Armstrong: Interest in fight growing

The pay-per-view fight can be ordered right up to fight time.

By GUY D’ASTOLFO

VINDICATOR ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Interest is running high for Kelly Pavlik’s rematch against Jermain Taylor, if pay-per-view orders to one area cable company are any indication.

The middleweight boxing champion who hails from Youngstown will face Taylor in a nontitle bout Saturday.

Dave Wittmann, vice president of cable marketing for Armstrong Cable said “there is a tremendous amount of interest from our customers,” though he did not have numbers. “It’s still early. Most people order in the last 48 hours before the fight,” he said.

The pay-per-view can be ordered right up to the fight time through your satellite or cable television providers, if you have digital cable service. It costs $49.95. HBO is producing the show, but you do not have to get HBO to get the pay-per-view.

Wittmann stressed that cable customers who only have basic cable must first get a digital set-top box. The boxes can be picked up at Armstrong’s office at 9328 Woodworth Road in North Lima, or can be delivered by calling the cable company. Delivery usually occurs the next day. The office is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The monthly fee for the box is $2.95, which includes some free video on demand programming and music services, said Wittmann.

Those who have the set-top box can use their remote control to order the fight.

The same holds true for Time Warner Cable customers, though that company’s fee for the set-top box varies. The set-top boxes can be picked up at the Time Warner offices at 808 Wick Ave., Youngstown; 4352 Youngstown Road S.E., Warren; 427 E. State St., Salem; and 71 Terrace St., Suite 101, Struthers. The Youngstown office is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Friday. The Warren office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The Salem office is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Struthers office is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Time Warner does not take pay-per-view orders in advance, said company spokesman Travis Reynolds. Orders will be accepted one hour before the 9 p.m. fight. “We expect to get a lot of orders,” said Reynolds.