BACK TO K-9 KIM’S CORNER

By Steve Kim Updated on January 30, 2025

It's Gonna Cost You

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The first major card of the year -- at least in the States -- takes place this Saturday night from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. David Benavidez faces David Morrell in the main event. There has been a lot said, most of it negative, about the price tag for the latest PBC pay-per-view.

The retail price has been set at $79.95. Which means it will take more than just a few empty bottles and cans to collect enough money from the recycling center to purchase this event.

I understand the frustration of fans. It's really the only sport that charges extra for its premium events. There was a time long ago (when my hair was much darker) that a fight of this caliber would've been part of your monthly HBO or Showtime subscription.

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And it was about a decade ago that when Premier Boxing Champions launched that their slogan was #FreeBoxing4All. Well, that lasted a year or three but as one time-buy after another expired, and with Showtime shuttering it's boxing division at the end of 2023, it's gotten to a point that most of their product is played behind a paywall on Amazon.

Yeah, you can order just about anything on there. 

I don't expect the buy rate to be all that high. But the truth of the matter is that most pay-per-views don't do all that well nowadays. It's gotten to a point that the power brokers don't even release inflated numbers to the media as they once did. The pay-per-view market is depressed, there's a lack of meaningful fights that holds the attention of the public, and quite frankly, they are now easy to steal.

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Decades ago in order to pilfer a pay-per-view card you needed one of those mystical ''black boxes' that somehow got all the channels. Which meant that from porn to prizefights, you got to see everything unscrambled and free. Now, I never actually saw a 'black box' myself, but I've heard of the magic they had from friends for years. I'm still not convinced that these things actually existed.

Now, all you need is a laptop and the ability to find a link to whatever streaming site has been launched. You might run into a few pesky pop-up ads, but overall, the quality is pretty high. We've come a long way from the days of JustinTV. 

Contrary to popular belief, more people across the world are watching boxing than ever before. The problem for the promoters is that less and less are actually paying for it. When a boxing fan says that they aren't purchasing a bout, that doesn't mean that they won't actually be watching it. Many are actually, ''listening on the radio,'' as I like to say. 

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Now, putting all that aside, Benavidez-Morrell is a damn good fight. One that pits Ring Magazine's second ranked light heavyweight (Benavidez) versus the eighth (Morrell). It's a fight that many didn't think would ever occur given that Morrell is the classic ''high risk/low reward'' boxer. 

But as Benavidez came to the realization that he wasn't going to face Saul Alvarez any time soon, he moved up to 175, and the stars aligned for him to face Morrell. While this is being billed as a WBC 'interim' title fight, what's really at stake is a shot at the winner of the rematch between undisputed light heavyweight champion, Artur Beterbiev, and Dmity Bivol, who clash again on February 22. 

Benavidez has a well-earned reputation as one of the best action fighters in the sport, with his high-volume pressure style. While Morrell is a very un-Rigondeaux Cuban southpaw. This is a guy who packs a punch and generally boxes with some aggression inside that ring. Opinion is divided among insiders in the game on who will come out victorious.

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This is a really solid match-up, and also on this bill is an anticipated rematch between Stephen Fulton and Brandon Figueroa

Now, the question is just how many will pay for it?

 

KAT

On Tuesday night I learned of the passing of Michael Katz, who for years was considered 'the Dean of Boxing Writers.' Doug Fischer, Tom Gerbasi and I were lucky enough to call him our colleague as we started up Maxboxing.com in 2001 (alongside Gary Randall). 

It wasn't always easy, but it was rewarding working alongside him. I do not hesitate in calling him one of the all-time greats. May he rest in peace.

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3KR

On this week's episode of 'the 3 Knockdown Rule' Mario Lopez and I welcomed back, Jim Lampley, as we previewed Benavidez-Morrell, and talked about this upcoming book:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-q0OwiEmho4&t=1s

To subscribe on your preferred podcast platform, click on the Linktree:

https://linktr.ee/3knockdownrule