Older fans: Some questions about PPV before Tyson

1985 was the first year the U.S. used PPV and didn't become popular with boxing until the late 80's. I believe Tyson-Spinks in 1988 was the first pay-per-view, costing $39.99, but on fight night certain PPV companies would charge up to $70. It wasn't like the PPV conglomerate you're seeing today. There were closed-circuit outlets that showed the fight on big screen-like movie theaters.

Leonard-Hearns II was on PPV I believe, followed by Leonard-Duran III. Both in 1989.

 

If whoever put this out on the PPV market isn't begging for cigarettes at an old, rundown gas station, there is no justice in this world.

 

Hagler-Hearns was PPV in my area. I want to say it was $30. Hearns-Duran also. I think Hagler-Mugabi was.

Leonard - Hearns I, Holmes - Cooney, and Leonard - Hagler were actually Closed Circuit in arenas on big screens and were really awesome events to attend.

 

Holmes Cooney was the first real big fight i'd seen live, and we had it free on tv at an ungodly hour of about 4am. It really was an event and our house was packed because we were 1 of the few, at the time, to have an aeriel for this particular tv channel.


For the UK posters, was the Leonard-Hagler shown live? I clearly remember it being on at a strange time, 8pm on a weekday evening on ITV.

 

Only fights since the late 70s that i remember being at closed circut outlets were Duran-Leonard I and Delahoya-Chavez I... Leonard-Duran III was on PPV my first fight i ever paid for(young adult) and i was sooooo pist off at how horrible that fight was.:-(

 

Hmmmmmmm.... No.......:-(

In 1980 my family did a PPV circuit based out of Los Angeles called "ON TV." We PPV'd "Leonard-Duran 1" for 15 bucks...

ON TV also had a competitor called "Selectv" that handled "Ali-Holmes" of 1980...

The last PPV i did with ON TV was in 1985 for "Hagler-Hearns." after that it was all PPV'd by either HBO or Showtime....

HBO & Showtime didn't come out in the city until 1981, but you had to have a Z-Tac converter if you wanted to score PPV fights.... Otherwise with the old cable line you couldn't get them special programs... The Z-Tac converter may have come out in 1985.?.? I don't know exactly when...

Prior to 1980, big fights were on CCTV and you had to go into town to the theatre or arena and watch the fight on the silver screen with a rowdy crowd....

Just think, in 1980, "Leonard-Duran" was 15 bucks, and now "Packy-Mosley" is going for 60 bucks in 2011...
roll:

MR.BILL:hat

Again, I've been involved with PPV in the home since 1980....

 

Those Closed Circuit fights in an arena were incredible. It was like being there with the atmosphere, but the giant screen made it even better.

Holmes - Cooney had a great undercard:

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TKO 10 15
　　

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TKO 6 12
　

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UD 10 10
　

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UD 10 10
　　

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TKO 3 8
　

 

Yes we had them on closed circuit. Sometimes in the local movie theaters.

We used to fly to Vegas to watch the fights on closed circuit before they started broadcasting them in local theaters and venues.

 

I remember watching Leonard - Duran 1 and 2, Ali - Holmes, Leonard - Hearns and Holmes - Cooney on large screens at Madison Square Garden .. Hearns-Hagler and Hagler - Mugabi as well ..

as far as PPV I'm a bit confused myself ...

 

You're going way way waaaaay back in time to the advent of PPV.

Certain cities in the US couldn't even get basic cable, let alone PPV, until the mid-late 80's.

 

We had ON TV too. It was a box that you swtich to the ONTV symbol and you had cable wallahh.. Porn was rolling in the wee hours and they had PPV events. I remember the WHO had a reunion PPV on that channel.

 

When did they change all the big fights to Sataurday night? I remember watching Haglers vs Hearns,Mugabi & Leonard during the school week. I think Mondays were popular for big boxing events back then

 

that sounds awesome. like a movie theater but with a fight. imagine today with the same scenerio except in HD.

 

We did not get PPV in the UK until 96 (Tyson/BrunoII), I was so glad, my experiences of Closed Circuit were not good:

Poor views, no/poor sound, poor quality of picture, too much noise, not enough/too much beer...

I was glad when the opportunity to watch on my own TV was available.

People still *****, but I never moan about PPV, it is best thing that has happened to the sport in the last 30 years...