Unable to fully bask in the financial success of its June 8 Lennox Lewis-Mike
Tyson co-promotion, Home Box Office Pay-Per-View was scrambling to prepare for
its June 22 Marco Antonio Barrera-Erik Morales show.
HBO PPV executives are hoping that the fight -- a rematch of a controversial
bout won by Morales, which was postponed from its original March 3 date -- will
get a major boost from the momentum built by the record-breaking Lewis-Tyson
fight.
HBO PPV executive vice president Mark Taffet said the
featherweight-championship fight has a higher Latino appeal than Lewis-Tyson,
which could aid its performance in several major Hispanic-skewing markets.
'With its Mexican-Hispanic appeal, the fight may be as big in markets from
Texas, Arizona and Florida than Lewis-Tyson was in most of America,' said
Taffet, who stopped short of projecting a buy estimate.
Still, the fight -- retailing at a suggested price of $39.95 -- should also
appeal to rabid boxing fans who just paid a record $55 for Lewis-Tyson. As a
result, HBO PPV has asked operators to relax credit limits that could hamper
some subscribers from purchasing both events in the same billing cycle.
'It's important that the industry make the proper credit adjustments so as
not to turn down subscribers who may want to enjoy both Lewis-Tyson and
Barrera-Morales,' he added.
HBO PPV will remain busy after Barrera-Morales, having already scheduled a
Sept. 14 Oscar De La Hoya-Fernando Vargas bout for PPV. Taffet also said a
potential summer PPV event featuring light heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr. is
in the works.
