For our eyes only. A worthy PPV at last.
This Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV, Golden Boy Promotions in association with Sycuan Promotions, presents ‘Too Close to Call’, featuring three world championship bouts.
In the main-event, Mexican idol and current WBC super featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera takes another challenge of the young Rocky Juarez in a return bout of a thriller, which resulted in controversy.
This anticipated rematch is supported by Argentina’s Jorge Barrios defending his WBO super featherweight crown against former super bantamweight champ Joan Guzman. In addition, fireworks are to be expected in an all-Mexican affair between world super bantamweight champion Israel Vasquez, taking on WBO bantamweight champion, Jhonny Gonzalez for Vasquez’s green belt.
All three bouts are scheduled for twleve rounds. This edition of HBO’s Pay-Per-View, runs at a cost of $45.99.
PAY-PER-VIEW? MORE LIKE PAY-FOR-MAIN-EVENT-ONLY
It’s amazing what one can do with fifty dollars. How’s this for instance – fifty bucks could get you a Deluxe Big Breakfast combo at McDonald’s for just about $3.66, a giant burrito at Chipotle for about six dollars, and to top it off, you can buy a small bottle of Chivas Regal and a 9oz. steak dinner at Outback.
For an average sports fan, it’s not a tough choice between selecting the aforementioned and a boxing PPV. For an average boxing fan, it solely relies on what he/she’s doing that evening, and the quality of the fights presented. For the hardcore fans, perhaps Outback could wait until a week later.
Of course, that all goes out the window, given the magnitude of the main-event itself.
A De La Hoya-Trinidad, Hopkins-Taylor, Barrera-Morales, and Morales-Pacquiao. These fights present themselves in a way of their own, without the support of a decent undercard.
For years, well, during the peak of PPV days, promoter Don King brought us the likes of Mike Tyson, Julio Cesar Chavez, Gerald McClellan, Ricardo Lopez, Frankie Randall, and Azumah Nelson. Fast forward about a decade, PPVs are surrounded by the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, and now Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The only difference? In the 90s, it was among the common commodity of a PPV to see Chavez, Tyson, Nelson, and Lopez all in the same card, same night. You might have seen Trinidad here and there on some of those Chavez undercards.
King might younger than ever at age seventy five, yet his best days as a promoter are well behind him. No disrespect to arguably the greatest promoter of all-time, but it’s a simple fact, father-time applies to promoters as well as it does for boxers.
Who would’ve thought? I’d be the first to publicly bring this up. Don King is finally slipping.
A LITTLE HISTORY ON ‘REVENGE: THE REMATCHES’
Dating back to May 7th of 1994 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, King brought us the Woodstock of boxing in ‘Revenge: The Rematches PPV’. Headlined by the great Julio Cesar Chavez and the first man to ever (officially) defeat him, Frankie Randall in their much anticipated rematch, the card also provided three other mega return bouts.
Reflecting on that night, I still remember the hype to this event. A week prior to, there were countless times of the preview shows televised on the local preview channel. I visibly recall, my neighborhood friend and I, sitting in front of my living room TV, watching the preview show, which aired throughout the day a second before its telecast.
I’d have to say, the retail price added up to about $39.99, but for whatever reasons, my mother was against PPVs (even now actually), so she rejected my offer of giving her forty bucks right out of my pocket.
Thankfully for my friend, whose did was a fight fan, did not have cable access at his house. Thus, asking me to tape the fight plus giving me forty dollars, my mother finally gave in, and let me order the PPV. And boy, was it worth it.
In the opening telecast, aging champion Azumah Nelson would take on a young Jesse James Leija to settle the score from their previous draw. After twelve heated rounds, Leija’s youth would prevail in a close decision victory and capture the WBC 130lbs. title. The two would meet again in ’96, with Nelson easily winning in a sixth round stoppage. Leija would score the last victory in ’98 and Nelson shortly retired afterwards.
Next bout featured two fierce bombers in the middleweight division, Gerald McClellan and Julian Jackson. Their first wild affair ended in a brutal stoppage, won by the younger and bigger McClellan. The outcome of their rematch was almost immaculate, but this time, the G-Man would end the matter in less than a round. To add another significance, this would be McCellan’s final win as a professional as tragedy struck in his very next bout against Nigel Benn in England.
The final bout before the main-event would see the second most anticipated rematch of the night, featuring Terry ‘Terrible’ Norris and Simon Brown. Their first fight, won by Brown in a brutal fourth round knockout, was voted by the Ring Magazine’s upset of the year (’93). Norris, highly regarded at the time, was often downed for his lack of focus, most critically, his chin or lack there of. To tab the first loss as a fluke, Norris would go on to easily outbox the former welterweight king, winning a wide unanimous decision.
After three dramatic world championship bouts, I recall my friend beginning to fall sleep during the Norris-Brown bout. I woke up him up just in time for the main-event. The intensity began to rise, and I could feel it from my living room couch.
The bout started off fast. Reminiscent of their first bout, Randall would land a flush right to the head, buckling the knees of Chavez whose lone career knockdown came in the previous bout. I remember thinking then, ‘Wow, Chavez is going to lose again!’
Amazingly enough, I thought he did. After seven and a half rounds, the bout would come to a premature halt, as Chavez was unable to continue after a cut caused by an accidental headbutt. I could’ve sworn Randall would get the nod, but two judges would score in favor of Chavez, granting him his second championship reign at 140lbs.
Randall bitterly left the ring following the decision, and the crowd responded with a jeer of boos. Despite it all, one can never forget the historical significance of this event. Not the controversial outcome of the main-event, but the card as a whole.
I don’t exactly know the PPV buys were generated, but I’m sure it provided significantly less than Tyson-Holyfield, or any of Oscar De La Hoya’s successful PPVs.
But to those who’ve seen it live, or saw it on tape/dvd, it’s like Black Moon’s Enta Da Stage of best Rap albums .
Indeed, my choice for the greatest Pay-Per-View of all-time.
30 SECOND JUMP ROPES
One of the most intriguing aspects of this Saturday’s PPV is that all three bouts are so-called ‘pick’em’ fights. I’m still having hard time in deciding who to pick between Barrera and Juarez. Given from their first fight, which I thought Barrera edged out by two points, you’d have to wonder, did Barrera take Juarez lightly? The second that, is Barrera getting old? Perhaps a bit of both, but I can’t disregard the tremendous effort put in by the Houstonian, who was practically written off following his tough loss to Humberto Soto in ’05. Considering his succes on the inside and his ability to hurt the veteran, Rocky’s confident level must be higher than ever. In the end, I expect another close competitive bout, which could fall in either direction. The main supporting bout between Guzman and Barrios is arguably the dealbreaker to dish out over $40. I strongly favor Guzman’s superior handspeed and defense to be the factor in earning him a decision, but Barrios’ poise and unwillingness to quit will make it an interesting bout all the way. The Mexican warfare could turn out to be a quick but wild affair with both fighters carrying dynamites in both hands. Enjoy a great weekend of boxing.