Klitschko-Arreola: Are Boxing Fans Focusing More on Mayweather-Marquez and ignoring this fight?

By Boxing News - 09/16/2009 - Comments

By Sean McDaniel: The heavyweight title bout between Chris Arreola and WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko is only two weeks away, but it might as well be two years considering that it’s hardly being talked about in boxing circles. Most of the attention is currently being focused on the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Juan Manuel Marquez fight which takes place this Saturday night.

It’s not surprising that boxing fans would want to take about the Mayweather-Marquez fight much more because it matches boxing’s previous pound-for-pound number #1 fighter Floyd Mayweather against one of the best fighters in the lighter weight classes in Juan Manuel Marquez. However, the Arreola-Klitschko fight might actually prove to be the much better bout compared to the Mayweather-Marquez fight. It’s just too bad that the Arreola vs. Klitschko fight isn’t getting the same kind of attention in the media and with boxing fans.

Whether it deserves it or not, the big money from HBO has been put on the Mayweather-Marquez fight instead of the Klitschko-Arreola bout. Obviously, HBO is hoping that Mayweather still has a little bit of his old mega millions magic that he had in past fights two years ago against Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton. HBO may fight out that they backed a losing horse if the Mayweather-Marquez bout fails to get as many pay-per-view buys as they’re hoping for.

In this case, they’re counting on getting a million pay per view buys. My guess is the Mayweather-Marquez bout brings in one-third of that number. It takes a good star to be put in with Mayweather in order to sell a lot of tickets and bring in the pay-per-view numbers like he’s had in the past.

It is what it is. HBO could have dumped tons of cash more cash on the Mayweather-Marquez fight and I still don’t think it would do well, because for the simple fact that Mayweather has boxing fans leery about wanting to pay for his fights because they’re often boring, filled with little action and completely one-sided. Who wants to see that?

It’s doubtful that the Klitschko vs. Arreola fight get all that much more attention if it was taking place in a month where there were no other big fights to compete with it. I think Klitschko is a big star, maybe the best heavyweight in the division right now. However, Arreola isn’t that well know outside of diehard boxing fans, and his physique, lack of experience and weight problems are something that makes it hard for boxing fans to get excited about this fight.

HBO could push the fight hard, put a lot of advertising money behind it but at the end of the day, the fight would likely not interest a lot of people because they would see Arreola as another over-matched opponent for Klitschko. Arreola might be the best heavyweight in the U.S. right now, but that’s not saying much because the heavyweights in the U.S. are an average lot.

This fight would be bigger if Arreola had another two years to build up his resume with fights against top contenders. However, I doubt that Arreola would make those fights, because he’s fought largely B level fighters during his career. Arreola hasn’t taken any risks by fighting top heavyweights like Kevin Johnson, Alexander Povetkin, Eddie Chambers and Odlanier Solis.



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