By William Trillo
As defined by Cambridge Dictionary
Final Nail in the Coffin: An event that causes the failure of something that had already started to fail.
If there was anyone questioning whether or not PPV boxing shows have gone the way of the Dodo Bird, Saturday nights PBC promoted catastrophe on FOX is a loud and clear answer. From top to bottom and from the inside out the broadcast was an atrocity.
The very first phone call I received on Sunday went as follows:
Me: Hello?
Caller: Should I start kicking myself in the ass right now for buying that PPV last night or would you like to come over and do it for me.
Me: I’m kinda busy today so you’ll have to handle it on your own. But yeah I hear ya, that was pathetic.
Caller: Pathetic? That is one of the worst cards I have ever seen. Why did I pay for that sh*t? That’s it for me and boxing PPV’s…I’m done! Right now I am watching Top Ranks card on ESPN+ and I am paying the monthly fee for DAZN effective immediately! I will never pay for another PPV again.
Me: Yeah, I am with you my friend. PPV boxing is six feet under thanks to that.
Trolling around on Social Media after the fight last night and today it is clear the sentiment is the same everywhere. The entire broadcast fell short on every level. Pick a topic and run it by me, I will be happy to tell you why it sucked.
Never mind Spence did as 99.9% of the boxing world expected by whitewashing Mikey, which was merely the icing on the cake. The entire undercard was a joke of mismatches and set ups that were embarrassing to witness.
The only fighter I saw that had any promise at all was Luis Nery who appears to be the real thing. Then I saw Faust himself, Richard Schaefer rear his greasy head in his corner. Trust me, if Tricky Dicky has to sell his soul to Haymon at the expense of Nery’s career he will. If I am Nery or his management I look for an out in that contract sooner rather than later.
If I am supposed to be impressed by what either Arreola or Benividez did against those handpicked opponents…well I am not.
And as far as the broadcast itself, this is the product you get when you hire the B & C team. I mean really, I never thought I would be yearning again for Harold Lederman, but after what I saw and heard in between rounds, Harold would have been a breath of fresh air.
To add insult to injury you gave a segment to a guy who only a few weeks ago was ripped unmercifully by Deontay Wilder for his less than astute observations. Look, I understand this YouTube generation of journalists is more concerned about who sees them than actually reporting the news or knowing what the hell they are talking about, (see Lederman comment above and do the math), but most boxing fans are still old school and they think those YouTube guys are tools. Yet, this is who the promoter decided to shove down our gullets. It made for piss poor viewing on every level.
A couple months ago I wrote an article singing the praises of DAZN and ESPN+ as the wave of the future. I implored boxing fans that seemed hesitant to give it a shot, that streaming sports, more importantly fights, was worth giving a try and I believed it was it was going to take over.
My fear was that my suggestion would fall on deaf ears and no one would embrace the new age of boxing broadcasting.
Little did I know that PBC and FOX would step up to the plate and make all my dreams come true. By overcharging for a card that literally had not one moment of real competition or quality I am pretty sure most boxing fans will join my friend mentioned above and never buy another PPV again.
And just in case someone has the bright idea that Errol Spence Jr. vs Manny Pacquiao is PPV worthy, I got news for you;
Errol Spence Jr. is to Manny Pacquiao as Manny Pacquiao was to Oscar De La Hoya.
Good luck trying to get anyone to buy that!
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