This Saturday Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez makes his customary mid-September appearance against Edgar Berlanga. If you don't plan on buying tickets for this event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, you always have the pay-per-view option.
If you choose to purchase it on DAZN, it will cost you $89.99. But if you really want a deal, it's only $89.95 on Prime Video. Hey, every nickel counts in these tough times.
And not only do you get Canelo versus a Puerto Rican that many Puerto Ricans don't claim, you also get Caleb Plant-Trevor McCumby, Danny Garcia-Erislandy Lara, and the return of Rolly Romero. What did you expect 'Revenge, the Rematches'?
PBC
Hey, I don't want to hear any complaints, after all, Canelo has mouths to feed. Somebody has to pay the freight here. By virtue of being a boxing fan, there is an obligation to support this. (Or so I've heard).
So stop your belly-aching and pay up!!
In all seriousness, I understand that pay-per-view is a necessary evil. The reality is that with shrinking -- or limited -- budgets that promoters and networks have, for certain boxers to have their financial demands met, their fights must be put behind a paywall. Even if it is a fight that nobody is yearning to see.
Anytime Alvarez fights, it will be on pay-per-view. The last time one wasn't, if I recall correctly, was during the early days of DAZN, who announced the death of pay-per-view, until they realized that they themselves weren't going to be able to sustain this business model. And just like that, they started utilizing pay-per-view. But they made up for it by also raising subscription prices.
Recently there has been a lot of discussion of pay-per-view prices. Turki Alalshikh has announced their intention is to put a $20 cap on their upcoming events. He also announced after talking to Oscar De La Hoya, that the card that they are staging in November will be 'free' (which really means on an existing network that you already have a subscription with).
This is a step in the right direction. But here's the reality, outside of a few select fights a year, all these other bouts should be on networks and platforms like ESPN+, DAZN and Prime Video.
There used to be a time, long ago (back in the olden days of stuff like VHS, beepers, and MTV actually showing music videos), when a pay-per-view distinction for a fight really meant something. It meant names like Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Mike Tyson, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather, and Manny Pacquiao. To be fair, 'Canelo' has earned this distinction.
These fights generally had a superstar against another well-known boxer. They were match-ups that the general public actually cared about to a certain degree. Now, it's just about making sure that the general public is helping to foot the bill for exorbitant purses that are doled out to boxers. I want to make this clear, professional boxers should try and get the best deals possible for themselves. But at the same time, this whole notion that the consumer should just blindly support any event because of their allegiance to the sport is misguided.
Ask yourself this: is boxing in a better place now, or when there were true standards for what constituted a major fight on pay-per-view?
Going back to 'Canelo' (who many consider the cash chow/face of boxing) it's been awhile since one of his pay-per-view events came close to a million buys. There seems to be a declining return of investment for those who are financing his events, and guaranteeing him his eight-figure guarantees. Perhaps there is an Alvarez fatigue, or maybe the public yearns for a particular fight (David Benavidez, cough, cough).
There are those who will buy his fights regardless of who he faces. Many others will be a bit more discerning. Neither are incorrect in their decisions.
But lets be honest here, when a boxing fan states on Twitter: "I'm not watching this fight'' (something that I see a lot on my timeline) -- that really means that they aren't paying for it. Trust me, many are still finding a way to actually see those fights (that they don't pay for). What do you think I mean when I say by, ''watching this on the radio''?
Mayweather-De La Hoya
It's interesting though, while Canelo's recent pay-per-view numbers have gone downwards, so have the standards for what is now a successful pay-per-view event. It's gotten to a point where networks and promoters no longer announce their pay-per-view buys. Now, you get well placed 'sources' who are told to announce a certain number that will fulfill a particular agenda, and placate certain factions on social media.
They say a rising tide lifts all boats, right? Well, does a lowering one sink them?
