By Terence Dooley

Despite a wave of disapprobation from hardcore fans over the PPV status of Tony Bellew’s rematch against Nathan Cleverly on November 22nd, BoxingScene understands that the subscription network has asked Matchroom's Eddie Hearn to come up with three (as in the number, not cost-free) pay-per-view events between now and the summer.

In truth, Hearn promoted the Bellew-Cleverly rematch to perfection.  The show reportedly exceeded the expected numbers before a punch was thrown, so the decision to put it on the PPV platform in the first place was justified once the dust settled.  That fight, along with the brace of bouts between Carl Froch and George Groves, has shown that fans are willing to pay for a certain type of fight and show.

Pay-per-view used to be the preserve of established star names such as Ricky Hatton and Lennox Lewis, but the popularity of recent all-British grudge matches means that certain, well-matched fights between British boxers will be in with a shot of making it to PPV status.  It also means that fans will continue to get stacked bills—but not the (largely mythical) completely competitive undercards aficionados talk about—consisting of high-profile boxers and up-and-coming prospects.

For example, and presuming they all end up on the channel, fights between the likes of WBA World Super bantamweight titlist Scott Quigg and his IBF counterpart Carl Frampton plus a showdown between Amir Khan and IBF World welterweight king Kell Brook would meet the criteria.  So would any other fight that can capture the imagination of casual fans, who are prepared to pay for “event” fights and nights rather than turning to illegal streams.

Hopefully, the network will also consider a return to the popular U.K./U.S.A. crossover nights that used to boost a PPV’s value for money ratio.  A show on these Isles followed by a big bill or fifty-fifty fight from across the Atlantic always hits the spot.  Long, boxing-filled nights like these would go a long way to placating the so-called hardcore contingent.

Whatever happens, PPV is here to stay, and we will have three more of them to agonise over between now and the summer.  In a way, they are perfect for both sets of fans as the casuals can buy and enjoy them, while the hardcores get a chance to create a million forum strands bemoaning the existence of something that has been part of boxing ever since the night Frank Bruno defended his WBC heavyweight title against Mike Tyson in 1996.

You could, quite rightly, argue that PPV has waxed and waned in terms of quality in recent times, but, like a horror movie monster, it takes its lumps and always comes back for a sequel or two (or three, four, five…)—prompting weal in some and woe in others.

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