By Lem Satterfield
Michael Koncz, the adviser to WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, believes their decision to take the May 7 pay-per-view fight with Shane Mosley to HBO's network rival, Showtime/CBS, will be good for the sport of boxing. Koncz acknowledged a big advantage presented by Showtime's ability to televise a multi-part series that is equivalent to HBO's 24/7 -- on CBS primetime. There is also CBS's ability to reach 115 million homes compared to HBO's 28 million homes. All of Pacquiao's major pay-per-view fights have been carried by HBO.
"As I've told the media before, we've had a great experience with HBO. There are no complaints there. But we've felt that there was an advantage because of the fact that CBS has an audience base of over 100 million. We just think that it's worth a chance and it's worth a change because we're trying to, again, make Manny that rock star -- that crossover star. In order to accomplish that we need to get him exposure outside of the hardcore boxing fans," Koncz said.
If the move to Showtime/CBS is successful, it could bring boxing back into the mainstream. If that happens, Koncz feels Pacquiao should get some of the credit for helping the sport grow.
"I absolutely think that. I think that if our calculations prove correct concerning what this move to CBS and Showtime and is going to do, as we expect, then, yes, Manny should be credited for doing that. Manny is a non-American, an Asian fighter and boxer who is bringing the sport back to the American public on free television," Koncz said.
Lem Satterfield is the boxing editor at AOL FanHouse and the news editor at BoxingScene.com. To read more from Lem Satterfield, go to AOL FanHouse by Clicking Here.
