"Some of the happiest guys" at ringside during Saturday's
Tyson-Mathis fight were "from the Miller Beer ad agencies because
Mathis hung on long enough for a few of their ads and promos to
run," according to Steve Zipay of NEWSDAY. In reviewing
productions of weekend fights by HBO and Fox, Zipay gives a TKO
to HBO over Fox, but notes that Fox "can't complain about the
ratings" (NEWSDAY, 12/18). Pay-per-view and pay TV "produce
boxing's big cash flow, but can't manufacture free television's
mass exposure," writes Richard Sandomir of the N.Y. TIMES. But
he adds, broadcast TV "can't or won't ante up the fare" needed to
sign major fights on a consistent basis. Jon Mandel, Senior
VP/Grey Advertising: "You'll always attract the core fight
fanatics, and you can round up the usual advertising suspects,
but that's not a rating or a business. I don't know why Fox is
doing boxing. It makes no sense." Sandomir calls the Fox
production "a mixed affair," and, noting the heavy promotion adds
that it "seemed like the fight was staged merely to promote Fox's
prime-time programming" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/19).
