Although there is still more than a month before the new
millenium begins, boxing promoters are already contemplating several pay-per-view shows in
2000.
Boxing promoter Don King last week announced plans to pit
current World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation welterweight champion
Felix Trinidad against current World Boxing Association super-welterweight champion and
1996 Golden Gloves champion David Reid in a big March 4 PPV fight.
Showtime Event Television is expected to distribute the
fight, but last week network executives said they had not reached a deal with the
promoter.
"As soon as the deal is done, we'll make a formal
announcement," an SET spokeswoman said.
The fight will be the first for Trinidad since his upset of
Oscar de la Hoya last September in a controversial majority decision. That fight generated
more than 1.25 million buys and $64 million in pay-per-view revenues -- both records for a
non-heavyweight boxing event.
Showtime did announce last week that it will distribute a
January Mike Tyson fight on its pay network. The Jan. 15 event will most likely take place
outside of the U.S. against a yet-to-be-determined opponent, said sources close to the
situation.
The fight was initially proposed as Tyson's return to PPV
after he fought on the pay network last October. But that fight, against Orlin Norris, was
declared a no contest after Tyson hit Norris following the bell. Norris subsequently hurt
his knee and was unable to continue.
Sources did say that if Tyson looks good in his January
return, he may fight on PPV sometime in the spring, possibly against heavyweight contender
Shannon Briggs. Projecting further, after another summer bout, Tyson could be in line to
fight current undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis in a huge PPV event sometime in
the fall.
Lewis, who won the titles from Evander Holyfield on Nov.
13, has said publicly that he would like to fight Tyson sometime in 2000. Meanwhile, it's
unclear whether Lewis' next fight -- most likely in the early spring -- will be
distributed via PPV or Home Box Office, Time Warner Sports executives said.
