Is It Time For Fans To Start Ignoring Pay Per View Cards?

The bigwigs have turned their backs on the fans.

Let's face it, folks, boxing's powers that be don't care much about us.

Maybe they feel they just can't, as they have businesses to run. Fine. But, at the risk of sounding harsh, that's not our problem. Besides, who reading this is bringing down the cash Al Haymon, Bob Arum and Oscar De La Hoya are? I'm not saying these are bad guys, I'm simply saying they're not giving the people what they want. It's that simple. Indeed, boxing is the only business I know of where the power players publicly suggest the consumers "just don't understand."

Oh, we understand, all right.

Let's face it, 2015 was a banner year for those in any way involved with Mayweather-Pacquiao. I almost have to smile wryly when I read the media touting the UFC's buy rate these days. Why? Because May-Pac was that much bigger than anything Dana White has sent the world's way. Conor McGregor brags about earning 10 mil? Manny and Floyd earned HUNDREDS of millions for their 2015 meeting.

Thing is, the success of May-Pac wasn't good for the fans. First off, the lead up was completely overblown (trust me on this, I had to cover and partake in it for publishers). The fight also disappointed people in a lot of ways (though I think we in the media were to blame for that). Here's the thing, though - last year's superfight may now stand as the gold standard for boxing's powers that be. Believe it.

Oscar De La Hoya has referenced May-Pac when speaking of a potential Canelo-GGG match. Indeed, one wonders if Oscar wouldn't mind letting a Saul-Gennady match hold off for a good five years. After all, it then might bring in a similar windfall to what May-Pac did.

What does that do for the fans, though? And what does it do for the sport? Does anyone at this point think May-Pac helped boxing in any significant way? Will "marinating" more interesting fights help anyone besides the power players?

I could be wrong here, but I'm starting to suspect boxing's elite ruling class doesn't want to give the fans much boxing at all. I'm not talking about holding off on superfights, either. I'm talking about holding off on ALL significant fights.

Look, it's past mid March and boxing has been dead since before Christmas. That's a fact. Using the May-Pac method of business, however, this is a perfect way of doing things. The fans salivate, after all, and then jump at any old thing that's thrown their way as if it were surf and turf.

If that's the strategy boxing's power brokers are now employing, it's actually quite brilliant. Or is it? Truth be told, I'm starting to wonder if it's worth getting the Bradley-Pacquiao and Canelo-Khan fights. Sure, they're good fights, but are they Pay Per View worthy at this point?

With news that Bud Crawford will be on Pay Per View against an opponent no one even knows of yet, I'm wondering if Pay Per View may soon be the only way to watch significant boxing at all. It that's the case, it won't be right. So perhaps, just perhaps, it's time to nip this Pay Per View thing in the bud.

As always, though, I could be wrong. Let me know what you think in the comments.