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So here we go again. It is the boxing season before the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and first pitch of the baseball season. And with that, promoters are once again playing their game with boxing fans by booking conflict championship fights which only puts another blemish on the sport.
The predicament this time is next Saturday evening. Miguel Cotto defends his welterweight title against the unpredictable Ricardo Mayorga on Showtime Pay-Per-View from Las Vegas for the price of $49.95. There is a good undercard on the telecast that includes former WBA super welterweight champion Yuri Foreman, who lost to Cotto at Yankee Stadium in New York last June, and Tommy Zbikowski the NFL Baltimore Ravens safety in a four-round heavyweight bout.
And for those subscribers to HBO, Sergio Martinez the 2010 “Fighter of the Year” defends his middleweight title against undefeated Sergei Dzinziruk (37-0, 23 KO’s) of the Ukraine from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut Martinez may or may not be in the ring before Cotto makes his appearance in Vegas.
Depending on the length of undercard fights, and from the history of PPV telecasts, Cotto in all probability throws his first punches around 11:30pm Eastern time after the standard national anthems and ring introductions.
There will never be a viable explanation as to why boxing promoters offer this dilemma to fans of the sport. HBO books their network boxing dates in advance and search for viable promotions that have the championship fighters. And there is no telling, with rival Showtime, as to where the competition is headed.
Here is how Lou DiBella, promoter of Martinez explains the situation to boxing fans. He has a viable explanation and after reading his comments you, be the one to determine which fight to choose.
Said DiBella “People who want to watch Cotto will have to pay about $50. To watch it and the same people in all probability if they’re boxing fans and have HBO will go back-and-forth. They’ll buy pay-per-view and go back-and-forth to watch both shows because that’s how hardcore boxing fans are.
But I’m confident people want to see Sergio Martinez and that we have a great doubleheader on HBO that people will watch. So, sometimes, there are two fight cards in one night and it’s unfortunate. I prefer that there only be one. It’s better for the sport but people who have HBO don’t have to pay extra money to see this fight but they have to pay $50 to see Cotto.
So, I’m guessing that even the people buying the Cotto show will switch the channel to watch Sergio Martinez.”
The key words from DiBella are preferences for one fight show. That makes logical sense. Martinez certainly deserves the exposure coming off a great year with an explosive first round knockout over Paul Williams in November and winning the middleweight title over Kelly Pavlik earlier in the year. And he could be a possible opponent for eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao.
In the meantime, the Cotto fight is very intriguing. The promotion also includes the headline of Top Rank promoter Bob Arum and his supposed adversary, Don King, joining forces in co-promoting a show for the first time in five years. A win for Cotto and there is a possible redemption bout with Antonio Margarito in June at the new Meadowlands Football Stadium in East Rutherford New Jersey.
Arum and King did not get into the conflict matter. They did not have to because the boxing fan will spend the extra money and order the Cotto fight. The champion from Caguas Puerto Rico is one of the highest grossing fighters on PPV telecasts in good company with Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Oscar De La Hoya
So what to choose? From the perspective of a boxing fan, depending of course on your budget? Go with both fight cards and load the recording system in case you miss a punch or sudden knockout because with boxing there is either nothing or too much of something.
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The predicament this time is next Saturday evening. Miguel Cotto defends his welterweight title against the unpredictable Ricardo Mayorga on Showtime Pay-Per-View from Las Vegas for the price of $49.95. There is a good undercard on the telecast that includes former WBA super welterweight champion Yuri Foreman, who lost to Cotto at Yankee Stadium in New York last June, and Tommy Zbikowski the NFL Baltimore Ravens safety in a four-round heavyweight bout.
And for those subscribers to HBO, Sergio Martinez the 2010 “Fighter of the Year” defends his middleweight title against undefeated Sergei Dzinziruk (37-0, 23 KO’s) of the Ukraine from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut Martinez may or may not be in the ring before Cotto makes his appearance in Vegas.
Depending on the length of undercard fights, and from the history of PPV telecasts, Cotto in all probability throws his first punches around 11:30pm Eastern time after the standard national anthems and ring introductions.
There will never be a viable explanation as to why boxing promoters offer this dilemma to fans of the sport. HBO books their network boxing dates in advance and search for viable promotions that have the championship fighters. And there is no telling, with rival Showtime, as to where the competition is headed.
Here is how Lou DiBella, promoter of Martinez explains the situation to boxing fans. He has a viable explanation and after reading his comments you, be the one to determine which fight to choose.
Said DiBella “People who want to watch Cotto will have to pay about $50. To watch it and the same people in all probability if they’re boxing fans and have HBO will go back-and-forth. They’ll buy pay-per-view and go back-and-forth to watch both shows because that’s how hardcore boxing fans are.
But I’m confident people want to see Sergio Martinez and that we have a great doubleheader on HBO that people will watch. So, sometimes, there are two fight cards in one night and it’s unfortunate. I prefer that there only be one. It’s better for the sport but people who have HBO don’t have to pay extra money to see this fight but they have to pay $50 to see Cotto.
So, I’m guessing that even the people buying the Cotto show will switch the channel to watch Sergio Martinez.”
The key words from DiBella are preferences for one fight show. That makes logical sense. Martinez certainly deserves the exposure coming off a great year with an explosive first round knockout over Paul Williams in November and winning the middleweight title over Kelly Pavlik earlier in the year. And he could be a possible opponent for eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao.
In the meantime, the Cotto fight is very intriguing. The promotion also includes the headline of Top Rank promoter Bob Arum and his supposed adversary, Don King, joining forces in co-promoting a show for the first time in five years. A win for Cotto and there is a possible redemption bout with Antonio Margarito in June at the new Meadowlands Football Stadium in East Rutherford New Jersey.
Arum and King did not get into the conflict matter. They did not have to because the boxing fan will spend the extra money and order the Cotto fight. The champion from Caguas Puerto Rico is one of the highest grossing fighters on PPV telecasts in good company with Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Oscar De La Hoya
So what to choose? From the perspective of a boxing fan, depending of course on your budget? Go with both fight cards and load the recording system in case you miss a punch or sudden knockout because with boxing there is either nothing or too much of something.
Link
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