The High Roller's Ultimate Guide to the Mayweather-Pacquiao Fight Weekend

While many boxing fans contemplate whether they can afford $99.95 for a pay-per-view broadcast of the fight of the century, others have different economic hurdles to face.

When it comes to Floyd Mayweather's much-anticipated showdown with Manny Pacquiao, even the 1 percenters are feeling the squeeze.

The truth is, everything about the boxing megafight, save the 147-pound fighters themselves, is larger than life. The numbers associated with the fight border on the absurd. From the price of a ringside ticket (up to $180,000 on StubHub) to the cost of a high-end suite ($30,000-$40,000 at a top-of-the-line Caesars Palace Villa), sticker shock will be a real factor, even for people not used to giving a check more than a cursory glance.

Despite these obstacles, Las Vegas will fill to capacity with people just wanting to be a part of history Saturday. Some might even be able to afford a really good time while they're there.

What follows is a look at how the ultra-wealthy will spend their time in Las Vegas during the week of the fight—as well as how you might spend yours. Have any additional advice to offer? Let us hear it in the comments.

How to Score Tickets

John Locher/Associated Press

There are roughly 120,000 hotel rooms at the heart of the Las Vegas strip. Almost all of them will be filled as the glittering city in the sand welcomes Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and their thousands of well-wishers for the biggest boxing match in recent memory.

That fight will take place Saturday in Mayweather's home away from home, the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The venerable arena, today the premier venue in all of combat sports, can accommodate approximately 16,800 fans for big-time boxing.

One doesn't have to be a math wizard to see a serious problem. 

For most, just being in the city is enough, soaking in the energy of fight week and hoping for a glimpse of Floyd, Manny or the dozens of A-list celebrities who want to bask in their reflected glory. But others have more in mind, including the opportunity to see history unfold right before their eyes.

Those looking to see the spectacle live and in color have a long road in front of them to score what has quickly become the toughest ticket in sports history.

"If you want to go to the fight, good luck," cruiserweight standout and Premier Boxing Champions announcer B.J. Flores told Bleacher Report of the sold-out fight. "Everyone is coming out for this fight. The tickets are so difficult to get that people who don't have tickets are still coming out and just hoping they can find tickets when they get here. There are a lot of big names coming to perform during the week just so they can get into the fights."

In some ways, this is just business as usual in Las Vegas. Mayweather, at this point, is one of the city's leading exports, each fight worth in the neighborhood of $100 million to the Las Vegas economy. Perhaps that's why you can see him year-round in the form of a 20-story mural on the side of the MGM. 

This level of interest, however, is new territory even for Mayweather, boxing's leading attraction for nearly eight years since dispatching the former Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya, in 2007. Four of the top five boxing events in Las Vegas history have Mayweather's name at the top of the bill, including a record-setting gate against Saul Alvarez in 2013.

But even that number will be dwarfed by the Pacquiao fight.

"It's hard to compare this, even to a traditional fight weekend," Philip Auerbach, senior vice president of hospitality and marketing for Caesars Entertainment, said. "For us, this is almost more like New Year's Eve. In fact, there will probably be more people in the city and at higher rates even than New Years to be honest.

"This is one of those things. People have been waiting for this for so long, the two greatest fighters of their time finally getting together. As soon as it was announced, we saw an explosion of demand. In the course of three or four days after the announcement, almost every room in the city got booked up. It's going to be like one big party here." 

That good-time spirit will be put to the test as each reveler attempts to lay his or her hands on tickets that have reached prices of more than $100,000 on the secondary market. Your average traveler has next to no chance of getting in. Others will find it all too easy, so long as they leave a trail of money in their wake.

"If you're planning on gambling half a million dollars during the week, they're pretty much going to bend over backwards to keep you happy," Haute Living Las Vegas and Eater Vegas editor Susan Stapleton said. "You really, and I mean this, can get pretty much anything you want. Anything. They will try to get it for you. As long as it's legal. Wink. Wink."

That includes, of course, tickets to the big fight. Auerbach concedes that money talks when it comes to the hottest amenity in town.

"Because of Pacquiao's worldwide exposure and Mayweather's status as the world's highest-paid athlete, we're drawing in customers from Latin America, Asia and of course here in the United States," he said. "It's an event everyone wants to be a part of. There will be a huge number of stars from film, television and the entertainment world in town. There will be CEOs and business leaders from around the world. 

"Those golden tickets are only going to very big players. You're going to have to be a good customer. A very good customer. These are customers who are gambling high five or six figures on a daily basis." 

That's a level of wealth few can even contemplate, let alone relate to. While gaudy luxury defines the Vegas experience generally, the 1 percent enjoy splendor on a different scale. 

Where to Stay

Credit: Caesars Entertainment

The Nobu Villa

At this point, with interest at unprecedented levels, each and every one of the hotel rooms in the Las Vegas metro area has suddenly become a luxury suite—at least in price. 

"If you don't already have a reservation, a hotel is going to be very expensive," Stapleton said. "You might have a hard time finding one, and you're going to be paying out the nose for it. Prices almost quadrupled for hotel rooms between the day before they announced the fight and the day after. Even at Circus Circus, a lower-end hotel, rooms will be hundreds of dollars a night." 

For those to whom money is no object, however, luxury is measured on an entirely different scale. For those attending the fight, or wanting to be close to it, it begins at the host casino.

"The Mansion is a private area within the MGM Grand," Stapleton said. "It has its own separate entrance with Rolls Royce service so they don't have to mingle. They're known for that white-glove service."

Down the street, Caesars Palace sets the standard for the entire strip. Although The Hangover made its suites famous worldwide, those suites don't even rate among the property's best. In the truly elite villas, up to 14,000 square feet in size, the bedding alone can cost up to $80,000. 

"There's a whole different world out there. It's an experience only Las Vegas can offer," Caesars executive Auerbach said. "They're flying in on private jets, they'll be picked up in limos or Bentleys from the airport and rushed to the property's private entrances. A number of them will be staying at the Villas at Caesars Palace, which are truly unique.  

"The Nobu Villa, on top of the Nobu restaurant, has become especially popular with celebrities. It's where Justin Bieber stayed. It's where Miley Cyrus stayed. It has an outdoor deck that overlooks the entire strip. It has 24-hour butler service, and all the food is created by Chef Nobu [Matsuhisa] himself. You have your own private grill, your own sushi bar and your own outdoor pizza oven. Those are the kind of amenities that only high rollers are going to get to experience." 

Where to Eat

Credit: Caesars Entertainment

Guy Savoy

Vegan fighters may be the new trend, but for the fight crowd, high-end dining often begins and ends with the numerous steakhouses up and down the strip. Flores, who made his boxing debut in the city back in 2003 and proudly calls it home, says STK at The Cosmopolitan is king of the steak joints.

"Great customer service, great food, great ambiance," he said. "It's my absolute favorite spot in Las Vegas. And right across the way in Aria, my favorite hotel and casino. When they came here for PBC, all the NBC executives stayed there because I told them it was my favorite place. And we had a great experience."

Stapleton, one of the city's leading food critics, points to a few other possibilities for the carnivores in the crowd—including Mario Batali's aptly named Carnevino at the Palazzo Hotel. Another standout further down the strip has a unique selling point no one else can match.

"The SW at the Wynn is the only steakhouse in town with Kobe beef—real Kobe beef from Japan," she said. "I was told recently it's now the only place you can get it in the United States. Real Kobe Beef. Certified."

While Vegas boasts world-class restaurants of almost inconceivable variety, to many foodies, nothing can match its selection of classic French options. Stapleton says that Las Vegas has more bona fide heavyweights in the world of French dining than anywhere else English is spoken, including chef of the century Joel Robuchon's eponymous restaurant at the MGM Grand and Guy Savoy's restaurant at Caesars Palace.

"Even though Guy Savoy isn't in the kitchen, he's hand-selected somebody as his chef there who cooks the way he wants the dishes to be presented," she said. "This is the only place you can get these extraordinary French chefs and their dishes in the United States."

While Robuchon's "prix fixe" menu costs $445 a person before the wine is served, this being Las Vegas, there are of course more expensive options. And while a $750 cupcake from Sweet Surrender at the Palazzo may seem extreme, at least it's available to all comers with a credit card and little impulse control.

At the Paiza Club, only those with an invitation are welcome. The home to billionaires and other high rollers at the Venetian, it's a world within a world, complete with its own 8,000-square-foot suites, its own casino and its own restaurant.

"It's one of the most exclusive restaurants in town," Stapleton said. "They have a chef that's just for high rollers. You can't get in. I've never been there. They serve Asian food, but they will make anything you want."

Though you can surely scratch the Paiza Club off the list, Stapleton says almost anywhere in town will be hard to secure at this point. 

"You need to be talking to a concierge or your casino host right now," she said. "It's the busiest and most insane weekend of the year." 

Where to Party

In some ways, though the fight is without a doubt the headliner, it's just one of dozens of blockbuster events throughout the week. 

"The whole week is going to be absolutely crazy," Flores said. "There's going to be big DJs, big events, big parties. Every night is going to be slammed with top DJs the week of the fight. All the pools will be opened up. That's how you spend the week in Vegas leading up to the fight. Go to the pools during the day. Go to the clubs at night. It's going to be electric."

Whether that was intended as a play on words, it's an apt description of the current Las Vegas scene. Electronic dance music dominates, with clubs competing for an ever-changing roster of disc jockeys who can draw crowds that fill venues that can house up to 7,000 revelers.

Insiders say the clubs that used to be the hottest tickets in town, like the XS at the Wynn, have given way to Hakkasan, the five-story, 60,000-square-foot monstrosity at the MGM. 

"Hakkasan opens at 10 p.m., and you'll have a line going out the door," a former manager said. "I mean, wrapping all the way around and out of the casino. And that's for people already on the guest list.

"Like anything else in Vegas, if you have enough money, you don't have to worry about anything. That's the story of this whole city. As long as people are getting a cut, they'll make it work for you. If you want a bottle-service table, there's a $5,000 minimum. Most people are probably going to spend five times that. 

"You're paying for really extravagantly overpriced bottles. You'll get a $50 bottle of Grey Goose for $5,000—and you'll get the experience of being at Hakkasan. It's expensive real estate."

Hakkasan is far from the only game in town. The new Omnia at Caesars Palace has thrown its hat into the ring, usurping the old poker room for a dance club that has already hosted Bieber's birthday party and will feature the popular DJ Afrojack on the night of the fight. 

"It has these 58-foot ceilings and was designed by David Rockwell with a chandelier that in itself could be an attraction," Auerbach said. "It looks like technology that has been imported from outer space. It's mesmerizing. And it's just an amazing experience. If you buy bottles, they'll have girls dropping from the ceiling to deliver them to you."

Drai's, a dayclub that also has an amazing rooftop pool and dance scene, has become home of an unofficial after-party for the entire city, staying open after most of their competitors close at 4 a.m. 50 Cent and Chris Brown will both perform there during fight week.

Jay Z, Bieber, Nicki Minaj, Jamie Foxx and Lil Wayne are among the seemingly endless collection of stars making their presence felt, creating a buzz at almost every casino on the strip. And when the PG-13 scene grows dull, there's always an R-rated option at one of Las Vegas' legendary adult establishments.

The Spearmint Rhino, Sapphire's and Larry Flynt's Hustler Club are the big three. And though they don't attract the same crowds as the mega dance halls, they are expecting to approach capacity on the night of the fight.

The real high rollers skip past the lines at strip clubs, insiders say, by the same means they do everywhere else in town: money.

"Bottle service, at a strip club, will expedite you to the front so you don't have to wait in line," one strip club bouncer said. "If you say, 'Here's my money now,' well, we want your money right this second. There is no line. C'mon in.

"People are still spending insane amounts of money. Because when you mix booze with naked women—dear God, it's a mess." 

Where to Play

Although gambling remains the top attraction for tourists in Las Vegas, especially high rollers, times are changing quickly. Increasingly, a younger clientele is focusing on things outside the casino, spending less money at the tables and more at the growing number of other attractions the city offers.

Visitors to Las Vegas can already shop at exclusive boutiques, visit an aquarium and experience insane thrill rides and a collection of top singers, comedians and stage shows. But to do so, they have to travel up and down the strip, often an exhausting and expensive task.

For Auerbach and the executive team at Caesars, that wasn't necessarily a problem—it was an opportunity.

"We saw the need for a place people could go and hang out without the hassle of being in the middle of a casino," he said. "To feel a little bit more like they were at home, but Las Vegas style. A place where you can relax and just hang out, sit outside at a fountain and listen to live entertainment and enjoy yourself, that hadn't really existed in Las Vegas." 

Their answer was the $550 million Linq Promenade, an open-air, outdoor complex featuring 300,000 square feet packed with restaurants and bars. The highlight is the High Roller, the world's tallest observation wheel.

"You can experience a whole night out across three or four completely different environments without having to schlep across the entire city," Auerbach said. "It's at almost the exact center of the Las Vegas strip and any given year about 20 million people walk by.

"Fight weekend there will be tens of thousands walking through every day. It's going to be busy, but it's a great environment. All day on Saturday we'll have these fun boxing arcade-like games, including big punching bags where you get to test your strength. It's going to be one big kind of street party atmosphere."  

Opportunities in the city abound. You can try everything from indoor skydiving to crime solving to driving an enormous wrecking machine.

What you can't do is watch the fight. 

Even the closed-circuit sites, exclusively on MGM properties, are reportedly sold out.

Jonathan Snowden covers combat sports for Bleacher Report.