For me, it wasn't the main event. It was the fight on the pay-per-view undercard that got me into boxing.
I was an editor ring I continued writing for the magazine for about a month, but when I attended my first live event, I still wasn't sure how I felt about the sport I happened to be covering. It was October 4, 1997, at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall, at the TVKO event (then called HBO Pay-Per-View), featuring a heavyweight title fight. Lennox Lewis versus Andrew Golota. As a casual observer, I was interested in the main event, but none of the names on the undercard meant anything to me.
By the time I finished watching the match before the main event, there was this guy: Arturo Gatti overcame Gabriel Ruelas In what would become known as the Fight of the Year, he landed a left hook and dramatically dropped to his knees in relief after the referee stopped the fight in the fifth round. After all, I had been there my entire life.
The right undercard match can change everything (and in this particular instance, it helps soften the blow of a main event that lasts 95 seconds and feels like a rip-off).
This is just a random example, but what's important is when: one boxing promoter says, in not so many words, is that the undercard doesn't really matter and doesn't take into account the big picture. Sometimes the main event is just the sales pitch that everyone needs, and the undercard doesn't make any money. But undercards are always important to customer satisfaction, to growing the sport's fan base, or at least not shrinking the sport's fan base.
Over six Saturdays in March, April and May, boxing fans will be asked to purchase three key pay-per-view cards, showcasing three different undercard organization philosophies. .
before and after Keith Thurman PBC's Prime Video debut on March 30th was without the superstar after he withdrew due to a biceps injury. In the end, the main event was Tim Tze versus Sebastian Fundorais the kind of fight that appeals to hardcore fans more than casual fans, so the undercard matchmaking is aimed at the same type of audience and primarily provides depth and value.
Isaac “Pitbull” Crews versus Laurie Romero It was marketable as a collaborative feature, and fans of the little guys knew it. Julio Cesar Martinez versus Angelino Cordoba Structured as a high-quality flyweight match, Erislandi Lara versus Michael Zerafawell, it was a dud/mismatch, but at least the two streaming battles before the show helped make up for it.
This Saturday, DAZN Pay-Per-View (and PPV.com) airs Devin Haney versus ryan garcia, a fight with far more star power than Fundora Tszyu. Garcia has his 10.5 million followers on Instagram, half of the equation that sold his PPV a year ago when he faced 1.2 million. Gervonta “Tank” Davis. And Haney isn't exactly a nobody, with 2.7 million followers on Instagram.
With four fights leading up to Haney vs. Garcia, there's no question about the number on the undercard for this fight. But this quality suggests a belief among promoters and networks that a main event is all that is needed to generate the revenue they want to generate.Perhaps there will be a pleasant surprise or two. arnold barboza jr. versus Sean McComb, Bektemir “Bek Buri” Melikuziev versus Pierre Dibombe, John “Scrappy” Ramirez versus David Jimenezand charles conwell versus Nathaniel Gallimore. But on paper, nothing generates more excitement.
In two weeks, on May 4th, he returns to PBC On Prime with the sport's most reliable star — at least in North America, at least south of the heavyweight division, who likely hasn't qualified either way. There is– Saul “Canelo” Alvarez opposite heading Jaime Munguia. Alvarez is always a threat to sell close to a million PPVs, and this match is no different.
Are you getting any boost from the undercard? The main objective here seems to be to get the PBC's deep stable of fighters out of the unemployment line. Mario Barrios Probably easy to deal with Fabian Maidana, Brandon Figueroa Emerging as a biased winner jesse magdalenoand Eymantis Stanionis undertake Gabriel Maestre At least in competitive matches.
It's not as gruesome as Haney-Garcia's undercard. It's not as dreamy as the undercard for Fundora and Tzu. This is the undercard chosen by Goldilocks. (Assume the three bears left him with $80.)
These undercards speak to different schools of thought about revenue expectations, and there's a certain business logic to not spending big bucks on matches that don't necessarily generate additional revenue. But that ignores the long-term health of the sport and the reality that each night's game is an opportunity to generate new fans and serve existing ones. Fundora and Tzu's full card probably didn't threaten to overtax the PPV distribution mechanism, but it may have created new boxing fans, especially those who wouldn't mind seeing a little blood.
Here are the most important undercards in recent memory. And it's not pay-per-view. It will be streamed live on Netflix on July 20th. Bouts may or may not be sanctioned, may or may not feature boxers doing everything in their power to win, and may or may not include a televised undercard. mike tyson I accept jake paul The bout could be the most-watched live boxing match since major bouts were broadcast on network television in the '70s and '80s.
The undercard has not been announced yet. However, it is hoped that it will be seriously considered. A fighter who might be lucky enough to get his 100,000 viewers in his trade could suddenly get… 40 million viewers.
This is a chance to create a mainstream superstar or two, and a chance to put on a fight that will excite boxing newcomers. If a battle like Gatti Ruelas was witnessed by some 40 million people (on that night, the fighting spread to only about 300,000 households), can you imagine how long-lasting the impact would be?
Boxing's greats have shown on too many occasions that such long-term thinking is not their forte.
What everyone remembers is Manny Pacquiao–oscar de la hoya Undercard? The 1.25 million households who pried open their wallets for this purpose Victor Ortiz KO 2,a Juan Manuel Lopez KO 1,a Daniel Jacobs KO 1, and a lot of streamer tap dancing.
The undercard of the biggest PPV in history, floyd mayweather Against Pacquiao it was no better. It included only two games. One was an easy win. Vasily Lomachenko.The other thing was easy leo santa cruz. There was a disappointing level of action in the main event, making it the first and last time many punitive passers-by paid for boxing.
There's little debate as to what was the most compelling PPV undercard match so far this century. Danny Garcia versus Lucas Matthysse, a simultaneous bout between Mayweather and Canelo, with the lineal junior welterweight championship on the line. This PPV of his was a huge financial success, with approximately 2.2 million tickets purchased. Did Garcia-Matisse influence that? Is that what made the difference between 2.1 and 2.2? It's impossible to say. But fans certainly felt a little better afterwards about the money they spent to significantly boost Garcia's profile.
Not every undercard match needs to be like that, and not every match needs to be like that. can Of course it will. It's good to see a little change on the undercard. A change of pace is welcome. A perfect three-fight undercard could include 12 rounds between several championship-level boxers, an evenly matched women's title fight, and a hugely talented up-and-comer taking on the toughest test yet. Maybe everything doesn't work out as planned. But at least one or two of her might, and if the show's pacing is right, viewers will feel like they enjoyed a carefully curated experience.
What you don't want is multiple A-side fighters mismatched, guests falling asleep on the couch, or repeating variations of the phrase “When's the main event?”
Every undercard is an opportunity. Granted, most PPVs go up or down financially based on the main event. But a little more investment in the undercard would go a long way towards sales. Next It's pay-per-view and could generate fans who will continue to click the “buy” button for decades to come.
