The year started off innocent enough; much lighter on the wallet than was the case this time last year. But with Juan Manuel Marquez’ minor upset over Marco Antonio Barrera last month came the oh-too-familiar trend of PPV influx.
This weekend features the second major pay-per-view card of the year, titled “Blaze of Glory.” The headlining act features boxing’s version of a four-alarm fire, as 2006 Fighter of the Year Manny Pacquiao (43-3-2, 34KO) makes his ’07 debut, squaring off against undefeated Jorge Solis (32-0-2, 23KO) in a 12-round battle (Saturday, 9PM ET/6PM PT live on Top Rank PPV).
The first question that naturally comes to mind: is the card worth the asking price ($44.95)?
The show comes at an ideal time. HBO has nothing scheduled until the end of the month (April 28), with their lightweight bout between Acelino Freitas and Juaz Diaz. Their last card came this past weekend, as much as everyone would like to forget. Joe Calzaghe’s mismatch against Peter Manfredo Jr. proved even more unworthy of airtime than already was the case on paper. The premature stoppage provided an anti-climactic feel to a card that was arguably HBO’s worst in recent years, which is saying a lot considering their continued downward spiral.
A card like the one Bob Arum’s Top Rank outfit has planned for this weekend would’ve been a nice comeback for HBO. But alas, a pending lawsuit filed by Golden Boy Promotions scared off the self-proclaimed Network of Champions, which means no posters plastered at every subway station or bus stop, or reminders while catching the series finale of “Rome” or the premieres of “The Sopranos” and “Entourage.”
Showtime PPV was not an option. Their last card was the Jose Luis Castillo-Diego Corrales rematch in October 2005, one of several that year which proved to be a financial loser for the network. Neither their Showtime Championship Boxing schedule or budget would not allow for such a fight, as they only air boxing on the first Saturday of each month, seeking the best fights their money can buy.
In the end, Arum was left to fend for himself – his money, his promotion, and his terms. He has the reigning Fighter of the Year in Pacquiao, who makes his official debut under the Top Rank banner. Fittingly enough, the bout takes place at the same venue (the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas) that helped launch Pac-Mania, thanks to his brutally one-sided upset stoppage over Marco Antonio Barrera in November 2003.
But will it be enough to convince the paying public?
Pacquiao’s trilogy with the legendary Erik Morales racked up more than one million combined PPV’s, making the Filipino phenom a global star. This weekend, everyone finds out how he scores at the box office without a notable dance partner in the other corner.
Solis’ credentials appear solid, though unspectacular. The only name on his resume that jumps out is Humberto Soto, who was winning handily until an inadvertent headbutt abruptly ended their 2004 contest. The rest is filled with usual suspects and no-hopers.
It was enough to draw concern from Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s long time trainer and unofficial advisor. How are you supposed to market Manny against an unknown fighter, he wondered?
The answer: you stack the undercard.
The 75-year young Arum deserves credit for continuing to think outside the box. In dictating the terms rather than the networks dictate to him, we get a PPV card that escapes the normal template of an HBO PPV in offering four total bouts rather than three.
The best part is, all are compelling in one way or another.
The last time Pacquiao and Jorge “El Travieso” Arce (46-3-1, 35KO) shared a PPV event, we were treated to two Fight of the Year contenders. That would be two years ago (March 2005), when, an hour before Pacquiao and Morales faced each other for the first time, Arce provided a hell of a primer with his blood-soaked slugfest with Hussein Hussein.
Though Arce dominated on the cards, Hussein reminded him throughout that he was in a fight. A cut on the bridge of Arce’s nose had the free-swinging Mexican on the verge of a TKO loss as early as the fifth round. Still, the reality star never wilted. The more (of his own) blood he saw, the stronger he grew, until finally forcing Hussein – or at least his corner – to call it a night late in the 10 th round.
It would be the last competitive fight for Arce, presently on a 26-fight winning streak since his last loss eight years ago to Hall-of-Famer Michael Carbajal. Eight have come since March 2005, including a quickie rematch of Hussein, the rest against has-beens and no-hopers.
As he once again serves as the chief support to a Pacquiao main event, Arce finally finds himself in another legitimate fight, though don’t tell any stateside writers and fans. Very few are familiar with crafty southpaw Cristian Mijares (30-3-2, 12KO), therefore don’t give him much of a chance in their 12-round junior bantamweight tilt.
What gets lost in discussion is the fact that this is Arce’s first true test at junior bantamweight – and against a true junior bantamweight. .
Mijares has spent the lion’s share of his career at junior bantamweight. Unlike several of Arce’s past victims, Mijares has been far more impressive in the present than in the past. His superior boxing skills and southpaw stance makes him a live underdog.
That Mijares is in a position to face – and possibly upset – Arce speaks volumes of how far he’s come along. After sputtering out the gate to an 11-3-1 start, the Mexican southpaw is unbeaten in his last 20 (19-0-1). The lone blemish in that stretch was a draw against then-unbeaten Luis Maldonando, who went on to get battered by undefeated flyweight knockout artist Vic Darchinyan.
Mijares moved in a different direction following the draw. A pair of wins over Katsushige Kawashima in Japan last year legitimize Mijares’ claim as a viable threat to anyone at 115 lb. – including Arce.
When you’re as inconsistent as Brian Viloria (19-1-1, 12KO) has been, everyone is a threat. For that reason – if for that reason only – Edgar Sosa (26-5, 12KO) should not be taken lightly in their 12-round preliminary battle.
Viloria’s career is as close as you can come to a roller coaster ride. After several ups and downs on ESPN2 and HBO Latino, Viloria finally found a home with Top Rank in 2005. Their first date together was nearly their last, as his sixth round stoppage of Ruben Contreras in May 2005 resulted in the journeyman forced to undergo emergency brain surgery to remove bleeding on the brain following a seizure he suffered shortly after their bout.
Thankfully, Contreras recovered, enough to where he sat ringside to lend Viloria support in his next fight. The bout remains the Hawaiian’s career-defining win, as he iced Eric Ortiz with a single right hand at the end of the first round in their September ’05 tilt. A picture-perfect right hand produced what would later be named one of the year’s best knockouts.
The bout would be the first time Viloria would share an arena with his former gym mate Pacquiao, with this weekend being the third. Their second reunion came last November, as Viloria had revenge on his mind following a career-worst performance against Omar Nino-Romero three months prior.
Following a points win over Jose Aguirre in February 2006, Viloria was rewarded with a main event showcase last August, on the second installment of Arum’s Versus Fight Night series. Only someone forgot to tell Nino-Romero he was there as an opponent; the Mexican scored a major upset, battering and embarrassing Viloria en route to a lopsided unanimous decision.
The warrior that he is, Viloria demanded Arum make the rematch sooner than later. He got his wish, performing on the undercard of Pacquiao-Morales III. Viloria remembered to bring his power this time, scoring two official knockdowns but ultimately forced to settle for a draw in a bout many had the Hawaiian winning by at least two points.
A small token of redemption would come in the form of a urine sample; Nino-Romero tested positive for amphetamines, thus receiving a suspension.
Viloria receives another chance, as he seeks his first win in more than a year. In his way is Edgar Sosa, a Mexican journeyman who is riding a 14-fight win streak into this weekend. None of the wins are eye-popping, though he managed a decision win over Gilberto Keb Bass, who gave Viloria all he could handle before being taken out with a single body shot late in the fight. Their other common opponent: Nino-Romero, who decisioned Sosa in 2002.
On paper, a perfect way for Viloria to get reacquainted with the win column. But if it were that easy, he wouldn’t be Brian Viloria.
Of course, with any Top Rank PPV comes a special appearance from Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
There remains in the boxing world (at least outside of Mexico and accompanying border towns) a great resistance to embrace the career of young Julio; some unfairly hold him to his father’s standards, insisting he will never be anywhere near the level of The Lion of Culiac?n.
A fair point, perhaps. An even fairer response would be – how many fighter in boxing history can make that claim?
Judging Chavez Jr. (30-0-1, 23KO) on his own merits, you will see that he is not too far removed from any given prospect. Anthony and Lamont Peterson are arguably the most talented prospects from the Class of 2004, yet neither boasts a resume far removed from that of young Julio. In fact, Anthony’s best performance to date – a third-round drubbing of Jermaine White a year ago on ShoBox – was matched by Chavez just four months later.
Andre Berto was named ESPN’s 2006 Prospect of the Year. His next fight remotely representing a challenge will be his first, yet he already boasts a ShoBox appearance and his last two bouts having appeared on HBO.
A common thread among the aforementioned is that each are matched up solely to make them look more spectacular. All continue to face punching bags – but are they getting any better in the process?
Chavez Jr. can emphatically answer yes to the last question, all while looking spectacular nearly each time out. The exception would be his back-to-back encounters with Carlos Molina. Their first fight ended in a draw, though many felt Molina deserved a close nod.
Chavez was anxious to prove his critics wrong, coming back two months later to beat Molina at his own game. Julio dominated the action early with his superior boxing skills, but then elected to brawl with the brawler, just to prove that he could. The final scores were closer than he’d have liked, but the end result was his 24 th win, in only 2 ? years of action.
He has since won six straight, with his next challenge coming against fringe junior middleweight Anthony Shuler (20-4-1, 14KO). A win this weekend puts young Julio in line to face former Contender: Season Two contestant Michael “No Joke” Stewart seven weeks later in New York City.
With the early portions of his pro career making up for his lack of an amateur background, Chavez is growing into a bona-fide boxer-puncher. To see where he began and compare to where he’s at now, you’ll be hard-pressed to find too many other prospects who’ve dramatically improved as much as young JCC.
You will also be hard pressed to find a more explosive star in the sport today than Manny Pacquiao. It wasn’t his going 3-0 in 2006 that earned him universal recognition as Fighter of the Year; it was the manner in which he sought each victory. With Floyd Mayweather settling for distance wins in fights where he seemingly could’ve closed the show had he put forth the effort, Pacquiao went out to give his fans a true show each time out.
The Pacquiao-Morales rematch last January was one of the year’s best, with Pacquiao scoring two knockdowns en route to becoming the first to stop the legendary Mexican. Though the third fight proved to be a slaughter, the atmosphere that accompanied the fight was nearly unmatched by any other in recent memory.
So too was his 12-month run, which featured a homecoming, and seven total knockdowns in three fights, with more than 50,000 spectators attending his fights and over 800,000 more watching on PPV.
Ticket sales suggest more of the same this weekend in San Antonio, with projected totals expected to come second in San Antonio history, only to the 1993 Pernell Whitaker-Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. super fight which drew over 63,000.
Whether its Pac-Man fever, or a night of quality boxing, “Blaze of Glory” appears to be far more stuff than fluff. Even at $44.95 a pop.
