Watchdog: Steve’s PPV Criteria – Miguel Cotto vs Zab Judah
 Watchdog By Steve Hudgins (June 8, 2007) Doghouse Boxing
The purpose, I don't think any one fight can be made in boxing today, that alone, is worth the price of a PPV. Unless of course, they can conjure up Dempsey vs Marciano or Joe Louis, but until that day comes, I want some quantity to go along with quality!
I say, if they want us to shell out 30, 40 sometimes 50 bucks per PPV, they should give us some bang for our buck! The card should be solid from top to bottom! Or at least it should be so top heavy with excellent fights that they can get away with a showcase fight to kick off the festivities, but these 2 or 3 showcase fights and 1 decent to mega
main event PPV's are for the birds! (My apologies to any of the birds I may have offended with that statement.)
SO HERE'S MY SYSTEM: I preview and rate every fight that is scheduled to be televised on a PPV Boxing Card, and try to determine whether that card is worth purchasing or not based on my point system below.
Please note that at the end of each preview, I will mention what weight class the bout is being fought at and where each fighter ranks within that weight class. This is done by using ‘The Ring’ ratings.
HERE'S HOW STEVE'S PPV CRITERIA WORKS!
POINTS:
6 = MEGA MATCHUP
5 = Excellent Matchup
4 = Good Matchup
3 = Decent Matchup
2 = OK Matchup
1 = Bad Matchup
If a fight is scheduled to be televised on the card, it gets at least 1 point. This helps to reward
quantity.
POINT SYSTEM:
14 or higher = GET IT!
13 = If you can find someone to split it with you or the price of the PPV is $24.99 or less, GET IT!
12 = If you can find someone to split it with you or the price of the PPV is $19.99 or less CONSIDER getting it.
11 = If you can find a place that is showing it, or get enough people over to split it with you, so that you are not paying more than 10 dollars for the card, CONSIDER getting it.
10 or under = Save your money and sleep well at night knowing you didn't get ripped off!
AND AWAY WE GO!
JUNE 9th – PPV PRICE: $49.95
MIGUEL COTTO 29-0 (24) vs ZAB JUDAH 34-4 (25)
If you read my columns, you know that I’m not quite as interested in this bout as most people are. I think Judah is a small welterweight, with a questionable chin, who is coming off of a year-long layoff and has not won a fight in over two years! All of this plays to Cotto’s strengths. That being said, the one big thing Judah has going for him is his speed. He has fast hands, and Cotto is not the hardest guy in the world to hit. And while I feel Judah’s punching power is overrated, he certainly hits as hard as Chop Chop Corley, and Chop Chop had Cotto out on his feet. So Judah has a chance here. And I think his best chance is to try to catch Cotto with something big early on, or to start fast and build up an early lead. Body punching is Cotto’s specialty, so you have to think Judah is going to have a very tough road ahead of him from the 6th round on. Personally, I think Cotto is going to win this fight rather impressively and without much difficulty, but again, Judah’s speed gives him a chance.
*Miguel Cotto is rated # 3 at Welterweight (147 lbs) – Zab Judah is rated # 5 at Welterweight (147 lbs)*
SCORE = 4
HUMBERTO SOTO 41-5-2 (25) vs BOBBY PACQUIAO 27-12-3 (12)
Soto is one of the top fighters at 130 lbs and he should have Manny’s brother, Bobby, outclassed here. However, Bobby Pacquiao will be game and will give it everything he’s got and that may just be enough to give folks a pretty entertaining fight. Again, Soto is a much better fighter, he should win, probably by knockout and there’s a chance this could become one-sided, but Pacquiao won’t quit and I don’t expect this to be boring. This is a good chance for folks to see Soto, who has a serious possibility of facing Manny Pacquiao this fall.
*Humberto Soto is rated # 8 at Jr Lightweight (130 lbs) – Bobby Pacquiao is not rated*
SCORE = 3
JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR 31-0-1 (24) vs GROVER WILEY 30-9-1 (14)
Wiley is the last guy to beat Baby Chavez’s father, the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez. But this fight would have been more attractive had Baby Chavez fought Wiley immediately after that upset. Since then, Wiley has dropped 3 fights in a row, including a 2 round KO loss to Julio Cesar Garcia. It’s not a question of whether Chavez wins or not, it’s all about how impressive he can look doing it. I expect it will a pretty one-sided beating that ends within 5 rounds.
*This fight is being fought at Welterweight (147 lbs) – Neither fighter is rated*
SCORE = 1
YURI FOREMAN 22-0 (8) vs ANTHONY THOMPSON 23-1 (17)
This isn’t the most tantalizing matchup in the world, but it’s a lot better than the 4 round showcase matches that usually get this slot. This is a fairly even matchup and a big step up for both men. Foreman is a light-hitting boxer who will have the edge if Thompson doesn’t press the action. If Thompson does, we might get a pleasant surprise here, but you can most likely expect this to be a tactical chess match that goes the distance.
*This fight is being fought at Jr Middleweight (154 lbs) – Neither fighter is rated*
SCORE = 2
FINAL SCORE = 10
SUMMARY: This PPV is better than most PPV’s that have been offered up lately, but it’s still not enough to make the cut in my book. Not for a 50 dollar price tag. This just goes to show how horrible boxing PPV’s have become on a consistent basis.
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