BoxRec

Just wondering how many fighters at the moment under 30 years old are there who could potentially be big PPV stars. At the moment I think the biggest "names" in boxing (in no particular order), and by this I mean the best known (accepting some of the below, although big names, don't have a big fan base e.g. Winky) ..... I've taken off Gatti and Morales as both say they are retired.

Wlad Klitschko 31 yrs
Bernard Hopkins 42 yrs
Winky Wright 35 yrs
Roy Jones 38 yrs
Felix Trinidad 34 yrs
Joe Calzaghe 35 yrs
Jermain Taylor 29 yrs
Floyd Mayweather 30 yrs
Oscar De La Hoya 34 yrs
Shane Mosley 35 yrs
Miguel Cotto 26 yrs
Ricky Hatton 28 yrs
Jose Castillo 33 yrs
Manny Pacquiao 28 yrs
Juan Marquez 33 yrs
Marco Antonio Barrera 33 yrs

And then we have those who have been gathering media interest knocking on the door

Mikkel Kessler 28 yrs
Kelly Pavlik 25 yrs
Paul Williams 26 yrs
Kermit Cintron 27 yrs
Juan Diaz 23 yrs
Edwin Valero 25 yrs
Amir Khan 20 yrs

But I'm not sure any of the above could really be huge stars who can do 500,000+ PPVs.

Does this symbolise a bleak future for boxing where too many PPVs are not allowing the most talented young fighters to showcase themselves and generate a fan base? I think there have been some great match ups this year, but fear that a golden era of big name fighters in their prime is far away (I left out Marquez and Vazquez above on the basis that they are too small).

How about Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr? If Khan can I'm sure he can too. He has the benefit of having his own fans plus his dad's large fanbase backing him. He has proved he can fight a bit of late and been looking quite good. There has been quite alot of interest in Chavez Jnr - Gomez already and he still has alot of time to improve at only 21. Good promoting and matchmaking is also a massive factor too obviously.

Yeah that's definitely one I forgot. Also from the current crop I could have added Vargas, although he's on his way out anyway.

As for Chavez Jr, he'll probably always have his fans, but I doubt he'll ever be considered a P4P fighter, so as you said, matchmaking will be important for him. I think the only exception to the best known current/recent guys never to appear in the P4P top ten is probably Gatti.

Cotto is the one who is building the most momentum in my view. Even though he's on your first list, he's still only in his mid twenties and is doing very well. Apart from him I don't really see any legitimate ppv stars emerging. Maybe Jermain Taylor when matched with the right opponent, but that's it.

I think the future HWs like Povetkin, Boystov, Solis Fonte and our own David Haye may be massive.

Linares looks like he could be a future great at featherweight, looks P4P allot better than Juan Diaz and hes only 21.

I think Williams and Cintron could both go very far, they just need to get a win against 1 of the big guns - Mayweather, Hatton, Mosley, Cotto, Delahoya. Either could do it.

If Pavlik beats Taylor he'll be huge.

It's always hard to judge the line between whether some of these are going to become exceptional world class fighters, or ones that will be marketable. I don't think you have to be a PPV star to be a star.

Guys who will be huge - Povetkin (if he wins the heavyweight title), Pavlik (if he beats Taylor as mentioned above), Koki Kameda (already a massive name in Japan, but wil be even bigger if he wins an all Japan rivalry vs, say, Sakata for the WBA flyweight), Khan etc

Kessler could be big, if he beats Calzaghe. He has the looks, the boxing ability, the personality and the drive to go out there and do it.

Don't think Paul Williams will ever be popular. Cotto is regional star (NY) more than anything else if we're talking America. In terms of PPV, which means the US market, Hatton (if he beats Mayweather),

LOL. I think Povetkin would have to beat Wlad, not Vitali. Wlad has HBO up his backside, so winning those 2 IBF elims (unfahionable Americans Byrd and poss Brock) and then taking down Wlad, in a 2004 Olympic gold medalist vs a 1996 Olympic gold medallist fight, which i think he can do...

He's definitely knockout-able and I like Povetkin's improving skills & offensive abilities.

If he can develop those skills, get inside, bang away to the body, force the Ukrainian into a nasty inside fight and a faster than normal pace, I can see Wlad collapsing.

HBO would buy the scenario. It could even be on PPV. If Povetkin becomes the hottest thing in boxing, he'd be massive, but his subsequent fights may not all be massive in America. Then again, if it got that far, they'd bring on Vitali for a massive revenge fight. But as you say he's probably not US-friendly.

The whole thing about Wlad & Vitali obviously was that they were the heir apparent to Lewis, who wasn't well liked, and that they made the move from Universum to USA.


Khan may get too sheltered in the UK to be a PPV star. Hatton, definitely, would have to beat Floyd beyond dispute. Maybe it Taylor knocks out Pavlik in a great fight he'd be big. Pacquiao, if he fights more often.

Cotto is the only certainty. Juan Diaz could be if he keeps winning and appearing in exciting fights, and someone like Katsidis could join him, although it's rare that someone from outside the Americas becomes a PPV star in the U.S.

definitely an upside, not having to go PPV unless Ricky Hatton's fighting

I don't think Calzaghe gets by Kessler. But if he does a fight with Hopkins would be a PPV attraction, with Hopkins being a proven force in tha area.

Its cultural and technological IMO.

The pinnacle of the UK fight game (below Vegas) is filling a football stadium.

PPV also depends on wide-scale access to digital TV, and this is rolling out but has not achieved the penetration of the USA market. When it does so you might see more willingness to commit to PPV.

The promoters also need to put on PPV-worthy cards. Boxingchat (you will like him verbal) probably feels Calzaghe-Manfredo could have gone PPV, but the viewer knows that bigger fights and deeper cards are needed, especially over here, for a pickier market. We would not stand for a 2007 Tua on PPV lol

I think Katsidis could become a ppv star in the states due to his exciting style . But if he's unable to beat the top guys like Juan Diaz it may take him longer to do it .

Verballistic Calzaghe is 35 not 37(but the point still stands about him being old)