Back To The PPV Well? Again?

So you probably heard that Shane Mosley is getting back on the horse, in this case, the horse being Contender alum Sergio Mora.

Theyll glove up on Sept. 18 at the Staples Center, in a pay per view attraction, with bouts featuring Victor Ortiz and Saul Alvarez in support.

My first reaction when I heard that this event was slated for PPV was…Huh?

Didnt see that coming, but thats probably more a function of my mentality, as a consumer advocate-fightwriter, as a proponent of the big-picture growth of the sport, more than anything else.

To be sure, I am no businessman. My function on this Earth, to this point, as my checking account will surely bear out, has not been to make money.

But maybe I am off here.

Certainly, it wouldnt be out of the realm of possibility if recent events had my objectivity a bit screwy, had my outlook on certain matters regarding certain promotional entities off kilter. I never pretend to be a perfectly objective being, after all. We all get salty when we get questioned, when our work, our competence, our ethics, get called into question, even when we know we applied proper due diligence to the matter at hand.

So I throw it to you, TSS readers.

Are you OK with Mosley-Mora tussle being on PPV? With the soon-to-be 39-year-old Mosley (46-6) coming off a loss to Floyd Mayweather, with retirement being in the mix in the minds of pundits, and with Mora (22-1; ex WBC junior middle champ) having been inactive of late, you peg this as a ppv-worthy event? Maybe you do, maybe your level of curiosity if Mosley is shot, or still has enough left to get the better of the cagey spoiler Mora, leaves you quite ready and willing to part with the $40-$50 cable extra?

Let me be up front, Mosley and Mora are both likable men, Im quite happy seeing them get their green on as much as possible. But are the fans, you guys who come here every day, being well served, as well?

Does the inclusion of Victor Ortiz taking on Vivian Harris, a possibly-compromised 32-year-old who some fightwatchers suspect has jumped the shark of chinniness, bolster the ppv-worthiness of the card? Or maybe you see Harris as a still-dangerous hitter, who deserves another stab at glory and a decent payday after being robbed (TKO4 loss) by the inept referee Gelasio Perez Huerta in his last outing, in February against Lucas Matthysse, when the ref stepped in and halted the bout after Harris took a few clean shots, but was on his feet, seemingly in no great peril?

Does the Saul Alvarez-Carlos Baldomir faceoff pump you up? You see this as a solid litmus test for the 20-year-old Mexican hitter with a 33-0 mark, or do you fear that the 39-year-old Argentine, with the 45-12 record, having fought three times in 2 1/2 years, is being used as a mere steppingstone?

I dont want to come off as a reflexive slammer. I tend to think that the powers that be should be working harder at keeping the PPVs to a minimum, utilizing tried and true promotional tactics, and increased sponsorship opportunities, and a return to terrestrial TV, rather than going back so often to the PPV well.

Listen, I get it, the goal is to maximize revenue, Im not a Marxist; but Im not sure if the suits that run things really get it that consumers arent back in black, like Wall St is. Not sure if they get, or care, that we dont grow the sport by flogging the vets ad neauseum, and requesting the most passionate fans to reach into their pockets 10 times a year if they seek to watch the best and brightest in competitive fights.

Hey, maybe Im being too judgmental here, and you are OK with this being a premium event, instead of a Showtime or HBO offering, let me know. We try to keep it real here at TSS, try to be up front with our objectives, and biases, and conflicts. Not easy in this sport, but all you can do is try, right?

Weigh in!

NOTE: Tickets for Mosley vs. Mora, priced at $200, $125, $75 and $20, are on sale now and available for purchase online at ticketmaster.com, via Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (800)745-3000. Tickets are also available at STAPLES Center box office.

“200: CELEBRATE AND DOMINATEhas a suggested retail price of $44.95 and will be distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View® beginning at 9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD.