Just posted this on boxrec would like to hear my fellow ESB'ers thought Promoters I often feel like the advertisement of shows is not what it could be as especially tv promoters are happy to fall back on the tv money and attendance at a fight then becomes a secondary concern. Though some promoters utilise social media such as Youtube Facebook and Twitter it is still a vastly underused tool that is at their disposal in the promotion of fights and interaction with fans. Promoters especially larger ones such as Warren and Maloney need to put more "local" shows on Warren could have monthly shows in Liverpool, Glasgow, Manchester and London to build up some of his lesser fighters who though only 5-0 dont see action for months on end as they are waiting for a tv date. Surely putting on shows that make little money or break even but build a big following for the fighter and develop them would be more beneficial than letting them stagnate. There is no reason why a prospect can't fight 8-10 times in their first year as a pro injury free on a mixture of tv and non tv shows. I know being from Liverpool that a show ever month or two at the Olympia with Joe Selkirk Liam Smith Joe McNally Paul Butler and a few other local fighters would draw 1000-1500 the more the fighters fight the more they get paid and the more exposure they have. I know its hard for promoters because of lack of suitable venues but bigger venues would be better and the introduction of a half price u16's ticket to get the younger generation involved wouldn't go a miss TV (Sky) Sky is currently the only network showing boxing and thus they have a monopoly and are single handedly carrying boxing they therefore have a right to deliver the best quality possible. Sky need to take a more hands on role in the vetting fighters and and forcing fights that they do want and rejecting those that they don't. Sky have the power to say we only want a top 10 domestic opponent for David Price in his next fight or we wont show it. They may have to bankroll the promotion fractionally more but the quality of the cards will increase as a result. The promoters have no option but to listen. Adding an extra half hour at least would allow for showing another two 4 rounders on the undercard or at the very least highlights of undercard fights. Two fights per night is not enough and at the very least should be looking to show highlights of knockouts or results in other undercard fights that would take 5-10mins. Sky currently seem to have no structured plan in building the next big stars. They seem to just have a policy of "lets see who emerges" Would it not be more beneficial to take 10-15 top prospects and push them hard and build them as attractions. This would still leave the door open for other fighters to break through but there needs to be a plan to build the next stars. After the next round of sky contracts expire I think non of them should be renewed. Promoters should be left to bid for the dates available and this would ensure that the best cards were being made possible for those dates as each promoter would be in competition. It would also allow for good cards from Hennessey or VIP to get a look in from television where they were criminally ignored before. Boxers Boxers have it hard but in my opinion they need to be prepared to fight more often especially in their opening few years as a pro as this is when you are going to learn and develop a fanbase and it will ultimately give you the opportunity to earn more money and fight more often. I know some boxers do this already but they need to be role models for the community we need to get rid of the stereotype thug image that many casuals have of the sport. Getting involved in community projects getting your face out there locally will build the fanbase and increase awareness of boxing. British Boxing Board of Control I get the impression that the BBBC is a very traditional organisation that is resistant to change. I feel that the BBBC could do so much more in improving the sport in this country. They have the power to make or break fights but i think the one thing they have to do is bring out monthly ratings. A top 10 of British boxers in each division would both make it easy for the fan and increase transparency of the route to the British title. Nominating fighters for particular fights implies that deals have been made and it can often leave the average fan bemused as to why this particular fights has been made ahead of another. In conjunction with the production of ratings domestic titles should be used as legitimate stepping stones to improving rankings rather than tools for promotion. Area titles have a great tradition in this country but now often lie dormant for years. They need to be revived as legitimate domestic belts as a way of boosting rankings and moving towards English then British title level. I look forward to hearing everyones thoughts sorry its so long winded
well i started a thread a while back asking if promoters having contracts was a good thing , i just feel there garunteed x amount of money so dont have to sell the shows at all and still make on it if they had no dates garunteed and had to peice together a show goo to sky and tell them what they have then we should get overall better fights and show imo too easy to say "right sky are giving us x amount , fighter a sells a few tickets in this area , ok were all gonna make just put prospects on the undercard in fights that do **** all for anyone "
I think thats the point seems to make absolutely no sense at all there is little or no incentive for the promoters to put on a good fight on SFN unless they absolutely have to because if you can get 80k for a commonwealth fight topping a bill that will cost you 30k why would you put on a bigger or harder fight that costs 50k? There is no incentive.
I agree with most of what you say. I was thinking about this today. there was a half page ad in the metro (free london paper) for the May 21st 02 card. It was ****ing horrendous. Just a black background that said "frank warren presents.....the fighters names and photos" and then some price info. there was nothing cool about it. i am a boxing fan and it didnt even excite me. the problem is boxing is not cool anymore. i think MMA is awful. the in ring stuff stinks. but everything around it especially with the UFC is cool. The show, the t shirts, the pyros, the announce team. Look at ringside, look at the sky shows. you got Adam Smith and the rest in there ties he knows his boxing but is a public school boy, he looks like a ****ing geek i could beat the **** out of. compare him to joe rogan?? When David Haye wore a t shirt with Wladamir Klitsckos severed head on it, he got a warning from the BBBofC. People said it was distasteful. maybe they are right. But you no what else it was...****ing cool. Haye looked like a bad ass. Squaring up to Wlad, punching the carboard cut out of Valuev. Haye does do well as a PPV draw because he is cool. Mayweather is the same in the US. His actual ring stuff is boring to anyone outside the hardcore but he has the brash rapper attitude and 18-30 year olds i the US lap that **** up. Hatton has it to. Beer drinkings man of the people when he isn't training he is on the **** with you. The other major problem is that PPV's are a rip off. The PPV's on sky generally do as many if not more viewers than a regular show for free on sky sports. But does anyone come away from the cards thinking they got value for money? Not a chance. Nothing sells boxing like boxing. Sky had an opportunity, with 3million people watching the Harrison vs Haye card to showcase boxing and fighters but instead they showcase 1 fights and some big screen tvs. the problem is for boxing to move forward and be cool again it needs to **** off 80% if its current demographic. its not prepared to do it. Boxing just isn't cool anymore. were not losing fans but were not gaining any new ones. its to much about the noble gentleman art and not enough about two guys that wanna beat the **** out of eachother which is what most people wanna see.
Don't do deals with promoters. Make them tender for TV dates for their fighters...... encourage promoters on the outer like Hennessy and Steve Goodwin to put shows together too. Reduce the number of titles in British boxing by at least 50%, preferably more. Greater quality control on imported journeymen - some might have pretty records but many of them are pretty crap too
A top post but I one point I disagree with... No way, HBO do this and it never works. You can't manufacture stars, you have to let stars emerge. What Sky can do is make competitive matchups, more prospect vs prospect fights to let the best emerge. Since moving to Saturday's Sky show too few fights. FFN we at least saw a couple or more undercard fights. Now, we see one co-feature and the main event. Then loads of **** in the studio, that's pathetic.
I agree the multi-fight deals are counterproductive. It breeds complacency in my opinion. Sky TV have a duty to their subscribers to put on the best possible product within reason. They should be keeping their options open to ALL promoters, big or small, and judging each potential card on its merits. If you think about you have no need to monitor all foreign imports if you do this.
1) Sky to exercise quality control on the fights it shows 2) Boxers esp. prospects to fight more often. 3) Terrestrial TV to get back into boxing at Area/ British level.
this is what I mean by nothing sells boxing better than boxing. one major thing i diagree with is making the show longer than 2 hours. thats to much, people will stop watching and if there about to watch they will think "**** that 3 hours" and watching something else. if you want hardcore fans to see the fights they should be made avalible on the sky website next days etc.
I completely agree with the "cool" aspect that you mention Rob there is a perception element with boxing that is problematic. I think one of the main problems is that there is little turnover in who is at the top in boxing. Warren King Arum have all been knocking aboput 25 years now i think that in their own way they do a great job but it isnt going to help with moving the sport forward in a dynamic new interesting way. As you say the spectacle of boxing is about 10 times better than that of MMA in the actual aesthetic of the fighting in the ring but there is a perception of MMA that is is younger and more exciting there are characters there is merchandise. Beeston what titles in particular would you remove? I think the Masters and and the Celtic can go Commonwealth these days im more iffy on but i like the traditional Area English and British
i see all your comments guys. I think your way off. A couple of more competative fights will not improve boxing. we have lost a generation of fans. It won't help as there not even watching in the first place!!!
I don't get your issue with the regional titles. as long as there an order to them, a rank of how highly they should be regarded its not a problem. its only an issue when u have multiple belts at the same level.
Getting boxing back to what it was will not happen short of it being on terrestrial TV. Pretty simple. You can do all the media stunts in the world, it ain't happening without that. There is **** all boxing except on Sky and hidden away on **** like Primetime. Even then, you need some good characters.
I see your point and i admit that i get frustrated with how strained it can be watching Americans desperately try and market someone as the next big thing when they are obviously not eg Berto What i feel is that we have no consistency the boxers that we see week in week out are different people fighting for different titles at different levels and its hard for the fan to keep up with we need people to go oh Tyson Fury is on this week worth tuning in.