News that the Floyd Mayweather-Shane Mosley pay-per-view numbers will settle at about 1.4 million buys is interesting in a few ways. First, if one strips away the early hype surrounding projections, the numbers are very impressive. Second, if one considers the early hype surrounding projections, the numbers can probably be seen as somewhat of a disappointment. With a colossal marketing strategy, a weekly infomercial on HBO leading up to the fight, and two of the biggest names in boxing headlining, Mayweather-Mosley fell far short of the 2 million buys estimate and light years away from the preposterous 4 million buys GBP CEO Richard Schaefer fantasized out loud about.
Could it be that the celebrity status of Mayweather has hit its peak? Or has he morphed into the kind of public figure so common these days?famous for being who he is and not for what he does? Or could his celebrity status only go so far in relation to what some consider a safety-first approach in the ring? By winning a congressional seat in Sarangani, Manny Pacquiao has certainly upped the curiosity factor for those who do not follow boxing, and it will be interesting to see how the mainstream media in America will pay attention to each fighter over the next few months. Who will win the battle of public recognition?
*****
The ho-hum heavyweight division continues its descent when Vitali Klitschko faces off with one of the least deserving title challengers in history, Albert Sosnowski, who has never beaten a single credible fighter and who was shut out by Zuri Lawrence less than two years ago. Sosnowski resembled a cigar store Indian in that bout, but nevertheless makes the cut as a sacrificial lamb on May 29. If Klitschko is sincere in claiming that he wants to retire shortly, why waste his time with a meaningless fight? Sosnowski would probably make Ray Austin look good.
Along with his brother, Wladimir, Vitali is incapable of giving most spectators what they want: action. No wonder David Haye continues to make noise just by making noise. So dull and colorless are the Klitschkos (except to Germany, the same country that idolized torturous Sven Ottke and virtual pacifist Henry Make) that it is Haye who will grace the forthcoming issue of Ring Magazine despite having only beaten tired John Ruiz in his last bout. Both Klitschkos are talented, but their cautious styles leave many, at least in America, drowsy.
But maybe Vitali Klitschko will seize the day against Sosnowski. With an opponent in front of him about as threatening as a member of the Pro Bowlers Tour, Klitschko has the opportunity to come out blazing, drop Sosnowski on his face within three rounds, generate a little buzz in doing so, and do what prizefighters are generally supposed to do: provide a little excitement. A fight, after all, is a fight. Joe Louis may have had his so-called ?Bum-of-the-Month? club, but not one of those bums?although they wound up hearing bells?ever heard the final bell in the ring. Even Lennox Lewis, often scorned for his caution in the ring, knew what to do when he had an overmatched opponent in front of him: take him out quick. Against no-hopers like Michael Grant, Andrew Golota, and Frans Botha, Lewis came out smoking. If Klitschko wants to make a statement, maybe even overshadow his brother somewhat, he can answer the bell on May 29, for once, with some bad intentions in mind.
*****
Negotiations for a proposed Nonito Donaire-Vic Darchinyan rematch supposedly fell apart last week over revenue sharing for television rights. Apparently, when Top Rank dragged its feet about splitting Philippine broadcast income, Team Darchinyan decided to pull the plug on the fight, despite the fact that talks between Gary Shaw and Bob Arum had not yet ceased. Darchinyan is a woofer, no doubt, but he sounds absolutely absurd when accusing Donaire, a man who left him counting atoms in the ring, of cowardice.
In fact, there is little reason to believe the outcome in a rematch would have been any different from the first bout. After all, Donaire did not squeak by on a split decision or win because of a cut; no, he blasted Darchinyan to the canvas and left him groping, staggering, and finally toppling to defeat with a single left hook. Darchinyan looked mediocre losing to Joseph Agbeko last year and has since fought two gimmie fights in a row. But Donaire does seem to be suffering a bit under the guidance of Top Rank. He fought only once in 2008 and twice in 2009. Headlining ?Pinoy Power? and ?Latin Fury? cards is not the way to build a fanbase, especially for a fighter as marketable?to the extent that a junior bantamweight can be marketed?as Donaire is. In addition to his skill between the ropes, Donaire is stylish outside of the ring, speaks both Tagalog and English, and has an engaging personality. Gary Shaw at least had Donaire fighting on Showtime.
Top Rank has a lot of big dogs in its kennel, and it seems that Donaire might be one of those at the bottom of the pecking order as far as promotion goes. Or maybe Top Rank is putting itself ahead of one of their fighters? Is it any wonder that Fernando Montiel, another Top Rank boxer, is now being mentioned as his next opponent? Montiel, coming off an upset stoppage win against Hozumi Hasegawa in Japan, would be a fantastic fight, but, in the end, how important is it to Top Rank that a Montiel-Donaire bout would not require them to split Philippine television revenue with anybody?
*****
Larry Merchant has certainly taken his lumps over the last couple of months. Even when he reported on the air last week that Kelly Pavlik would forgo a rematch with Sergio Martinez, all the dedicated journalists out there rushed to made sure to note that this announcement was not ?official.? A few days later, Pavlik made it official, but it was hard to find anyone who would give Merchant credit for originally breaking the story. Scoops, apparently, are now the sole province of those who make sure to pat themselves on the back between keyboard strokes.
Subliterate forum hounds and third-rate bloggers also like to critique Merchant, former columnist for The Philadelphia Daily News and The New York Post and author of three books not published by a vanity press. Merchant, who has only been covering boxing for over half a century, suffers from the contemporary mindset of ?all rah rah, all the time,? and whenever he criticizes something, he is going against the ridiculous ?fanboy? grain that dominates coverage of boxing these days. In many ways, Merchant is, indeed, passe. Not many want to hear a contrasting opinion in boxing, and not many want to be told that what they usually cheerlead about is not worth the effort required to shake a pom pom. In general, the barking commentariat is comprised of the same folks who do not find it odd to see a puffed up lightweight against a junior middleweight on a major PPV card or to see pitiful John Brown still taking blows to the head on ESPN2. Merchant is simply too harsh and incendiary for those who want their notions confirmed, not contradicted, and with sound effects and hip-hop metaphors shooting off every few minutes like cannon fire.
