Three months without a pay-per-view worthy of note?
It?s music to most boxing fan?s ears and wallets. Since the Bernard Hopkins-Winky Wright fight on July 21st, there hasn?t been a boxing pay-per-view worthy of note (if you don?t want to count the David Tua showcase against Saul Montana). Fight fans needed a break anyhow as we had been bombarded with pay-per-view fights since March which included Barrera-Marquez, Pacquiao-Solis, De la Hoya-Mayweather, Judah-Cotto, and Hopkins-Wright.
With the cancellations of the train wreck that was Vargas-Mayorga along with the September 15 Golden Boy Promotions card, I think it?s safe to say that fanatics across the states aren?t so worried about shelling out a few extra bucks this Saturday (One hundred dollars saved is one hundred dollars earned in my book). This weekend?s fight between Manny Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera has had the luck of benefiting not only from the cancellations of these pay-per-view cards but also in riding the coattails of the scintillating fight between Kelly Pavlik and Jermain Taylor.
While some fans might retort that Barrera and more specifically Pacquiao are already stars not needing any extra push from these outside factors, I don?t agree whatsoever. The revenue generated by the Pacquiao-Solis fight was never released leading me to believe that it wasn?t the blockbuster it was initially projected to be. Many people like to cite the numbers that the ?Pacman? was able to generate with his bouts against Erik ?El Terrible? Morales as a testament to his drawing power. News Flash! Morales initially had a much bigger fanbase than Manny and played just as much a role in the financial success of those pay-per-views as the Filipino idol.
The 225,000 purchases of Marquez-Barrera showed that while both Mexican stars could undoubtedly do solid numbers against one another, it?d take a formidable dance partner with their own respective fanbase to break the vaunted 300,000 mark. While we?re awaiting the ratings for the Taylor-Pavlik show which come out tomorrow, it?s a safe bet that the millions that witnessed the drama this past weekend will be more than intrigued in this Saturday?s rematch. The preview show for Pacquiao-Barrera was a solid show that exposed the vulnerabilities of both combatants as well as the exciting styles they possess.
While many fans who viewed ?Bad Intentions? versus ?The Ghost? might very well be hardcore fanatics that would purchase any boxing event regardless of it?s competitive nature, it could easily have intrigued the casual fans to start dipping into this drug called boxing. What the sweet science needs is fans of the sport rather than just specific fighters. The increasing number of pay-per-views almost forces fans to become segregated as they pick and choose which prize-fighters to follow.
I wonder how many Jermain Taylor and Kelly Pavlik fans will tune into this weekend?s bout. I hope due to the timing and aforementioned circumstances, instead of just Mexican and Filipino fans drooling in anticipation, we might see some Little Rock and Youngstown fight fans beginning to sprout up in a major way?
