This is like the other huge one that many people liked that was released before... Focuses alot on the Cotto-Margarito fight, Bob Arum, HBO e.t.c http://www.secondsout.com/Columns/index.cfm?ccs=208&cs=27341
Great article. But don't forget Arum is a player on the boxing scene and therefore at HBO as well as he's after the money just like GBP. And after GBP, Top Rank is getting the most HBO and HBO PPV dates, therefore a 3rd promoter could still criticize him and HBO just like he's criticizing HBO and Schaefer. And after criticizing HBO, he's still getting the Pavlik-Hopkins PPV, the DLH-Pacquiao PPV share, a date for Margario and a date for Cotto. And on one hand, he's criticizing HBO for making too much PPVs not allowing a larger amount of fans to get to know young fighters, and on the other hand, he's putting Julio Cesar Chaver Jr. on PPV vs. C- level opposition. But he and Hauser are damn right: someone who likes and cares about boxing should run HBO Boxing and FIGHTS not FIGHTERS and promoters should get the dates. Cotto-Margarito was great. But the Gary Shaw HBO BAD tripleheader with Gamboa, Angulo and Kirkland was great as well and it was free... I say: give more dates to the Shaws and others and less to GBP and Top Rank. If I were Arum, I'd think now's the time to leave HBO for good and go for free TV. F*ck HBO (and Showtime). Bring boxing back to free TV! But that'll cost money for Arum for the first half dozen of shows... whether he can take that risk for the long-time reward is the question here... no matter how he's criticizing HBO (and saying the truth and good things), his pocket is still depending on HBO and HBO PPV. Stop whining and go for the national audience!
Terrific article, and shows you about all the crap that goes on behind the scenes. A lot different than the simplistic "Fighter A is ducking Fighter B" stuff we see on here.
