audley calling for fury and hennesy to make the fight

I can see their thinking and on paper it wasn't such a bad idea. In the blue corner we have a British Olympic Heavyweight Champion, which is not a common occurrence. The BBC couldn't compete with Sky for the established pro's but if they could get people invested in the 'journey' then the multi-fight deal could've helped them claim their own part of the boxing pie. The learning fights weren't going to be classics, but at heavyweight they must've been counting on some showreel KO's to help build interest.

Audley got the chance to monetise fights that would otherwise have sat on the undercards of better matches. He had the opportunity, in theory, to build a mass market following for his eventual rise to heavyweight greatness. Of course with hindsight, anyone in the red corner who sat through some of those events will not want to hear otherwise and Audley would arguably have been better learning away from the glare of publicity, but with a different fighter it could've worked out a lot better.

 

He wasn't just an Olympic medal winner. He was the super heavyweight champ, ie the man of the sport. yeah true he was always going to fight cans in his first 10 fights as a pro. That's the nature of the sport. The deal was about more than that though. Sure you got the ten fights. But you always had full access to making hours of extra footage with Audley to stick on the telly. You were selling the Audley story as he went out to seek yet more glory and unify the belts. The BBC currently pays something like £70m a year just to show the highlights for the football. Like I said. They got a fair deal for Audley.

 

Indeed. The highlight KO showreel was exactly what they were banking on. That's what the casuals wanted to see. I remember being a young nipper and knowing nothing about the sport that didn't come from the Rocky films. Anyway I had an old VHS video about Mike Tyson being some sort of power punching KO machine. It was basically highlights of Mike brutalising bouncers and arm wrestlers from his first 15 figthts or so. Sure I didn't know they were hopeless. I just assumed he was destroying the best in the sport.

 

Did ITV not go large on Amir Khan at the start? Seem to remember they televised his big 'amateur rematch' of the Olympic final and his signing as a pro, before Warren went over to Sky...

 

They did I remember that when they got kindelan to come over

 

They should bring boxing back on ITV. I remember watching Danny Williams fight Audley Harrison on ITV. I remember Eubank signing a deal with them a few years ago.

 

The great thing is that now that Fury has misplaced his testicles, this could actually happen!

 

The latter was their attempt at PPV. It tanked. I remember ITV boxing too, I did enjoy it. I liked BBC boxing as well, quality fights, Robin Reid, Carl Thompson, early Froch. Excellent commentary from Woodall iirc

 

Yup the rematch with Mario Kindelan. I am not getting suspicious in my old age but I I reckon the Cuban was given a good size brown envelope in the changing room beforehand lol.

 

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Nothing getting past you
After that brown bag he bought a farm in Carlisle
Iirc sheep farmer
He sold his legacy for a comfy retirement

 

This starts like an outtake from the film CB4 before he starts trying to talk and reminding us all of the beatings he took

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.....did he actually?? Lol

 

Last I herd