Watchdog: Steve’s Boxing PPV Criteria – Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto
By Steve Hudgins (Nov 14, 2009) DoghouseBoxing (Photo © HBO - PPV)  
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 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!

November 14th - PPV PRICE: $54.95 

MANNY PACQUIAO 49-3-2 (37) vs MIGUEL COTTO 34-1 (27)
This is a very intriguing matchup between the most exciting fighter in the game, Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao and what should be the toughest fight of his career against Miguel Cotto. If Cotto gives Pac Man trouble, most people expect it to be from his natural size, strength and fantastic body work, but what most people are forgetting is that Miguel Cotto has a very good jab and unlike Pac Man's last 2 opponents Ricky Hatton and Oscar De  La Hoya, Cotto will use it. That should present Pac with some trouble getting inside to assault Cotto. The key is whether Pac Man can zoom in and out on Cotto at will. A lot of people are picking Pac Man because he's so hot right now, but Cotto presents a lot of obstacles. There's no doubt that Cotto can hurt Pac Man. And I think there's a chance that his jab will completely throw Pac Man off. This is a very solid matchup that should provide some good strategic boxing as well as the occasional burst of fireworks. It's tough to say who is going to win, which should be the case for a Main Event on a PPV card with this kind of price tag.  

*Manny Pacquiao is the Jr Welterweight Champion of the world (136-140 lbs) - Miguel Cotto is rated is #3 at Welterweight (141-147 lbs) - This bout is taking place at Welterweight (141-147 lbs)* 

SCORE = 6 

JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR 40-0-1 (30) vs TROY ROWLAND 25-2 (7)
Rowland has a reputation of a decent boxer with some grit. He brings very little firepower to the match and was handpicked for a reason. Chavez should win. He should win rather easily and will likely add another KO to his resume if he pushes the action. All fans can hope for here is that Rowland gives it everything he's got and makes a few good rounds of it. That's possible, but make no mistake, this is a showcase fight.    

*This fight is taking place at Middleweight (155 -160 lbs) - Neither fighter is rated* 

SCORE = 1 

DANIEL SANTOS 32-3-1 (23) vs YURI FOREMAN 27-0 (8)
Yuri Foreman has been dubbed Yuri Boreman by some. He's a good boxer. Fast hands and spends most of his time bouncing and circling his opponent, while occasionally throwing some punches. When he does attack, he often will throw combos, but is quick to hold or let his opponent hold him. Foreman has little power, so his KO chances are slim.  Santos is a good boxer and counter puncher. He's also has pretty good power. He scored a dramatic KO in his last bout vs then undefeated Joachim Alcine and had Antonio Margarito wobbling in that win as well, however, Foreman has a good chin and is ultra defensive and cautious. The best a fight fan could hope for here would be a close, strategic fight with a strong display of solid professional boxing skills from both men, with Santo pressing the fight to keep the pace fast. That's really the best this fight can be. At worst… it could be a 12 round clinch fest that may put you to sleep, causing you to miss the rest of the card.  

*Yuri Foreman is rated #10 at Jr Middleweight (148-154 lbs) - Daniel Santos is not rated*  

SCORE = 2 

ALFONSO GOMEZ 20-4-2 (10) vs JESUS SOTO KARASS 24-3-3 (16)
While this fight is not very significant, it should be entertaining. Gomez is best known from the first season of The Contender. He has an aggressive/boxing fan friendly style. The boxing aspect of his style is more likely to be on display as he fights the ultra aggressive Soto-Karass who will want to be on Gomez's chest all night. If Gomez opts to stand and trade, this could turn into a very entertaining fight. It's hard not to envision this fight being pretty fun.  

*This fight is taking place at Welterweight (141-147 lbs) - Neither fighter is rated* 

SCORE = 3  
FINAL SCORE = 12 

SUMMARY:
The main event is a fantastic matchup. I can't see it being a bore or a blowout. At least 1 undercard bout (Gomez/Soto-Karass) should be pretty entertaining. At $54.95 the price tag is steep. I'd say if you can get at least 2 people to come over and split the price with you, go for it. Otherwise, that price is just too high.

Questions? Comments? Send them to: askthewatchdog@yahoo.com

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