LIDDELL-ORTIZ II SET PPV RECORD
San Francisco, CA-When you look at the overall Pay Per View picture, the UFC is the 800 lb. Gorilla in the room. Weight wise, boxing hits the scale at 850 lbs., but it is an old and out of shape ape, while the adversary is young and mean. As I reported weeks ago, a record number of homes (1.2 million) ended up buying the UFC 66 event topped by light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. With those numbers now being repeated in major media guides across the country, sans the credit, to that I say, what else is new?
THE TOP TEN PPV EVENTS OF ALL TIME!, 1. Evander Holyfield-Mike Tyson II-On June 28, 1997, the rematch between Holyfield and Tyson did 1.99 million homes. 2. Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson-Memphis, Tenn match of June 8, 2002 #2 at 1.8 million homes. 3. Evander Holyfield-Mike Tyson I-November 19, 1996 turned the crank 1.59 million times. 4. Mike Tyson-Peter McNeely fought August 19, 1995 and did 1.4 million PPV homes. 5. Evander Holyfield-George Foreman on April 19, 1991 had 1.4 million buys. 6. Oscar De La Hoya-Felix Trinidad, a welterweight bout on September 18, 1999 totaled 1.4 million. 7. Mike Tyson-Frank Bruno on March 19, 1996 was seen by 1.37 million homes. 8. Mike Tyson-Razor Ruddock II on June 28, 1991 had 1.25 million buyers. 9. Lennox Lewis-Evander Holyfield I on March 13, 1999 was seen in 1.2 million homes. 10. Chuck Liddell-Tito Ortiz II (UFC 66) on December 30, 2006 closes out the top ten with 1.2 million buys.
SEE THINGS FIVE YEARS FROM NOW?
When I come back to this list in say five years, I would expect the UFC to have by then eclipsed the numbers Holyfield-Tyson II did in selling nearly 2 million homes. And while you can scoff at my predictions, didnt some of you do the same when I boldly stated that Liddell-Ortiz II would surpass 1 million homes? Exactly! Unless a boxing superstar is born, the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather encounter set for May could be the American swan song for boxing.
HBO SERIES TO CREATE BOXING FANS?
Quoted in Dave Meltzers Wrestling Observer newsletter, Ross Greenburg, Sports CEO at HBO, said of the MMA series they have set to begin in the Spring, that its intent is to generate more boxing fans! Confused, for the complete story hit the www.WrestlingObserver.com website where you can get the skinny with Daves weekly newsletter.
Pedro Fernandez
Note: Mr. Fernandez is an award-winning writer, TV commentator, radio talk show host, former San Francisco Policeman and four-time Golden Gloves champion. Comments regarding this submission can be left below.