Pacquiao vs. Marquez: Boxing's Last Shot at a PPV Main Event Success This Year

Manny Pacquiao versus Juan Manuel Marquez will be boxing's last shot at having a great pay-per-view for 2011.  If this one goes bust, then boxing will be 0-3 when making fans pay to see what it deems the "best" fights.

First, Floyd Mayweather versus Victor Ortiz exploded in controversy when Mayweather knocked out an unsuspecting Ortiz.  Though Mayweather did nothing wrong, he was vilified.  

It was a terrible night, as Mayweather's win was considered "tainted," though he did nothing wrong, Ortiz lost without valor, Joe Cortez looked incompetent and Larry Merchant was unprofessional.

It was everything boxing didn't need.

Then Bernard Hopkins versus Chad Dawson occurred.  It was muted to some degree by the fact that it wasn't a mega fight that casual fans were likely to tune in for, and it had an incredible co-main event in Antonio DeMarco-Jorge Linares. Still, when boxing chooses to makes fans pay for a main event and no significant undercard, it will be judged by such standards.

Hopkins versus Dawson also didn't deliver.  Instead, fans were given another controversial KO when Hopkins was lifted from the mat onto Dawson's back and fell backward to the canvas. The fight left some fans arguing that Hopkins could have continued on and some saying that he couldn't.

The move was most likely a freak accident, with both men adding something dirty that shouldn't have been. The problem was that it was the last part of the fight and what fans remember most.

No one is talking about DeMarco versus Linares.  They are talking about the botched main event. Such is the way boxing PPVs will always be discussed as long as they keep marketing themselves the way they have, putting all the emphasis on the main event and none on the undercard.

There is still a fight between Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto this year on PPV, but in this writer's humble opinion, it should be on regular HBO.  Neither fighter is the star they once were, and fans who continually give to the sport deserve better than to have to pay for such an interesting fight.

Now boxing has one last chance to turn itself around this year.  If Pacquiao-Marquez doesn't deliver, then boxing will have a much harder time getting fans to invest their money in pay-per-views.  If an exciting matchup like Pacquiao-Marquez fizzles, a hard feat considering their last two outings, then boxing's momentum will be even weaker for any potential fights for the winner next year.

That includes a potential Pacquiao-Mayweather fight.  If both fighters have bad outings as Mayweather already has this year, then it could be disastrous for the potential buildup and sale of their mega fight, should it ever happen.  It's possible it might never take place.

Of course, with the roll pay-per-views have been on, that might not be such a bad thing.