I've come to the realization and more or less accepting the fact that regular PPV's are here to stay. But for the attention of Eddie Hearn and anyone else that is going to be putting these on, please, do all the fans a favour and sell these based on their merits as a decent fight rather than the pantomimes which we have seen recently, where fake grudges are built and taken to the laughable extremes, so much so that they really wouldn't be out of place in WWE. Look at Frampton v Santa Cruz, a fight that didn't need to sell itself and both fighters showing remarkable respect to each other in the build up. That's what boxing should be about. The casual fans are getting wise to it, folk I work with talking about how after all that Haye and Bellew were best mates in the ring. The promoters won't be able to keep pulling this stuff for long, so I hope that they are aware that even the casual fans are on to them.
Its still what gets the casuals talking, and buying tho ... without the big build up they wouldnt have been talking about them period let alone what they were up to after the fight.
I read this could of done 600K+ ppvs. The build up works. Who cares if they were friendly in the ring afterwards? Its always like that. What do you expect to happen once the fight ends?
Yeah because Brook/Spence and AJ/Klitchsko are so 'WWE'. Just shutup moaning and just enjoy the boxing schedule thats coming up. I think Matchroom get the mix just right in my opinion, the fans get a little bit of everything.
Like it or not the British public seem to be entertained by these PPV events. Whatever Matchroom and Sky do is clearly working.
Like the casuals were no longer gonna buy AJ PPV fights or how the casuals had got sick of Eddie Hearn and were no longer gonna buy PPV fights. Man I wish I had the time to go and find all the posts that predicted that matchroom and ppv was gonna fail. Matchroom and sky have a model that is clearly working. I went into work today and was shocked with how many people said they bought the fight on Saturday when I asked what they did on the weekend.
Brook vs Spence won't do big numbers. Degale vs groves will be huge. AJ vs wlad will be huge. Bellew vs wilder/Parker will flop.
Those are two fights where the buildup hasn't started yet, chief. He's right about the grudges but they tend to only do it for domestic fights anyway. It does help sell for sure but I don't really care about how well they sell, it doesn't affect me. Grudges that don't genuinely exist bore me, so the weeks of 'I'm gunna put him in hospital' followed by lots of niceties once they've been paid put me right off. If you're into that soap opera, then fair enough but can't see the appeal personally. It's a sport, not a drama
Brook vs Spence will go good enough numbers. It doesn't need to do 400k+ to be a success. Bellew vs Wilder or Parker will do big numbers. Bellew is a star now and has got himself over big time. It cant be underestimated how much that fight at Goodison did for Bellew. The event, the build up, the fight, getting off the floor to win in his home city. That put him over and after Saturday his now a real star.
That's true, his made some very wise career choices. I don't think he'll amount to much else at HW but his name is made now and he could take losses at HW whilst still making very good money, whereas the same couldn't be said at CW (where I think he would have faded away a bit). He's mentioned the possibility of retiring too but I would be surprised if he does.
i personally don't think this needle was bull****. the Whyte/Chisora hatred seemed fake even before that video of Hearn talking about it came out, but this seemed genuine.
I believe that too, mate. Don't get me wrong, there's definitely build-ups which are fake but Haye against Bellew was real. And a lot of the time, there are hugs at the end of fights, it's been like that between lads since primary school. We argue, then we fight then it's done and dusted. It's girls that carry on with the bitching and sniping. Bellew brushed off Eddie Hearn and Coldwell to go over to Haye and help him to his corner. That showed class, humility and sportsmanship. Lesser people would have revelled in their victory.
Of course it was. Do people really think the two are that good of actors they could pull it off like that?
100% agree, seeing Bellew carry Haye back to his stool was incredible to see. Dillian Whyte walking straight out of the ring and still hating AJ springs to mind. funny how hes fine with the person hes had beef with after hes won (Allen, Lewison, Chisora) but still got the hump with AJ after he beat him.
