I don't think that the language is an excuse. There are always translators and that dude with his dramatic narrative voice will get people interested. This is a massive fight which deserves as much build-up as possible. Especially as the winner will be looking for a shot against Floyd Mayweather! Floyd's excuse for not fighting Cotto is that he doesn't bring enough of a fan base for a mega-money bout. HBO aren't exactly helping to put that excuse to rest.
They should absolutely do a countdown for this fight. It's insane not to.