Ali-Frazier Tops 100,000 Buys

The extraordinary amount of hype surrounding the June 8 Lalia Ali-Jacqui
Frazier-Lyde bout translated into a surprisingly high total of pay-per-view buys
for the event.

Billed as Ali-Frazier IV -- a takeoff on the three classic Muhammad Ali-Joe
Frazier fights, but featuring their daughters -- preliminary estimates showed
that the event generated more than 100,000 PPV buys, In Demand L.L.C. senior
vice president of programming and development Dan York said.

Universally panned as a sideshow by most boxing observers, York said the
fight -- the first major PPV event headlined by a women's boxing match -- easily
surpassed industry expectations. At a suggested retail price of $24.95, the
event's gross take was more than $2.5 million.