Mid-Afternoon Muesli: Book Pavlik vs. Trinidad NOW!
February 27, 2008
***UPDATE: Looks like I need to update my top 5 MMA draws. Couture and Liddell can draw their 500,000+ buys but Kimbo, man, he draws CBS.
I would like to take this moment to retract any and all negative comments I have made over the last few weeks with regards to a potential Kelly Pavlik vs. Felix Trinidad bout. As you may recall, when I first heard the rumor that this fight was being discussed I became deeply depressed. I thought it would be a step back for Pavlik and would ultimately prove nothing.
Then, I read that Pavlik-Taylor II only generated 225,000 pay-per-view buys and, instantly, I saw the light. If Felix Trinidad can get 500,000 people to pay 50 bucks to watch him lose to Roy Jones Jr. I bet he can at least get 350-400,000 to purchase a Pavlik-Trinidad tilt. Maybe even more. It’s sad to say but Pavlik needs the rub. At this point, he won’t get it from anyone but Trinidad.
Furthermore, I can’t help but wonder if Kimbo Slice had anything to do with that low buy rate? Now, I know the Pavlik fight was on pay-per-view and Kimbo’s fight wasn’t but I also know a ton of casual fight fans who chose to watch Slice-Abbott over what was sure to be a great rematch between Pavlik-Taylor.
When The Ultimate Fighter 6 Finale‘s pulled in a great rating on Spike on the same night as Mayweather-Hatton (1.8 household; 2.8 in the Male 18-34 demo) it proved that there isn’t a huge crossover between MMA and boxing fans anymore (or ever was). However, this particular case may prove to be a little different because Slice is more popular to the general Joe Sports Fan than Pavlik and Taylor combined. Sad, I know, but true. However, Pavlik is way too good to have only 225,000 buys attached to his first title defense.
Bob Arum must learn from the Kimbo Phenomenon and if he wants to expose Pavlik to the world he needs to match him up against a personality and icon like Tito Trinidad. Fans buy fights to see fighters they love or hate get it on. For the most part, they prefer flash over substance. That’s why the UFC did whatever it had to do to sign Lesnar and are passing on the likes of Matt Lindland. That’s why UFC 81 will highly surpass UFC 82 in PPV buys. It’s also why Kelly Pavlik should fight Felix Trinidad as soon as he can.
5 Responses to “Mid-Afternoon Muesli: Book Pavlik vs. Trinidad NOW!”
Yeah, Kimbo drew 500,000+ viewers. But how many people would have paid $50 for his PPV? I guarantee not even 250,000 tops.
By steve24 on Feb 28, 2008
Probably not just yet. The man has only fought 3 times. Give him 3 more and we’ll talk again.
By AH on Feb 28, 2008
AH: I wasn’t talking to you specifically. There has been a lot of people on forums talking about the numbers EliteXC drew from their last event. My question, what is the difference between a PPV and somebody watching a fight on a paid channel on cable? Personally, I think there is a big difference watching a channel that you pay $10/monthly for that gives you a variety of shows and events to watch than paying $50 for a PPV for a specific event. What do you think?
By steve24 on Feb 28, 2008
Absolutely. There is a HUGE difference between the two.
It’s a great start, though, and considering how much attention Kimbo has received in such a short amount of time it wouldn’t surprise me if soon enough people are willing to spend top PPV dollar to watch him fight.
Love him or hate him you can’t deny that he has a Tyson-like aura surrounding him and we all know how much this country loves those kind of characters.
By AH on Feb 28, 2008
I agree with you. He could probably sell some numbers. As long as I already have the channel, I’ll watch him fight. And I think that’s where most of the EliteXC audience comes from.
I’m just curious to see the comparison between a “viewer” than a PPV. I think I read an article that said the UFC splits their PPV’s 50/50 with the cable company. So I’m curious to see how Showtime pays out EliteXC for the amount of viewers.
By steve24 on Feb 29, 2008