By Rick Reeno
Golden Boy Promotions President Oscar De La Hoya believes the pay-per-view audience is shrinking, because the two biggest names in the sport have been unable to reach an agreement to face each other in the ring - and fans are gradually displaying their frustrations by declining to purchases pay-per-view events.
Both Mayweather and Pacquiao have underperformed on pay-per-view in 2014. Insiders believe Mayweather has failed to crack 1 million buys in three out of his last four pay-per-view events. Pacquiao has also failed to come anywhere near a million buys for his last three pay-per-view appearances, and two of those fights even failed to reach the half million mark.
Even June's highly anticipated fight between Miguel Cotto and Sergio Martinez underperformed with a reported figure of 350,000 buys.
Unless Mayweather and Pacquiao fight each other, De La Hoya anticipates that a large number of fans will continue to punish the pay-per-view industry with their wallets.
"Absolutely. People are now fed up and they are tired. They are frustrated. If its not Manny Pacquiao and Mayweather who are going to fight [each other], we are not going to buy pay-per-view. That's the fight that must happen for the sake of the sport. I don't care who wins. I just want to see it happen because its going to be a great fight and it will attract more fans. It will be a huge disappointment to the fans [if it doesn't happen]. [But] boxing will continue [if it doesn't happen], boxing will live and boxing will reinvent itself at some point," De La Hoya said.
Discussions are ongoing to make Mayweather-Pacquiao in the first half of 2015 and both boxers are openly demanding the fight. However, nobody is holding their breath. The two sides have been failing to reach an agreement, for one reason or another, since 2010.
