PBC is hoping Pacquiao-Thurman will build on its inaugural fight, which drew 300,000 buysGETTY IMAGES
Fox Sports will continue its "busy summer" as it "steps into the pay-per-view boxing ring with the Manny Pacquiao-Keith Thurman welterweight championship" on Saturday, according to R. Thomas Umstead of MULTICHANNEL NEWS. Premier Boxing Champions is hoping to "build on the performance of its March Errol Spence-Mikey Garcia inaugural PPV boxing event," which drew more than 300,000 buys. Fox Sports Exec VP/Programming, Research & Content Strategy Bill Wanger said the net is "going to do better than Spence-Garcia," though the summertime date does concern him "a little bit." Wanger: "We feel we've had a pretty strong promotional platform. We’ve been running the sprockets off of our promo for the fight in those big sports events. We actually ran seven (promotional) elements for the fight during the [MLB] All-Star Game." As to whether Fox could add more PPV boxing cards this year, Wanger said, "Right now we’re looking in the four to five range which could go up." He added, "There's been some exciting things that have happened over the past couple of months in boxing where we could do some more" (MULTICHANNEL.com, 7/18).
STEP INTO THE RING: In L.A., Norm Frauenheim notes Pacquiao-Thurman "might have become even more significant for the winner with the postponement" of Canelo Alvarez’s next bout from September to later in the year. Thurman called it "another opportunity." Pacquiao's adviser Sean Gibbons said that "no Canelo fight in late summer represents a chance at more attention for the winner of a fight Saturday that is expected to lead to a welterweight unification bout with either" Spence or Shawn Porter (L.A. TIMES, 7/18).
