By Joshua Molina

Behind the scenes the UFC has been talking about booking a blockbuster show at Cowboys Stadium, setting a North American attendance record along the way.

But it looks like boxing might beat the UFC to the punch.

Boxing promoter Bob Arum is talking about booking Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez V at Cowboys stadium, in a fight that he told the LA Times would be bigger than a Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight.

No one expected Marquez to beat Pacquiao, but his stunning KO of the pound-for-pound great has infused life into a sport that remains king of Pay Per View.

Arum was expecting more than 1.25 million Pay Per View buys.

“This fight shows the health of the sport, “Arum told the Times. “Great fight shown all over it. The knockout happening right in front of the guy who was almost president of the United States (Pacquiao was decked unconscious right in front of the GOP’s Mitt Romney). It puts the sport back in the mainstream.”

CBS, in conjunction with Showtime, is also planning a live boxing show on Saturday afternoon, the first boxing show on the network in 15 years.

Bellator on Tuesday officially announced its debut on the Spike Network for Thursday, Jan. 17.

The University of California’s Bren Center in Irvine, CA, will feature featherweight world champion Pat Curran against Patricio Pitbull. Lightweight world champion Michael Chandler will battle former Olympian Rick Hawn. Renato “Babalu” Sobral, who will fight in the quarterfinals of the Light Heavyweight Tournament against Russian Mikhail Zayats.

There was no mention of Eddie Alvarez, Bellator’s biggest star, who is  considering a contract with the UFC.

Alvarez’s contract expired and the feeling is that he will jump to the UFC early next year.