Some boxers have NOT been paid

Maybe it is one of those work for your benefits schemes.

 

Maybe Murray just said that because he wanted to leave him and didnt want to pay him?:verysad

 

I have been involved in boxing for years and know several fighters. I'm not going mention any names but if I'm not disputing that many boxers haven't been paid, then what does that tell you?

Suppose you thought the Ryan Giggs - Imogen Thomas thing was bollocks as well?

 

Tells us you're a tease and like to add fuel to the fire:hey:hey

Good stuff someone get this thread hitting twitter, or send Hearn it:rofl

 

This is really sad if true. I don’t agree with how FW’s conducted his business over the last few years (and, incidentally, I don’t think Matchroom is the second-coming of Christ like some on here do) but he’s been a big player.

Ultimately though, he killed boxing as a mainstream sport. First the move to Sky when the sport was at a popular peak simply for money, then briefly to ITV when he had no name fighters left to exploit on a pay platform, then to Setanta as soon as he had a major star in Calzaghe, took Khan to Sky even though he wasn’t ready for PPV, and then BN.

I supported the idea of the channel, but now it looks like a desperate last gasp for breath. It’s slowly eroding any support boxing has and it’s all because of FW’s short-term greed winning out over long-term strategy.

Unfortunately, FW’s fortune is safe. His fighters won’t be so lucky.

 

Bunce mentioned on the boxing show a few weeks ago on BBC, someone made a comment about being short of money at a boxing club and not getting paid, something along those lines and he said "you have no idea how close to home that is right now"

 

Bunce was on Boxrec not long ago calling everyone who didn't subscribe "not boxing fans"...maybe he knew the whole thing was doomed and wanted his slice of the pie whilst there was some pie to get a slice of.

 

It's probably in Steve's remit to help to try and get to the magic 100k subscribers by any means possible.

If he gets an additional 50 just by posting on here and Boxrec, whilst it's a drop in the ocean it's 50 more than they would have had.

It does seem like a remarkable number of people needed to make the channel a viable business, I wouldn't claim to be an expert but TV production costs can't be that high, surely?

 

They did so many stupid moves that it's not a wonder:
Go subscription just before Christmas (when people don't have money and few fights are signed)
Not allowing internet subscription
Making deals 6 months (1 month rolling would have worked much better allowing customers more freedom)
Having Frank ****** the main promoter
Not having deals with foreign promoters in place well in advance
Not being able to keep the promise of 2 shows a week (BIG mistake, promising something you can't provide)

They made so many mess ups it that it's no wonder boxing fans were having second thoughts. They should have waited until February to go subscription, they should have allowed internet subscriptions and they should stop trying to force Bunce and Lillis down our throats. A bit of Bunce is fine but an hour of Bunce's talk show then him covering cards on Friday and Saturday is simply over-kill unless you're a big fan of his.

Trying to give 8 shows a month would only work if you had 3 or 4 promotional teams on board including at least 1 UK based, 1 European based and 1 US based (with an extra one from where ever including Asia, Australia or South Africa).

 

****, good call - i remember hearing that. wondered what that was about!

 

But they wouldn't have survived until February with no cash coming in.

In retrospect they should have gone subscription from October. Maybe do one big show as a taster but then straight into charging people. The lead-in gave Sky far too much time to counter them and forced them to go pay when not only are people skint but there's naff all boxing.

I also think the idea of a boxing only channel was misguided. They could have brought in MMA content (Bellator) and pro-wrestling content (ROH) to flesh out the schedules and bring new fans in.

 

Agree

 

They probably won't survive past February as it is with shows falling apart every week it seems. They should have perhaps STARTED the channel after Christmas rather than turned PPV at that time. Pick up some early cards in the year and tried to go pay in April (3 months freeview).

I'd have loved some MMA and Wrestling but we saw that fail when it was free (The Wrestling Channel of a few years back was free on Sky and that didn't last too long if memory serves). The Wrestling Channel had ROH, TNA and a bunch of others and still flopped.

 

Thing what many of you don't get and what BN don't get is what makes a fight big is the publicity.

In terms of viewers i find "ours" are alot lower for BN cards, simple fact is no one knows the exist. Thats they key, people turn up to the Sky cards cause they know the score, once a week a fight is on saturday they turn up as clock work on time and watch it no matter how **** it is.

Now when BN or Premiersports show anything, they have no clue it's on till i tell them in general, then they ask "why isn't this on Sky"........

Simple thing is the channel will fail like any other new channel will fail, because Boxing does not operate on quality, it's on the packge 1000% in terms of casuals/average viewer, im not talking about us hardcore.

You package a sport or event the right way it draws people in, if you have no package but a quality product it will do worst than the one thats packaged well.

That is simply why BN is and will fail. Quite frankly they can't win but then they are not making the effort.

 

I think the idea was flawed by not having Sky's support. A combat sports dedicated channel may be a good idea but it'd need Sky to be the one producing it.