Another batch of sweltering summer random thoughts …
• As much as I love the loaded fall boxing schedule, I'm still not thrilled that so many of the fights are on pay-per-view. It means many of boxing's biggest events will be seen by the smallest possible audience, which is no way to grow the fan base. If you're a serious boxing fan, which you probably are if you are reading an ESPN.com Insider blog about the sport, then you probably already realize that it's going to be a financially painful fall if you want to watch all the important fights. Between Sept. 15 and Dec. 8, there are five PPV events, which will set you back $224.75 if you get them all:
Juan Manuel Marquez-
Rocky Juarez ($44.95 on Sept. 15),
Manny Pacquiao-
Marco Antonio Barrera II($44.95 on Oct. 6),
Sultan Ibragimov-
Evander Holyfield ($34.95 on Oct. 13),
Miguel Cotto-
Sugar Shane Mosley ($49.95 on Nov. 10) and
Floyd Mayweather Jr.-
Ricky Hatton ($49.95 on Dec. 8). As good as that overall lineup is, it is simply too much PPV in a short period of time. Think about it like this: For $224.75 you can get an entire year's worth of HBO or Showtime and still have a decent amount of cash leftover for food and cool, refreshing beverages on fight night. And, by the way, the above schedule would have also included the Sept. 8
Fernando Vargas-
Ricardo Mayorga PPV for another $44.95, but it was postponed because of Vargas' illness.
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Dan Rafael
