De La Hoya's Next Fight On "Free" TV, Wants More To Follow

De La Hoya Says His Next Bout Will Air On HBO During "Free Weekend" Promotion

Boxer Oscar De La Hoya said that his next bout on May 3 will be on HBO, not HBO PPV, according to Santos Perez of the MIAMI HERALD. De La Hoya will fight a yet-to-be-named opponent on HBO during a “free weekend” promotion. De La Hoya: “We should return to our roots and that our fights be televised on free television. I believe our fans deserve it and I expect other fighters make the same decision.” However, Perez noted fans still need to be “subscribed to a cable or satellite provider to watch the fight.” The last “notable star to appear in a prime-time fight televised by a major network” was Mike Tyson, when Fox aired his ’95 knockout of Buster Mathis Jr. (MIAMI HERALD, 1/28).

KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES: The Roy Jones Jr.-Felix Trinidad fight at MSG on January 19 generated $25M for cable, satellite operators and HBO's PPV arm with 500,000 buys, the second-highest number for a Jones fight behind 604,000 buys for his '03 heavyweight title fight against John Ruiz (MULTICHANNEL.com, 1/24).