Yes, this would be classic Eddie in this DAZN season...line up an average Brit for a beating against a big boy.
This is a fight at a decent level for Callum. He iced Buglioni in 1 and no one else has done that. He also dropped Bertebiev. How people are still saying he isn’t world class is beyond me.
Thinking about this a little more, I wonder where Sky are at with these kind of matchups which are basically solely for the benefit of the DAZN deal.. I mean Johnson v Buatsi for the British title on a prime time Saturday fight night would have been a cracking headliner and would be a great way of building Joshua as an attraction. Instead, Johnson is off to fight a US Journeyman type in the middle of the night in a nothing fight, infront of a dead crowd. Assuming he wins, he then gets feed to Bivol, in another nothing fight...meanwhile Buatsi beats up a nobody for the title instead. Just how are sky benefitting from any of this carry on?
You’re right but you aren’t half two faced mate! Was this not a fight you were championing for Yarde not so long ago?!
I think that’s the point, can spot Hearn’s tactics a mile off. Callum KO’s him on Bivol undercard and makes him look good then pushes for a Bivol - Johnson fight.
Yes, your right - I did say it would have been a decent fight for Yarde as it would also would have been for Buasti in the right context. I’m not saying it’s a bad fight in general, it just doesn’t mean anything apart from bulking up another DAZN card and I’m asking how it benefits Sky rather than a domestic big fight for the British title?
I don’t know how it benefits sky to be honest. I’m looking at SKY and BT and wondering which direction they’re both heading. I don’t know if it’s a lack of quality in Britain or just a transition period. Cheeseman v Garcia headlining the o2 and a sky Saturday night card? Eddies planned card in London with Ritson. Them two BT cards are terrible too. The likes of Warrington and Whyte think they’re PPV fighters only. Degale vs Eubank PPV? It weren’t so long ago we had Linares Crolla, Crolla-Perez/Quigg-Martinez, Campbell-Coyle stadium fight, Bellew Flores. Loads more I give up typing and thinking. But now the standard for your average Saturday night card is next gen from BOTH SKY/BT, Hearn/Warren.
Warrington, although a horrible little toerag, is a great boxer and deserves PPV fights, he was tremendous against Frampton.
DAZN are taking the UK Sky cards and providing the Matchroom US programming. Sky are presenting these shows themselves, so they're adding 16 nights of boxing at minimal costs, where they can continue to cross promote their UK shows. The times may not be optimum, but when they're looking for new subsribers and they can now offer x many boxing shows per year they'll be way ahead of their rivals in boxing terms. Never mind the quality, feel the width... Having said that about quality, there will be movement of fighters between the two platforms which should lead to more varied interesting content. DAZN also have the budget to get bigger names and that in turn will make it easier for Sky to get the best UK boxing talent on their platform, as they also have a ready route to the US money to offer.
Yes, I agree the quality from both are not fantastic. At least with BT though, from a business prospective they are showing there stuff at prime time and not going out to places like Kansas to cover utter garbage which nobody is interested in. BT are still relatively new in the game as well. I hope they do fast track, Yarde, Dubois, Gorman, Bowen etc into consistent main event fight nights. As for Hearn, I hope he can get some more US fighters through the door, so he can stop taking Johnson and other British fighters over there for nonsense.
Precisely: Gvozdyk, Kov, Eleider Alvarez and Beterbiev are on ESPN, where does this leave Bivol? I do think Haymon would let Badou Jack fight Bivol on DAZN coming off loss, Callum Smith is another easy fight to make.
