By Jake Donovan
The bar for the standard pay-per-view appears to drop with each passing year, if not each telecast. Once upon a time, a solid PPV meant a main event whose outcome would greatly impact the sport. It also meant no fewer than two strong supporting bouts, with linear or alphabet titles at stake not necessarily a pre-requisite, but certainly a welcome bonus.
In recent years, the formula's been diluted to where any two names who feel that HBO or Showtime dollars alone aren't enough to get them in the ring qualify as a PPV headliner. Quite often, it's the only reason a card is offered at a surcharge. Other times, it's faded former greats seeing if their market value still holds up in the twilight. Whatever the case, the headliners are now often accompanied by bouts that serve as little more than means for the show's promoter to showcase their stable either in blatant mismatches, or bouts that are far more intriguing than entertaining.
This weekend is a remarkable exception, as Top Rank and DiBella Entertainment come closer than any other show in recent years to actually giving fans their money's worth from beginning to end, as Kelly Pavlik squares off against Jermain Taylor this weekend in Las Vegas (Saturday, HBO PPV, 9PM ET/6PM PT).
The irony is that the main event is good enough to sell on its own.
The moment recently dethroned middleweight champion Jermain Taylor elected to exercise his rematch clause against Kelly Pavlik, we knew the bout was heading for pay per view, and deservedly so. Their September brawl was universally regarded as the year's best fight, with several hailing it 2007's absolute best.
Not even the fact that it will be fought at a catchweight (which has also become an ugly recent trend in PPV headliners) and that the middleweight crown will not be at stake detracts from the entertainment value many figure the rematch to produce. Of course, it's difficult to not leave entertained after watching any bout featuring Pavlik. The pride of Youngstown doesn't have it in him to disappoint, as evidenced in all three of his bouts in 2007, all airing on HBO.
In this day and age, seeing a highly ranked contender make three appearances in one year is a treat in of itself. That all three fights not only result in victory, but entertain throughout and produce highlight reel endings, is the stuff that stars are made of. Add to that, climbing off of the canvas to come back and brutally knock out the reigning linear middleweight champion, and you're next bout is must-see TV, no matter whom against.
Pavlik's rise to superstardom was the exact opposite of the progress – or lack thereof – in the career of Jermain Taylor heading into their September bout. Despite being the undefeated middleweight champion of the world, whose reign began with an upset of future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins, Taylor's reign had been met with far more criticism than just about any linear champion in boxing history. It didn't help that each of his four title defenses ended either in controversy or absolute boredom.
All of that changed last September, when Taylor was finally presented with an opponent who had no interest in running, or even playing defense. Not that Pavlik would willingly stick out his chin and dare Taylor to hit him – or would he. It happened in the second round, when Pavlik, earlier caught with an inadvertent elbow, dropped his hands. It wasn't long enough to get the attention of referee Steve Smoger, but just enough time for Taylor to catch Kelly on the chin enough times to send him stumbling to the canvas.
Pavlik spent the rest of the round trying to regain his legs, while Taylor spent his time punching himself out, overzealous to get rid of his murderous punching challenger. The plan failed miserably, as Pavlik boxed and brawled his way back into the fight before closing the show in the seventh, sending Taylor crashing to the canvas. It was Taylor's first knockdown suffered as a pro, with seconds later resulting in his first loss and the end of the most disputed undisputed title reign in recent boxing history.
Given their styles, it's nearly impossible to picture the rematch failing to produce the same level as excitement as their first fight. While the bout itself is close to a pick-'em (Pavlik is a slight favorite), the safest bet of the night is that Pavlik doesn't pick this occasion to go the "win tonight, look good the next time" route. Rare is the occasion when the winner of such a violent knockout win elects to just box the second time around, or resist the temptation to eventually check that chin.
It might be in Taylor's best interests to make the bout as dull as possible. But despite his Olympic pedigree and underrated achievements as a pro, Taylor doesn't not possess the pure boxing skills necessary to shut down Pavlik's attack, or even keep the heat off of him for very long. And while the knockout from five months ago must still remain fresh in his mind, there's no question that he wouldn't have exercised his rematch clause if he didn't believe he could right some serious wrongs from their first fight. He had him down last time, and is firmly convinced that he's finishing him off this time.
It's why he wanted the rematch, and why it comes at 6 lb over the middleweight limit. He's not interested in regaining his crown or ever again competing as a middleweight. All he wants is to avenge his lone defeat. All Pavlik wants to do is repeat his performance from last September, save for another visit to the canvas.
The only thing boxing fans want is to get their money's worth, whether attending the show at the MGM Grand, or watching from the confines of their living room. In the slim chance that Pavlik-Taylor II fails to entertain, promoters brought in reinforcements in the undercard.
For those who don't order every PPV, many will get their first look at Cristian Mijares, who has shown as much improvement over the past 18 months as any fighter in the game today. The 26-year old Mexican southpaw doesn't boast the glossiest of resumes (33-3-2, 14KO), but enters this weekend's fight with 2000 Olympian Jose Navarro riding a 5-year, 23-fight unbeaten streak.
Most have come in his native Mexico, but his biggest win came last April in the chief support to Manny Pacquiao's PPV headliner against Jorge Solis. Mijares upset the odds in serving up an embarrassing boxing lesson to Jorge Arce, one of the few bankable stars in the lower weight classes. Mijares not only boxed Arce's ears off, but never let up, going for the knockout in the final round even though there was no doubt he already had the fight won on the cards.
The Arce win was preceded by a pair of impressive showings against Katsushige Kawashima in Japan, where and against whom Jose Navarro fell short in a highly controversial decision in 2005. Coming up short has unfortunately become Navarro's calling card in recent years, also dropping a road decision against Masamori Tokuyama in 2006 and most recently against Dimitry Kilirov in Russia last October.
This weekend's bout is perceived as Navarro's last crack at a run toward the top of the junior bantamweight division, which is arguably the most loaded weight class besides welterweight. So loaded, that two more of its top entrants appear on this very card, with Mexican rivals Fernando Montiel and Martin Castillo squaring off in a PPV preliminary bout.
Castillo (33-2, 17KO) was once upon a time regarded as the best junior bantamweight on the planet, largely on the strength of his dominant December 2004 points win over previously unbeaten Alexander Munoz. The win put Castillo on the map as one of boxing's best, though very few were lining up to face him.
The 1996 Olympian further impressed with a thorough boxing lesson against former flyweight titlist Eric Morel in March 2005, though he still managed to struggle with stateside TV time. Twice in a span of three fights, Castillo was forced to travel to Japan, with the bouts bookending a blazing rematch with Munoz in January 2006. His second trip to the Far East resulted in Castillo's first loss in four years when he suffered a cuts-induced 10th round stoppage in a huge upset by novice Nobuo Nashiro.
He's since won three straight and was rumored to face Jorge Arce sometime in 2008, but gladly accepted assignment against Montiel the moment the fight was offered to him.
Montiel (35-2-1, 26KO) has been something of a Jekyll-and-Hyde since emerging on the title scene seven years ago. At his best, he is an incredibly talented boxer-puncher, as evidenced in wins over the likes of Isidro Garcia, Ivan "Choko" Hernandez and most recently against Luis Melendez. Other times, he shows up lethargic and uninspired, as was the case in his two career losses against Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson and Jhonny Gonzalez, and even in wins, such as his 2005 decision over Evert Briceno.
It goes without saying that Montiel needs to not only be at his best when facing Castillo this weekend, but to put together the type of performance that creates demand for big money fights against the few big names capable of creating such ends. The same is true in reverse, as Castillo can no longer afford to just win.
At stake for Castillo is a potential summer showdown with Arce, a lucrative opportunity in and of itself. Of course, it'd be nice to turn a good payday into a great one, which he'll be able to demand with the type of bargaining chip that would come with a big win over Montiel. That, in turn, should serve as all of the motivation Montiel needs to bring his A-game and produce a career-best effort in scoring the biggest win of his career.
If all six aforementioned participants of this weekend's card live up to the win-or-find-a-new-job demand that surrounds their fights, a card already designed to give you your money's worth will leave you calling for an encore. The way pay-per-view used to be.
NEWS AND NOTES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ROPES
Maybe it's just me, but can't say HBO's Countdown to Pavlik-Taylor II special had me any more eager to buy this weekend's PPV. On the Pavlik side, we kept hearing about how much he means to the working class people of Youngstown, OH – but how about some actual response from the people, rather than their tales being told through Jack Loew? To his credit, Pavlik appears as humble as ever. Sometimes, not even fame and fortune can change a man's true character. In Kelly's case, that's a good thing…
Telefutura gives us a nice card this weekend, with undefeated junior welterweight Mike Alvarado taking on Jesus Rodriguez in Cicero, IL. Alvarado (19-0, 13KO) is no stranger to the Solo Boxeo circuit, making his seventh appearance on the network in less than two years.
The Colorado-based star in the making has been wowing them ever since turning pro in 2004, with his career picking up in the past two years. His last bout only lasted 87 seconds, with former Contender contestant Michael Clark injuring his hand seconds into the bout before being forced to quit a little over a minute later on advice of the ringside physician.
Alvarado should get in some decent work this weekend, as Rodriguez (17-2-1, 5KO) is no slouch. The Cali-based junior welterweight is presently riding a nine-fight win streak, including impressive showings in 2007 against Hector Allatore, Dairo Esalas and his biggest win to date, an eight round decision over previously unbeaten Omri Lowther last November on Shobox.
The main event is the best bout Telefutura has posted in 2008 to date, at least on paper…
ESPN2's Friday Night Fights also posts an interesting main event, with Delvin Rodriguez taking on potential spoiler Troy Browning in Uncasville, CT.
Rodriguez is an ESPN2 regular, though found his career in disarray last year when his chin and stamina failed him in a monumental 8th round knockout loss to Jesse Feliciano. The Connecticut-based Dominican recovered nicely, pulverizing Keenan Collins for two straight rounds in their August bout, also on ESPN2. He was forced to settle for a no-contest after the referee incorrectly ruled that a cut over Collins' eye was caused by a headbutt. The New York State Athletic Commission later stepped in, and righted a terrible wrong in changing the outcome to a 2nd round TKO win.
There will be no settling when he faces Browning, a 40-year old southpaw coming off of the biggest win of his career last June, when he scored a huge upset over Julio "Baby Face" Garcia on ESPN2. Heading into the bout, Browning, who returned to the ring in 2006 after an eight-year absence, had only defeated one pro fighter with a winning record, which came in his second pro fight. Many attributed the upset more to the lethargic effort put forth by Garcia than what Browning did right, but it still counts as a win all the same.
The winner is still on the outside looking in as far as welterweight relevance, but is certainly one giant step closer…
A brief recap of 2008 welterweight scheduling incase you've had a difficult time keeping up:
- Paul Williams-Kermit Cintron became Williams-Carlos Quintana, which led to the year's first significant upset
- An April doubleheader of Miguel Cotto-Joshua Clottey and Antonio Margarito-Zab Judah has since become Cotto-Alfonso Gomez and Margarito-Cintron.
- Zab is now rumored to be facing Shane Mosley in May, news which surfaced after premature reports of Shane possibly squaring off against Ricardo Mayorga.
- Mayorga is now rumored to face Cotto either in July or sometime after the winners of the April doubleheader square off in July. The same rumor that has Cotto-Mayorga happening also has Quintana facing Margarito
If I have it correct, then does that mean we eventually get Clottey-Williams sometime later this year? There doesn't seem to be anyone else left to fight either, and it would be nice for Joshua to fit somewhere into the mix, especially after being teased with the possibility of facing Cotto or at least being able to enforce his mandatory status for Cintron's alphabet title…
Nice comeback episode for The Wire this weekend. They picked up nicely on a lot of areas, properly setting the tone for the remainder of the season, where they seemed to merely tread water last weekend. Those who were growing frustrated with the addition of the newsroom have to be pleased with the way that story line has played out. Clark Johnson has been just as brilliant in his portrayal of newsroom editor Gus Haynes as he was all those years ago as Detective Meldrick Lewis on "Homicide." In a fitting touch, Johnson, who directed the series premiere in 2002 is also tabbed to direct the series finale, which is rapidly approaching.
If there is a complaint about this season as a whole, though, it's that some of the show's more memorable characters are bordering on cartoon status. It's natural for Omar to wreak havoc on neighborhood corners and stash houses, but can you at least let him sit out a day or two and pretend to let him recover from leaping four stories from an apartment after nearly getting got in a shootout with Chris, Snoop and Michael? Or at least give him a wingman? Which reminds me, where the hell is Renaldo, or even former lover Dante, for that matter…
Not necessarily a spoiler, but next week's episode of The Wire will feature a cameo appearance by Richard Belzer's ubiquitous John Munch character, which originated on Homicide and has since worked its way through all three Law and Order series, including a co-starring role on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. For those who don't recall, Munch and Meldrick owned a bar together on the Homicide series. Curious to see if Munch bumps into Gus Haynes, and if any references will be made to Clark Johnson's former role.
Jake Donovan is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the Tennessee Boxing Advisory Board. His feature column runs every Tuesday, and his Prospect of the Week series runs every Thursday. Jake is also BoxingScene's official Telefutura correspondent.
Please feel free to submit any comments or questions to Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.
