?The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.??Mark Twain
It was only a few months ago, during a Manhattan presser preceding the fight between Canelo Alvarez and Rocky Fielding, that Golden Boy Promotions? Oscar De La Hoya declared, with a prescient lack of fanfare, that ?pay-per-view is dead.?
?I?ve been all over New York City this week,? he said, ?and felt a huge, huge buzz. And I want to start by saying, ladies and gentlemen, pay-per-view is dead. I?m actually happy to announce that pay-per-view is dead.?
Death is no laughing matter, even the death of that which most people despise. But if De La Hoya is a ?happy? promoter, who are we to rain on his parade, even though it appears he was dead-wrong.
The latest lack of credible evidence in support of Oscar?s claim comes via tweet from Mike Coppinger.
SOURCES: Deontay Wilder?s planned May 18 heavyweight title defense against Dominic Breazeale is pegged for Showtime PPV. Top Rank offered Wilder $12.5 million, and PBC had to contend with the eight-figure payday, necessitating PPV
Even with Wilder?s WBC title on the line, his fight against Breazeale is a gimme. Wilder was exposed in his fight with Tyson Fury, the finest boxer he will ever face, and Breazeale, who might be a notch above most of the men Wilder clubbed into submission, does nothing to justify pay-per-view.
Blaming Bob Arum aside, shouldn?t PBC, with its deep pockets, fork over the money Wilder wants, instead of having fight fans pick up the tab?
Of course they should.
But will they?
Not on your life.
