to AC Neilson. Tua-Cameron, with its Las Vegas quality staging and explosive action, lifted boxing in New Zealand to new heights. The Fight of the Century confirmed once again that New Zealanders are hooked on the drama of top level boxing – and keen to see David Tua in action.

There is every chance that David Tua will fight for the heavyweight championship of the world within a year. That is the goal of the gruelling campaign he is now committed to. But to rate as a credible contender, he knows he must subject himself to a series of tough tests. One of the toughest will surely be his bout with Friday ‘The 13th’ Ahunanya.

Duco Events and Cedric Kushner’s Gotham Boxing are proud to welcome Friday Ahunanya back to New Zealand.

Friday Ahunanya was responsible for Shane Cameron’s first career defeat here in 2007. He has never been knocked out. Duco Events Director David Higgins points out that he has the tricky, defensive style that has troubled David Tua in the past.

Higgins says: “Styles make for the most gripping fights and, in boxing terms, Friday’s style is the opposite of Shane Cameron’s. He has excellent boxing skills, lateral movement, a rock solid chin – and, of course, he’s won 13 of his fights on knockouts, without ever having being knocked out himself.”

Since they first sparred together in 2001, Friday ‘The 13th’ Ahunanya has called David Tua out numerous times. The Kiwi heavyweight has never responded to the call-outs – until now.

Tua is emphatic about the significance of the bout. “I want to destroy Friday,” Tua says. “I want it to be destructive. It has to be because I need people in the States to hear the noise all the way from Down Under.”

Friday is equally emphatic that he’s coming to New Zealand to win. “I’m going to knock David Tua out,” he promises. “And if I can’t do that, I’ll take the fight on points. Anyone who understands how to box – understands the science of boxing – can beat David Tua. And I’ll prove it.”

David Tua versus ‘Friday the 13th’ is an intriguing prospect. One of the greatest power punchers in boxing history will be confronting a technically accomplished boxer with a formidable defence. Can Tua knock Ahunanya out or will it go the whole distance like virtually all of Friday’s previous fights?

The fight is a real and major threat for David Tua and, as promoter David Higgins says: “It will answer the question – ‘is he really back?’ Only a win can ensure that he advances his quest for the world title. The stakes are high.

“As for the event itself, those who were lucky enough to be at Tua-Cameron will testify that nothing beats being there live. Until you’ve had the live boxing experience, you haven’t lived!

“Nothing can prepare you for the power and the elemental energy. And the extra ingredient this time is that, though we’ll be working hard to make sure it doesn’t happen, this could be David Tua’s last fight on home turf before a world title challenge.”

In acknowledging the bout’s Naming Right Sponsor, Woodstock Bourbon and Cola, and the Principal Media Partners, The Rock and Mai FM, David Higgins pointed out that Duco Events had received not a single complaint from the audience sitting at the 150-plus corporate tables sold for the Fight of the Century.

“However, that won’t stop us improving,” Higgins says. “This time the average table price will be more affordable and food and beverage will be included. The average ticket price will also be more affordable across the board.

“As for the venue – we haven’t made a decision yet, so it’s a case of watch this space. It will be worth the wait. Remember that a lot of the pundits called the Fight of the Century ahead of time in Cameron’s favour. But this is boxing and in boxing anything can happen – and usually will!”

More details will be available in coming weeks at www.ducoevents.co.nz

MEDIA CONTACTS

PROMOTER INTERVIEWS

David Higgins, Director, Duco Events

+ 64 21 435 415

TUA CAMP INTERVIEWS

Cedric Kushner, David Tua’s Global Promoter, Gotham Boxing Inc, New York:

Cell: +001 631 334 0000

Office: 001 (212) 755 -1944

David Tua interviews are available via Greg McCalman:

+ 64 274 150 104

FRIDAY “THE 13TH” AHUNANYA INTERVIEWS

Luis Tapia, Friday Ahunanya’s Manager:

+1 702 812 1782

Punters KO Fight Night Competition

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:32:00 +1300

Saturday night’s explosive heavyweight boxing match in Hamilton proved such a hit with punters at Mystery Creek and on television that a text competition held during the evening KO’d the event’s mobile marketing system.

System provider TXT2GET was stunned by an avalanche of more than 40,000 text responses from people wanting to go into the draw for one of five Samsung LCD TVs. The volume of text entries eventually caused the servers between TXT2GET and at its telco gateway provider to overload.

TXT2GET’s CEO Peter Barrett described the response to the promotion as overwhelming, and said it demonstrated the power of a text option to drive customer response to advertising and promotional campaigns. His team and the gateway provider worked throughout Sunday and today to confirm with everyone sending a text in accordance with the Terms and Conditions that they were in the draw.

“The text response was massive“ said Barrett “and reinforces why so many businesses are turning to TXT-response on their advertising campaigns.”

“Like the night itself, there was huge excitement about the competition. Despite the condition that the contest allowed only one entry per person, we had a large number of multiple texts from individuals, some who sent as many as 70."

“The chain of systems passing and deciphering messages struggled under the load, and many people did not receive texts in reply confirming they were in the competition. We have been working day and night (since Saturday evening) to ensure they receive their confirmations by e-mail and text."

“We estimate it was the biggest single night text promotion to have ever been run in New Zealand, which is a tribute to the amazing promotional job done by DUCO Events."

“People who sent multiple texts due to not being sure about their first entry can e-mail complaints@txt2get.co.nz with their mobile number and postal address for a 20c/text refund.”

Mr Barrett said this work should be complete by tomorrow (Tuesday 6 October) when the draw would be staged and all entrants notified.

Mr Barrett reiterated that it was not an issue involving the promoters, and was a chain-of-system failure that had now been rectified. TEXT2GET apologized for any concerns caused by the uncertainty that resulted.

Further Information: Peter Barrett TXT2GET +64 21 469755.