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The Mayor of Hamilton says ratepayers will not suffer any loss from the David Tua versus Shane Cameron boxing match in June.
But he will not say how much the council spent to secure the event.
The bout's promoters yesterday announced that the clash will be held at Hamilton's Waikato Stadium on June 6.
Mayor Bob Simcock said hosting the fight was another "significant win" for his city.
"We are delighted to have it in Hamilton ... we have a massive audience catchment, we are easily accessible, we have the facilities and we are a city that's willing to support these events."
The Herald understands the promoters asked Auckland City Council for $400,000 in underwriting for the fight.
Mr Simcock said the fight replaced the World Rally Championships which the council had budgeted on hosting.
Ratepayers would not have to bear any cost should the event make a loss.
"We have absolutely capped risk," he said. "In Auckland you had the ARC as the promoter, they invested in a business and hoped to make a profit and it didn't come off.
"We are not the promoter, we are a sponsor as we are in other events."
A spokesman for promoter Duco Events, Ian Fraser, said Hamilton "emerged clearly" as the first choice despite interest from Auckland and Wellington.
He disregarded comments from Auckland City councillor Aaron Bhatnagar, who compared it to the David Beckham flop which cost Auckland ratepayers $1.7 million.
"We are in the business of promoting events, [Mr Bhatnagar] seems to be in the business of wanting to prevent them.
"Ultimately he's not our problem. He's Auckland's."
But Mr Bhatnagar said the council was not interested in investing a "significant amount of ratepayer cash" to underwrite the bout.
"Good on Hamilton, but I'm very happy to say we haven't gambled ratepayer cash on a commercially risky event."
Tua - who has not fought since September 2007 - and Cameron have started trading their own verbal fisticuffs.
Asked how he felt about Cameron, Tua was not fazed.
"I suppose when you've been doing the business as long as I have, it doesn't really matter.
Cameron, in training for his March 7 fight with American Robert "Desert Storm" Davis in Gisborne, was not worried about where the fight was held.
Ranked eighth by the WBO with 19 knockouts and one loss in his 23-fight career, he said he would fight Tua anywhere "as long as it happens".
