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THE PURPOSE: I don't think any one fight can be made in boxing today, that alone, is worth the price of a PPV. Unless of course, they can conjure up Dempsey vs Marciano or Joe Louis, but until that day comes, I want some quantity to go along with quality!
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, GET IT!
12 = If you can find someone to split it with you, 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 it.
10 or under = Save your money and sleep well at night knowing you didn't get ripped off!
AND AWAY WE GO!
Saturday, September 17th - PPV PRICE: 44.95
MARCO ANTONIO BARRERA (60-4, 42 KO's) vs ROBBIE PEDEN (25-2, 14 KO's)
Barrera is one of the best in boxing and has been fighting great the past year. Peden is, well, Barrera's former sparring partner. Peden is a big 130lb fighter and does have some pop to his punches, but having sparred with him many times, Peden brings nothing to the fight that will surprise Barrera. Peden is coming off of two KO wins over Nate Campbell, but it's hard to forget that beating Juan Manuel Marquez gave Peden back in 2002. If Peden gives the fight of his life and Barrera is having an off night, this could turn into a good scrap. More likely Barrera will turn boxer and box Peden's ears off over 12 rounds perhaps stopping him late.
*This fight will be at junior lightweight (130lbs). Barrera is rated #1 at 130lbs – Peden is rated #9 at 130lbs.*
SCORE = 3
SHANE MOSLEY (40-4, 35 KO's) vs JOSE LUIS CRUZ (32-0-2, 27 KO's)
Mosley is not an elite fighter anymore, but 147 is a much better weight class for him to perform at. Jose Luis Cruz is taking a huge step up in class. He's never fought anyone near the caliber of Mosley before. His two draws are fairly recent, one in early 2002 against Carlos Baldamir and one in 2004 against Lino Perez Jr. His 27 KO's in 32 wins indicates some power, but anyone can accumulate a nice KO record if matched against the right opponents and Cruz has not been fighting a high caliber of opponent, for sure. Cruz has an aggressive style and will probably try to take it to Mosley's body, which might make for some fun, but I would expect a replay of Mosley/David Estrada at best. Maybe Cruz can surprise the majority and make a good go of this, but as the co-main event on a $44.95 PPV card that certainly is a big gamble.
*This fight is at welterweight (147lbs). Mosley is rated #3 at 147lbs – Cruz is not rated.*
SCORE = 3
LEAVANDER JOHNSON (34-4-2, 26 KO's) vs JESUS CHAVEZ (41-3, 28 KO's)
This is probably the best matchup on this card, which doesn't bode well for this PPV. This will be Jesus Chavez's first go at 135 lbs. Chavez has only lost to superstars Floyd Mayweather and Eric Morales. He also dropped a split decision to Carlos Gerena very early in his career which was later avenged via KO. The always game Chavez is coming off of an impressive and entertaining battle with Carlos Hernandez and should take the fight right to Johnson. At a battle tested 35, Johnson is getting up there in age. He has only fought once in each of the past 3 years: losing via KO to Javier Jauregui in 2003, winning a decision over Roque Cassiani in 2004 and then winning via KO over Stefano Zoff earlier this year. Although it is Chavez who is referred to as ‘El Matador’ it is Johnson who will be looking to play the role of the matador to Chavez's bull. If Johnson isn't overwhelmed by Chavez's pressure, this should be a decent fight to watch.
*This fight is at lightweight (135lbs). Chavez is not rated at 135lbs but is rated #4 at 130lbs – Johnson is not rated.*
SCORE = 3
TOTAL SCORE = 9
SUMMARY: The disturbing trend of promoters putting together lackluster cards and then having the nerve to ask people to pay for them continues! Only these promoters went the extra mile! Not only do they not give us quality matchups for our $44.95, but they decide not to give us quantity either! Sorry, but if we are going to spend extra money for a fight card, we deserve to see a minimum 4 fights. I mean, Showtime is giving us a triple header next month, are you telling me these guys couldn't come up with better than a triple header for our $44.95? Outrageous! This would be a decent triple header for HBO's Boxing After Dark series. But to ask us to plop down an EXTRA $44.95 in addition to our monthly fees to HBO to see this triple header is criminal!
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© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2005
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By Steve Hudgins (September 15, 2005)
