Boxing: 4-23 ESPN "PPV" Card

[H2O Man]

This Saturday, ESPN is promoting its first pay-per-view boxing card. The cost is $29.95, with four good fights originally scheduled.

The lightweight title bout between Juan Diaz and tough challenger Ebo Elder has been postponed. The very talented young champion Diaz suffered a cut in sparring this week. Too bad, because this fight promised to be one of the best on paper. Diaz is a potentially great fighter; it takes matches against guys like Elder to really show how good Diaz is. I felt that this was an "even" match.

I believe it will result in ESPN moving young Raul Martinez up on the card. It's always fun to see young fighters like Martinez; let's hope the promotion comes up with a serious fight for him.

The undercard then features Calvin Brock (24-0; 20 KOs) against the 6'6" 260+ lbs Jameel McCline (31-4-3; 19 KOs). I'm surprised that the oddsmakers are favoring McCline by about 2 to 1. McCline had the tools to be the best fighter out there, but has shown the ability to "freeze" mentally when he is involved in a big fight. I have not seen McCline be properly prepared mentally or physically for a big fight in at least two years. I see this as a pretty even fight going in. It's scheduled for 10 rounds, but should be over in 5.

The co-feature is David Estrada (18-1; 9 KOs) against Sugar Shane Mosley (39-4; 35 KOs). Estrada has one big advantage -- Hall of Fame trainer Angelo Dundee, simply the best cornerman in boxing's history, has been training Estrada. But Mosley, even at 33 years of age, is so talented, that I do not see a guy who lacks a hard punch being able to beat him. For people who love the "sweet science," and admire the skill of the matadors, this will be fun to watch. This is another 10-rounder, which will likely go the distance.

The feature bout is WBO welterweight champ Antonio Margarito (30-4; 21 KOs) defending against Kermit Cintron (24-0; 22 KOs). These are two of the hardest-hitting fighters in boxing today. Margarito is a favorite to win. While the fight is scheduled for 12 rounds, it could easily end in 1 or 2. It's the kind of fight that will be decided not merely on punching power, but on each fighter's defensive skills. I think that if the fight goes beyond the early rounds, the guy who goes to the body will win.

This is a fight card that is really worth the money. I'm hoping ESPN will make PPV boxing more affordable for the average fan. While I will be buying the May 14 card with Zab Judah vs Cosme Rivero and Tito Trinidad vs Winky Wright, I am not going to buy every card that is promoted on the other PPVs.

[H2O Man]

1. Shrimp, beer,

iced tea, veggie tray, cheese & crackers, (deviled) eggs, nuts, fruit, corn chips & salsa .... I just spent more than twice what the fight card costs on food for the usual group of friends that visits me on "fight nights." I'm ready!

[TSIAS]

2. This is an outstanding PPV card

100 times better than some recent PPV events, such as Barrera/Fana.

Were I not playing in a Texas Hold 'Em tournament that night, I'd pay the $30 to see the card. While each fight by itself isn't a main attraction, the combination of fights is worth the $30 charge. That's $15 less than is charged for most HBO PPV fight cards.

[H2O Man]

3. Yep.

HBO and ShowTime PPV are over-priced. They usually lack the depth of this card. I'm really looking forward to it.

[H2O Man]

4. Heck of a fight card!

I don't understand sports fans not buying it. When there are competitive fights, boxing is the most intense sport, in my opinion.