Cotto-Pavlik PPV to Compete With Free UFC
UFC 95 may be over by the time that it airs, but it’s still on free television tonight. Boxing has two great fighters in bad matchups and is putting it on pay-per-view. You wonder why people are sure that MMA will overtake boxing soon?
The truth is, as we all know, that neither is going anywhere, and realistically, there is no real competition. Sure, they overlap a demographic, but they are different sports, and the majority of fans realize and appreciate that.
But tonight is an example of boxing dropping the ball in the battle for undecided watchers.
Kelly Pavlik and Miguel Cotto co-headline a split-location pay-per-view from Ohio and New York. They are both fighting bums and should put on a nice, gory display. That’s just what boxing needs to be getting to the masses in this day and age.
Meanwhile, UFC 95 from London (Spoiler Warning: Results) is airing on a tape-delay on Spike TV. For free. It’s one of the worst cards they’ll put together all year, and it’s going to be a huge success. Why? They put it at the right price for their fans. Simple as that.
Boxing could not have had a better chance in the head-to-head battle, but they missed it. My guess is that boxing promoters continue to underestimate the drawing power of mixed martial arts, while they drastically overestimate the loyalty of boxing fans.
Trust me, this PPV will be a bomb. UFC will be a relative success, even if it’s a tape-delay. Dana White and his crew will flaunt their average ratings, because they will certainly draw a larger number than the boxing.
But the point is that boxing had a golden opportunity here. They have two bona fide stars, both in fights that they should win by vicious knockout, and nobody is going to see it. This is the kind of card that could win over the undecided viewers that just want to see some blood, but aren’t necessarily drawn to the wrestling that has overtaken the UFC.
But alas, boxing dropped the ball again. At the end of the day, the boxing PPV will be considered a failure, while UFC 95 will be considered a massive success.
And you wonder why people have the perceptions that they do?
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