BROOKLYN, New York- Boxing's kingpin promoter Don King is hoping that by the time Guyana's Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite steps into the ring to defend his WBC Cruiserweight crown, that fight fans around the world via television would be able to see the Guyanese like the other world champions on show.
Braithwaite makes his second defence against little known Panamanian Luis Pineda on the December 13 card at the Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ.
This comes after Don King made the disclosure in a Fight News interview ahead of the boxing promotion in which a dozen championship belts would at stake in seven weight divisions in the nine-bout card.
However, only five bouts will be featured live on the HBO Pay-Per-View televised segment of the night's historic card which parades six fights, five of which are recognised as world title contests and involve four current world champions.
Guyana's WBC world cruiserweight champion Braithwaite (19-0) and Luis Alberto Perez (17-3) bout however is one of only two world championship fights, the other being IBF Junior Bantamweight champion Alberto Perez (21-1-0) who faces Felix Machado (23-4-1), which are not scheduled to be featured on the HBO's PPV card.
But the fast talking King is looking feverishly, according to a recent interview with Fight News, to see if other television owners will come aboard and have the other fights broadcast, even if recorded, to television viewers globally.
It will be the only time that there will be five title fights on PPV television in the history of the sport.
The PPV title fights will showcase undisputed world middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins (42-2-1) placing his championship belts of the WBA, WBC and IBF at stake against William Joppy (34-2-1), while the WBC and WBA welterweight king Ricardo Mayorga and IBF welterweight champion Cory Spinks (31-2) clash to unify the welterweight crown.
Also, on the card is WBO champion Zab Judah (26-3-1) who defends his version of the Junior Welterweight title against Jaime Rangel (29-4-1).
Another fight is for the vacant WBA belt between unbeaten pugilists Travis Simms (22-0) and Alejandro Garcia for the split crowns at the 154-weight class where the ‘regular’ title will be up for grabs since, strangely, the other recognised champion of the WBA in this category is Shane Mosley.
On the card, too, is Rosendo Alvarez (32-2-1) who holds the WBA Junior Flyweight crown matching skills with another champion Victor Burgos (35-13-2) who holds the IBF' title.
But the other PPV fight is between heavyweight former champions and now contenders Hashim Rahman (35-4-1) and John Ruiz (38-5-1).
The other fight on the card will see Mario Preshkar against an opponent to be named.
Speaking to Fight News' Scott Schaffer, King said: "It's the networks' loss if they don't reach out and grab it … I am trying to do trade-ups for promotional spots rather than get money, and I am going to figure out some kind of way to get them on television, even if it’s on a delayed tape. These guys got to be able to be seen. I am talking to Fox, Cablevision, Spike, anybody who is able to understand what I got here. The key thing is I got a boatload of diamonds here".
Don King's dovetailing of five twelve-round bout championship fights on pay-per-view is unheard of although there has been in the past four title bouts on pay-per-view television.