Photo © Rick Guzman/ HoganPhotos.com

I say, if they want us to shell out 30, 40 sometimes 50 bucks per PPV, they should give us some bang for our buck! The card should be solid from top to bottom! Or at least it should be so top heavy with excellent fights that they can get away with a showcase fight to kick off the festivities, but these 2 or 3 showcase fights and 1 decent to mega main event PPV's are for the birds! (My apologies to any of the birds I may have offended with that statement.)

SO HERE'S MY SYSTEM:

I preview and rate every fight that is scheduled to be televised on a PPV Boxing Card, and try to determine whether that card is worth purchasing or not based on my point system below.

Please note that at the end of each preview, I will mention what weight class the bout is being fought at and where each fighter ranks within that weight class. This is done by using "The Ring" ratings.

HERE'S HOW STEVE'S PPV CRITERIA WORKS!

POINTS:

6 = MEGA MATCHUP

5 = Excellent Matchup

4 = Good Matchup

3 = Decent Matchup

2 = OK Matchup

1 = Bad Matchup

If a fight is scheduled to be televised on the card, it gets at least 1 point. This helps to reward quantity.

POINT SYSTEM:

14 or higher = GET IT!

13 = If you can find someone to split it with you or the price of the PPV is 24.99 or less, GET IT!

12 = If you can find someone to split it with you or the price of the PPV is 19.99 or less CONSIDER getting it.

11 = If you can find a place that is showing it, or get enough people over to split it with you, so that you are not paying more than 10 dollars for the card, CONSIDER getting it.

10 or under = Save your money and sleep well at night knowing you didn't get ripped off!

AND AWAY WE GO!

January 21st - PPV PRICE: $44.95 

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ERIC MORALES (48-3 34 KO's) vs MANNY PACQUIAO (40-3-2 32 KO's)

This is one of the best if not THE best matchup in boxing today. Their first fight was a blast and there's absolutely no reason to expect anything less in this fight. Both guys will be in top shape and are willing to leave it all in the ring to pick up the victory. While both are big punchers, both also have good chins and the chances of either fighter scoring an early KO are remote. So barring some kind of freak cut, we are practically guaranteed several rounds of action between two elite fighters. You simply can't ask for much more than this! 

*Eric Morales is rated # 2 at Jr Lightweight (130lbs) - Manny Pacquiao is rated # 3 at Jr Lightweight (130lbs) 

SCORE = 6

MARTIN CASTILLO (29-1 16 KO's) vs ALEXANDER MUNOZ (28-1 26 KO's)

This is an interesting rematch. The first time these two met, Munoz was beginning to create some buzz with his impressive record of 25-0 24 KO's. However this was Castillo's coming out party. He picked the highly touted knock out artist apart and had him in serious trouble on many occasions. Munoz never quit and kept stalking Castillo throughout. Now the tables are turned. It's Castillo who is creating the buzz at 115 lbs and Munoz who is looking to get back into the picture. Munoz has 3 wins since his lone loss to Castillo and now has his opportunity to avenge it. This is your classic bull vs matador match, but Castillo can turn bull too. There's a chance Castillo simply puts an exclamation point on his first victory over Munoz and runs away with this, but even so, Munoz is never out of it due to his power and he'll never stop gunning for the knockout. I expect an entertaining fight to break out fairly early on.

*Martin Castillo is rated # 1 at Jr Bantamweight (115lbs) - Alexander Munoz is rated # 5 at Jr Bantamweight (115lbs)*

SCORE = 4

JOSE LUIS ZERTUCHE (17-2-2 13 KO's) vs MARCO PRIMERA (19-12-2 12 KO's)

This fight has changed faces more times than Lon Chaney! This was supposed to be most people's first look at undefeated Middleweight prospect Kelly Pavlik. However Pavlik had to pull out with an injury. He was replaced with Anthony ‘The Messenger’ Thompson. Then Thompson pulls out. Now suddenly the ‘opponent’ Zertuche becomes the favorite. Zertuche is a big rugged game fighter and will take it to Primera. Primera is coming off of 2 straight losses and has a slew of KO losses. He would normally be looked at as a ‘showcase’ opponent, but don't forget he's facing a fighter who was supposed to be a solid test but clear cut underdog to Pavlik and Thompson. If Primera is in decent shape and gives it all he's got, we may actually be pleasantly surprised with a decent scrap here, for a few rounds anyhow.

*This fight will take place at Middleweight (160lbs) - Neither fighter is rated*

SCORE = 2

JUAN MANUEL LOPEZ (8-0 8 KO's) vs JOSE LUIS CARO (0-3 0 KO's)

Guess what they've got for us at Showcase City? You guessed it, a showcase! In every sense of the word. Juan Manuel Lopez is a hot Jr Featherweight prospect. So far he has 8 KO's in 8 wins, 5 of his KO's are in the 1st round and he's never been past 3. The biggest upset of the night would be if Jose Luis Caro made it past the 1st round. Caro is 0-3 and his 3 fights have been scattered over the past 3 years! Oh yeah, and 2 of his 3 losses were by KO. This is a shameful matchup. Or should I say massacre?

*This fight will take place at Jr Featherweight (122lbs) - Neither fighter is rated*

SCORE = 1

FINAL SCORE = 13

SUMMARY: The main event is as good as it gets. What more can I say? It's almost a guarantee to satisfy everyone who watches it in terms of entertainment value. While the main undercard bout has a decent chance at being memorable, the first 2 fights of the night are likely to be forgetful. We may be pleasantly surprised, but don't get your hopes up too high on that. Still, the main event is so strong and the main undercard bout is good enough, that if you can get somebody to split this PPV for you, I would highly recommend you get it and enjoy your evening of watching 2 of the best in the business give it everything they've got.