Those invested in subscription-based, live-streaming services insist the pay-per-view model for boxing’s major matchups is going the way of renting VHS videos. Why pay more when you can pay less?
It’s unknown what the landscape will look like a decade from now, but pay-per-view isn’t going away anytime soon. On PPV Saturday night from Staples Center in Los Angeles, Errol Spence Jr. and Shawn Porter meet to unify welterweight championships.
It’s the third PPV offering this year by Fox Sports in partnership with Premier Boxing Champions. Spence, the unbeaten IBF champion, defended his title against Mikey Garcia last March, and in June, Manny Pacquiao out-pointed Keith Thurman for the WBA welterweight title.
Though the estimated buys (330,000 for Spence-Garcia and 500,000 for Pacquiao-Thurman) don’t rival the Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather million-plus eras, both were considered successful endeavors for the network and the PBC. In addition, it will be announced Saturday that the Nov. 23 rematch between WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and challenger Luis Ortiz in Las Vegas will also be on Fox PPV.
The Spence-Porter bout, offered for $74.99, has been heavily promoted during the network’s NFL coverage and various other platforms. Sit-down interviews, round tables with other prominent PBC boxers, and fight camp episodes have also been distributed throughout the Fox family of networks. In addition, more than 32 million viewers have watched PBC boxing on Fox, FS1, FS2 and Fox Deportes since December 2018.
“Being able to integrate the boxers with our other Fox sports properties like the NFL, MLB and college football puts the PBC in a unique position to reach audiences that aren’t usually tuning into boxing,” said Bill Wagner, the head of programming and scheduling at Fox.
“We’re definitely helping to grow the sport and we look forward to continue the growth in the future.”
Saturday’s telecast also features WBC super middleweight champion Anthony Dirrell (33-1-1, 24 KOs) defending against unbeaten David Benavidez (21-0, 18 KOs) and Mario Barrios (24-0, 16 KOs) fighting Batyr Akhmedov (7-0, 6 KOs) for the WBA super lightweight belt. Josesito Lopez (36-8, 19 KOs) is also on the card, facing John Molina Jr. (30-8, 24 KOs) in a clash of veteran welterweights.
Spence-Porter is a matchup of contrasting styles. A southpaw, Spence (25-0, 21 KOS) is a skilled boxer-puncher who has the ability to land from distance as well as inside. Porter (30-2-1, 17 KOs) is a former high school football player from Akron, Ohio, who boxes like a fullback. He applies constant pressure and is determined to wear down his opponent with a volume of punches.
“I see him as a tough opponent,” Spence said. “He’s a world champion and he throws a lot of punches. He is very energetic. That’s why he’s a success. He’s a rough guy and he does whatever it takes to win. But I feel like I’ve fought opponents just as physical as Shawn. I feel like that won’t really play a part in this fight.”
The welterweight division is one of boxing’s most talented. Terence Crawford, the WBO champion, and Pacquiao, who owns the WBA belt, will be interested observers. The winner Saturday night will have two of the four major belts and stand in the best bargaining position for the next mega bout.
“There’s no way around it,” Spence said. “The winner is the unified champion. I definitely think the winner should be considered the top welterweight in the world and that makes me even more excited and hungry to win.”
Predictions: Spence by 11th-round TKO. Benavidez by stoppage in 7th.