well its a case of once bitten, twice shy. i recall HBO making a fanfare about wlad and ibragimov which then turned out to be one of the most boring fights ive ever seen or seen on the network. they cant risk that again. like him or loathe him haye made this fight as big as it was, with the stadium and the international coverage. bernd boente denying that made him look like a politician.
I agree Hayes talk helped with all that, but for HBO to say "NO, we will ONLY show the Haye fight" is a joke. Where do they get off telling a fighter what he should or shouldnt do. Now they really look like ASSHOLES since Haye has now said he needs 7 weeks minimum. **** HBO...HELLOOOOOOO ESPN:good
forgive me im playing devils advocate here, they would argue the chagaev fight would be harder to sell at such short notice and as has been pointed out they love to put on a big fight the week before their summer ppv (may-marq)which is another reason they want the july 11th slot CHEF i know your involved with wladimir personally so i would burn your bridges just yet!
Chagaev is a very good fighter with solid amateur experience. He can box, he has fast hands, he can punch, take a punch, counter, or switch up his style a bit to win. Unfortunately for him, he lacks good footwork, and has trouble with angles. His reach is rather poor too. Getting past Wlad's long range jab, and laser like right hand will be very difficult for Chagaev, as he is really not a slip and duck type of heavyweight. Wlad is not going to get caught in the corners, or allow Chagaev to counter punch him as he did to Valuev. This is going to be a tactical boxing match. It will be interesting to see if Chagaev switches up his tacts and tries to pay the price of the incoming in order to make it a war. Best guess is Wlad via UD, 8 rounds to 4, with one knockdown scored by Wlad.
HBO lost my subscription. I just cannot imagine HBO not wanting to show a heavyweight title fight with the ring mag belt on the line. Chagaev is a better opponent that Haye. No he hasn't trash talked Wlad like Haye, but he is a better opponent.
I want to see this fight. I really hope ESPN picks it up. And think about it, ESPN is not a subscription channel, which means many people who have never seen Wladimir will have an opportunity to see the current Heavyweight Champion of the World. Because honestly guys, when I talk to the basic person in the street about my favorite sports, and I mention boxing, 9 out of 10 locals still think Tyson is the champion. Sad.
Exactly. HBO is in the entertainment business, not the promoting Wlad no matter what business. HBO will not forget the Ibragimov debacle anytime soon. And Chef, HBO are not 'telling Wlad who to fight', they're saying theyre not interested in Chagaev. He's free to fight him and sell it to someone else.
Wlad has a loyal following, an i am sure HBO dosn't give a **** about sultan fight, cause they give wlad 3 fights a year, Me honestly, i of would like to see wlad take one of there cherry picked guys, so wlad would of been able to pocket more money, but this is what happens when wlad wants to fight the best, i mean no doubt wlad had to split this fight at least 60/40, when the money was already made, an i am sure HBO would of paid for the other boxer, on top of giving wlad money,,,,,So wlad took a fight he thought HBO should be happy with, instead of a fight with brewster, which i heard HBO gave a approval too