HBO Sports reported today that 1.25 million pay-per-view buys were generated from last Saturday’s welterweight fight between Oscar de la Hoya, the sport’s top all-time attraction, and Manny Pacquiao, the sport’s pound-for-pound king, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The fight was presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank, Inc..
The 1.25 million buy total represents the highest performing pay-per-view event in 2008 and generated $70 million in pay-per-view revenue. It is only the fourth time in boxing pay-per-view history that a non-heavyweight event has attained the one million buy mark.
“Boxing fans across America showed tremendous support for this event and we’re pleased that they tuned in,” said Mark Taffet of HBO Pay-Per-View.
De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao will be replayed this Saturday, Dec. 13 at 4:45 p.m. ET/ 1:45 p.m. PT on HBO. There will be a same day replay at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. The exclusive replay of Pacquiao’s impressive triumph will be paired with the live heavyweight title fight from Mannheim, Germany as Wladimir Klitschko meets challenger Hasim Rahman.
Junior middleweight James Moore relishes the role of the underdog against NABF champion Yuri Foreman
James Moore, 16-1 (10 KOS), a native of County Wicklow, Ireland, who fights out of Queens, New York, relishes the role of the underdog in the waning days of his preparation to wrest the NABF title from Yuri Foreman, 26-0 (8 KOS), at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on December 13.
The 10 round bout will open the ShoBox: the New Generation broadcast headlined by WBO junior welterweight champion Kendall Holt defending his crown against Demetrius Hopkins. Top Rank is promoting the show.
Many boxing experts believe that the quick-handed and fleet-footed Foreman, who is rated in the top-ten by all of the major sanctioning bodies, will be much too elusive for the offensive-minded Moore.
“All of the experts picked Oscar De La Hoya to beat Manny Pacquiao, and we know what happened there,” said the 30-year-old Moore who recently returned from a month-long training camp at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, where Pacquiao prepared for De La Hoya.
“The experts have no way of measuring the desire that burns within me, especially for this fight. In essence, I’ve been training for this fight for my whole life. A victory will really shoot me up the ladder and make me a contender overnight.
“It’s funny,” added Moore, a veteran of 314 amateur fights and the former captain of the Irish national amateur team. “In boxing, you are only as good as your last fight or your next fight. I came to the United States to pursue a professional championship. The only way to a title is through Yuri Foreman. I understand that he has the same dreams and ambitions as I do, but I plan on walking out of the ring a winner on Saturday night. I’ve worked too hard and too long to expect or accept anything less.”
Several busloads of Moore’s fans are expected to make the trek to see the fight live. Tickets can be purchased in the New York area at Bar 43, 43-06 43rd Street, Sunnyside, NY 11104, phone 718-361-3090; the Fiddlers Pub, 52-75 65th Street, Maspeth, NY 11378; or through Moore’s adviser Barney Moore (no relation), phone 917-559-8467.
Tickets are also available at Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com, or by phone at 1-800-736-1420. They can also be purchased at the Boardwalk Hall box office, which is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Michael Hunter Drops Opener at the 2008 AIBA World Cup
(COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.) – Super heavyweight Michael Hunter (Las Vegas, Nev.) returned to action on Wednesday at the AIBA World Cup in Moscow, Russia. Unfortunately his first bout in eight months wasn’t a victorious one. Hunter lost a 14-7 decision to Russia’s Niyaz Fazullin in quarterfinal competition at the “Megasport” Sports Palace.
Hunter led by a 4-2 margin after the first round of action, but couldn’t hold on to his advantage in the four round bout. His loss eliminates Hunter from competition. The 20-year-old super heavyweight was the lone competitor for the United States due to the invitation only set-up of the World Cup.
Eight athletes in each weight division from across the globe are competing in the World Cup, which will run through Sunday. The bout is Hunter’s first bout since the third Americas Qualifier, April 25-30 in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
USA Boxing, as the national governing body for Olympic-style boxing, is the United States’ member organization of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) and a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).