By Mike Coppinger
With the fall schedule fast approaching, Top Rank has two major PPV shows, one on Nov. 12 (Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manual Marquez 3) and one on Dec. 3 (Antonio Margarito-Miguel Cotto 2).
Currently, the brass at the Las Vegas-based promotional outfit are hard at work putting together the televised undercards.
“[The Cotto-Margarito show] and the [Manny] Pacquiao show are so closely linked,” said Top Rank President Todd duBoef. “We want to see what happens with Brandon Rios. Within [the next few days] we’re hoping to lock down the undercard.
As far as competitor Golden Boy recent string of quality PPV undercards, duBoef doesn’t feel any pressure.
“I don’t think there’s any pressure at all,” duBoef said. “When you’re doing a pay-per-view, I don’t compare myself to what someone else is putting out there. I don’t look at them as a competitor, we’re both in the same sphere providing content.
“There was a time they had a fight (the Floyd Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez card)that everyone said was the greatest undercard of all-time and it ended up being a stinker. They had all these fights, supposed to be the most amazing fights, it ended up being terrible. At the end of the day, they were stinky fights. “
When matching fighters, it’s always hard to know which fight will pan out, as it’s a bit of an inexact science in terms of giving fans fights they will be pleased with spending their hard-earned cash on.
“There’s an element of luck,” duBoef continued. “I didn’t think [Jorge]Arce [Wilfredo] Vazquez was going to be the fight it ended up being. On the same note, I didn’t think [Pawel] Wolak and Yuri Foreman was going to be the fight it ended up being, it had action, it was a solid fight. I thought it was going to be terrible.”
Mike Coppinger is a regular boxing freelancer for USA TODAY and Ring Magazine. He’s a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America, the Ring Ratings Advisory Panel and the Yahoo! Sports Boxing Panel. Follow him on Twitter: @MikeCoppinger.