Fernando Vargas challenged Hector Camacho Jr. to a fight on Friday. Camacho beat Yori Boy Campas via split decision that same night. (Photo via fightnews.com)

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You may have heard that Hector Camacho Jr. continued running up his empty record with a win over double-shot veteran Yori Boy Campas on Friday night, offered on glorious pay-per-view for $24.99 and likely bought by about 178 people across the nation.

And you may have also heard that Fernando Vargas entered the ring after and officially laid down a challenge to Camacho.

Camacho won a 10-round split decision against Campas, who drew Camacho's 47-year old father in another disgraceful stab at money earlier this year. When Camacho Jr. fought this summer in Cleveland, he and Vargas exchanged words, and word came out shortly after that Vargas was training again.

I don't mean this to be disrespectful, but Vargas has gotten fat since his last fight, in November 2007. We're talking about a guy who fought at 154 pounds. Look at him in that photo. If he's really been training, it's not paying off much yet. Vargas' "retirement" fight against Ricardo Mayorga took place at a 164-pound catchweight, and both fighters looked bloated there. The rumor is that Vargas wants to fight Camacho at light heavyweight, a 175-pound limit. Camacho has fought as high as 160, including weighing in just under 160 pounds this week for the supposed 154-pound fight with Campas.

All in all, it's not that I have anything against Vargas or even Camacho. I think Camacho's a third-rate pro boxer on his best days, but that's just my opinion as an observer. And while I was never a big Vargas fan, he put on some great fights and really wasn't afraid of anyone, ever.

But Vargas-Camacho stinks, just like most of Camacho's fights have. Prime-versus-prime, I'd have picked Vargas to tear Camacho's head off. And even with the layoff and the fact that he's simply not going to be in anything close to prime shape, I think he'd probably still beat Camacho if he even has 50% of his best stuff anymore. But I just can't get behind this fight any more than I got behind Camacho-Campas (either of them). They can keep telling us that Fernando doesn't need the money, and by all accounts he really doesn't, but he apparently needs something, and this doesn't exactly smack of a "good" return to the ring.

You know, if it ever actually happens.

Winky Wright returns to the ring on December 11 in Puerto Rico, and it'll be on American pay-per-view. What other blockbusters can you pay money for in the last quarter of 2009? (Photo via www3.pictures.gi.zimbio.com)

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With TV spots for boxing so few and far between as most of the American fights are on HBO and Showtime, with ESPN2 chipping in Friday Night Fights for part of the year and Versus picking up the occasional fight, boxing promoters are often left with the unenviable task of trying to sell budget-style pay-per-views to the hardcore boxing audience. Top Rank's Latin Fury series goes for a closer-to-standard PPV price tag of $39.99, but there is a small slew of shows coming up that will be in the $25-30 range most likely.

I also don't think it's any great travesty that these shows -- or the Latin Fury events -- are on pay-per-view. Frankly, I prefer to live in a world where if I feel like it, I can plunk down some cash and watch a "minor" show. If you don't want to order it, you don't order it, and nothing is hurt, least of which is boxing should nobody buy any of these fights.

Here's the minor PPV lineup in the coming months.

October 24: Kermit Cintron v. Juliano Ramos

This is without question the worst of the bunch, and will only be available on Dish Network, I believe. Cintron (31-2-1, 27 KO) faces Brazilian Ramos (15-2-1, 12 KO) in Puerto Rico, Kermit's first-ever fight on the island. This was meant to be teamed with a Carlos Quintana stay-busy fight, an attempt to poke at the Puerto Rican fanbase's wallets, but with just Cintron being too well-known at all, promoter Lou DiBella is probably going to take a small bath on this one. Cintron-Ramos is a nasty mismatch considering Cintron's power and the fact that Ramos was stopped by Mike Jones in his last fight.

October 30: Hector Camacho Jr. v. Yori Boy Campas

Let me tell you something. I watch a lot of boxing. I pay out the backside for HBO, Showtime and PPV events. But this disgrace of a fight isn't even worth stealing online, that is if anyone in the world is going to pay for it and then stream it. Camacho (49-3-1, 27 KO) is the owner of one of boxing's emptiest records and has survived 13 years in the pro game on his father's name, while the 38-year old Campas (92-14-1, 74 KO) is just plain shot and nowhere near the competitive fighter he once was. This will be marketed as "revenge" crap because Campas drew Camacho's 47-year old father at a DoubleTree Hotel in Orlando back in May in front of about 12 people. If you order this, you're nuts.

November 6: Zab Judah / Joel Casamayor Doubleheader

Yeah, this one got PPV. Judah was going to fight Matthew Hatton in July before Mayweather-Marquez was postponed, and then was lined up for the same fight in September before backing out. He was then offered a fight with Shane Mosley and turned it down. He set up a bout for this show with highly-regarded sparring veteran Ramon Montano, who once gave David Diaz a fairly tough 10 rounds at lightweight, but Montano is out. Judah will -- for now -- face blown-up Brazilian featherweight Adailton DeJesus (22-4, 17 KO), who has fought once this year at 135 pounds. It'll be a welterweight contest.

Joel Casamayor will also return on the card, facing Jason Davis (11-4-1, 3 KO). Sounds like a party, doesn't it?

November 7: Nikolai Valuev v. David Haye

Hey, alright! One to actually be excited about, at least sort of. This fight certainly deserved the Integrated Sports PPV treatment, and it will receive it. With Cristobal Arreola having been pretty harshly smoked by Vitali Klitschko in September, it's now up to cocky Brit David Haye to crash the heavyweight party and provide excitement, at least in theory. This fight will have the intrigue that all Valuev fights do, as he's seven feet tall and will tower over Haye. As positive as most seem that Haye will win this fight, he's had a dodgy chin in the past and Valuev is just massive. I can't see Haye knocking Valuev out, but if he rips away to the body he could possibly get the giant to give up. This is a more interesting prospect than Valuev's last PPV fight, last December against Evander Holyfield.

December 11: Winky Wright v. Grady Brewer

Wright's planned Puerto Rico comeback is a go, with Grady Brewer being named as his opponent. Brewer, a 38-year old former "Contender" winner, is an ugly fighter in terms of style, and so is Winky. All recommendation to avoid what should be a seriously action-less snoozefest, and potentially a downright stink bomb.

If you're wondering where you can catch the promising Jean Pascal-Adrian Diaconu rematch on December 11, that fight will be handled by GoFightLive.TV, probably for $9.99 as a webcast.

Anyone planning to order any of these shows? I'm going to buy Valuev-Haye and might convince myself to buy Wright-Brewer, but I'm not touching the other three.