Quote Originally Posted by El Gamo
I was just wondering:

1.) When did PPV start in boxing?

2.) why did it start?

3.) what are it's benefits

4.)ultimately,what would happen if there was no PPV,would boxing be more popular but smaller purses?WHat other repurcussions would there be?
PPV in and of it self has been around for decades,smaller venues would do "closed circuit" cards for a fee.It was not the obnoxious monster it is now.
It was not Foreman vs. Holyfield ...That was the initial TVKO card premier,an arm of Time Warner company.They debuted with a 34.95 fee which at the time was very high.Previous PPVs averaged 19.95 and were kept in check because of so many regular basic cable and network cards.
PPV only works with mega stars with cross over appeal (as headliners) and more and more the Co-features are Mediocre.Ive come to the conclusion its a necessary evil in boxing though.The Basic networks have not featured boxing in 4 or 5() years and show no interest whatsoever.As for ESPN ,Theyve lost their dedication in my opinion and have conceded to the NFL and now offer less and less annual card and a "hybrid" show ,Contender, that looks to make mega stars plugging for title fights out of OK guys that would have been co-features or walk out bouts Years ago.