A great weekend past for UFC, while a weekend of so – so results for boxing.
I was very impressed with what UFC did last Saturday, both live, pay-per-view and cable. For arguably a weak card, UFC 103 was the highest grossing sports live gate at Dallas’ American Airlines Center. Beaten only by a Rolling Stones concert a few years ago.
Cheap seats were $100. Scalpers were getting a lot more. Sports bars were packed to watch it on PPV. The Spike TV show last Wednesday was enormous. It doesn’t end and this will ensure a comeback to both Dallas and Houston for UFC in the future.
I doubt UFC did much on PPV. However it would be because of a weak card and college football, not boxing. Something to think about.
UFC satisfied current fans but created new fans. A win win for UFC.
Now on to boxing. I’m hearing Mayweather – Marquez did a pretty decent buy rate of just under a million buys. But you have to count what Marquez delivered in Mexico, just as you do Hatton in Great Britain.
I have no problem with Golden Boy Promotions, if they did at all, fudging the numbers a bit. It’s their damn show. If you don’t like, don’t watch or do it yourself. I don’t care that that they went from their original date to last weekend. What on earth do people that are so intense for this information do with it? It’s over! Get a life!
It was such an awful boxing undercard. Remember when Don King used to out the challenger of the main event on so the public and media could get excited about the next fight? Not anymore. I recently wrote in my last Houscat notes column that King put Larry Holmes on the Thrilla in Manila – Ali – Frazier III. He also put Buster Douglas on the Tyson – Spinks card. It’s not rocket science. But it’s not artwork either. Today the promoters just outsmart themselves. But the fan base gets older and older and boxing is losing big time.
Saturday night’s Klitschko – Arreola isn’t going to help matters. Klitschko might take him out in the first minute of the first round.
