By Sal V - So it was Mayweather vs. the UFC head to head, and Mayweather comes out on top by nearly a 2 to 1 ratio.  Can Cotto and Pacquiao follow in his footsteps?  We continue to hear the words “boxing is dying” in some boxing experts column while others actually say the sport is already dead.  Now that the Click for More... 

Golden Goose, Oscar de la Hoya is retired they would write that this was the "beginning of the end" for our sport.  The stats don't lie. 1,000,000+ PPV buys for Mayweather vs. Marquez now becomes only the 5th time in boxing history that a non-heavyweight fight reached the mark and the highest boxing total for 2009. Predictions were all over the place how this fight would be received and even the UFC boss chimed in to say:

“Its not a fight that people want to see right now (Mayweather vs. Marquez)…Mayweather is not a superstar…we’re not worried about Floyd Mayweather.”  - Dana White UFC


Well, they should be worried as their PPV event on the same day reportedly did half as well as boxing.  Ever since Oscars retirement this past December of 2008, there has been plenty to cheer about in the boxing world.  Pacquiao vs. Hatton numbers were through the roof, Margarito vs. Mosley had LA pumping and this weekend all the talk is how Mayweather proved the skeptics wrong again. Who needs an Oscar de la Hoya fight to “save” boxing?  Boxing has been around for over 100 years it will be around for 100 more.

This bodes well for the showdown for Cotto vs. Pacquiao.  Ticket sells have been reported to be brisk and if things work out, this showdown could hit similar or even higher numbers than Mayweather vs. Marquez.  On paper fight fans know that this is a huge fight.  Styles makes fight and Cotto vs. Pacquiao has "action-packed" written all over it.  There are however some things Cotto and Pacquiao could learn from Money Mayweather.

Mayweather does a great job playing the “bad boy” role.  People like to watch a good fight but how many more people would like to see him get KO’d?  Ali once said:

REPORTER: What percentage of the fans do you feel will be coming to see Sonny Liston, and what percentage do you feel will be coming to see you?

MUHAMMAD ALI: Well, a hundred percent will be coming to see me, but 99 percent will be coming to see me get beat.

It’s a great marketing tactic and Mayweather plays it up like no other.  The 24/7 drama, co-starring his uncle and dad definitely make the show much more entertaining.  The bling, cars and lifestyle looks more like an episode from MTV Cribs than HBO 24/7.  It would be interesting to see how a Cotto vs. Pacquiao 24/7 plays out being that both are not from the USA.  Hardcore boxing fans will be sure to tune in, but will the casual fan stick around and watch all 4 episodes?  A tip for Manny and Cotto, do something crazy during the show while your training…(chase a chicken around for speed agility training or eat an ostrich egg)….no need to do what Marquez did (drink “bodily fluids” for its vitamins) but hey it DID get casual fans talking everywhere at their water coolers the next day.

Another point that was done well was the promotion of the fight itself.  Golden Boy did an excellent job making the fighters accessible and putting on an undercard that looked great on paper.  The undercards used to be what fans remembered most but in the past few years had only become marketed “Sparring Sessions” of up and coming fighters.  Penny pinching promoters would just put up their rising star vs. some no named guy from Kansas. Put in competitive title fights people want to see vs. named opponents.  Since money is tight for the fans, its not enough these days to just put on one superfight.  Fans want to see more bang for their buck.  Boxing is finally heading back in the right direction putting on fights worth watching from the start.

With the end of 2009 coming up there is plenty more to cheer about.  Fans have Pacquiao and Cotto, a super middle weight tournament underway on Showtime and word is even Roy Jones vs. Bernard Hopkins in 2010.  Boxing is really a roll if even these two can finally come to terms!

Things are looking up for boxing and if the stars align we may see THE mega showdown in early 2010: Mayweather vs. Pacquiao.  Who says boxing is on life support?

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