If there was only one broadcaster it wouldn’t be much better. The talent just isn’t there at the moment.
You look across the broadcasters/promotional companies and all their fights / cards for the rest of the year and it’s shite. The fight I’m most interested in is probably Arthur v Yarde. In reality the first fight was proper **** but this on paper is the best fight in the next 2/3 months.
I don’t agree it’s just DAZN, but DAZN isn’t helping. In fact it’s hurting the sport to the wider audience because even last night’s card would have got more traction on Sky. Hearn as I expected doesn’t appear to be nearly as effective without the the pull of Sky’s dedicated programming. In terms of dilution, it’s definitely a problem. I don’t think the talent coming through is a huge issue -that’s cyclical. The problem is that everyone wants to be a world champion and the silver, intercontinental, international belts directed into eliminators, final eliminators are a curse. This has always been Hearn’s way in particularly to drive interest. Then he can push the boxer as a step away from ‘the world title’, as if there is only one and not at least 4 in each division. It doesn’t work in America which is why Hearn has become unstuck there, because the yanks don’t give a sh*t. The British title has been completely skipped now. If it was still relevant then these domestic fighter would still have to box each other on either promoters cards. So essentially you have three stables of boxers swerving domestic rivals, fighting international nobodies to improved rankings before (and in some cases after years of waiting) fighting for a WBA regular belt when there was probably 2-3 live domestic opponents around in that period and great fan matchups.
As it’s in liverpool, I’m guessing it will be something like; Benn v Algeri Taylor v Jonas 2 Robbie Davies Jnr Etc
The problem for me is that there isn't a great pool of talent as @Scissors points out, but beside that we have several promotional companies with 'rival' domestic fighters signed to each one and so they just don't fight each other especially for British titles etc. Unforgivably, we have also had fighters under the same promotional company not fighting each other such as Callum Johnson and Buatsi. I don't think the lack of talent is the main problem though. Viewers/fans just want to see well matched fighters striving for the same thing. Competition. That Smith v Fowler fight the other week was tremendous. It doesn't matter that they're both not at world level, we were all hooked anyway. Over here particularly more than ever we need to see these promotional companies working together to match fighters and we need to see the fighters themselves demand these fights along with the BBBofC insisting that they happen.
Eddie missed a massive trick with this show. As soon as the main event fell through he should have been pushing free / chesp tickets on to the ABC's in & around the London area, the NHS given his previous promises, colleges / uni's, anything to drive footfall.
This is bang on. Haven't really followed boxing for the last 3 years and have recently got back into it. The names have not changed and the prospects from when I was watching have not delivered.
That is the crux of the problem mate along with the selling of next to zero risk fights as huge tests.
Think small hall shows may be where the boxing fan will need to look for some 50/50 scraps for a while. The top ranking fighters are average at best at the moment and scared to even fight anyone that might trouble them. Eddie, Frank & Boxxer need to understand they need to make the fights better matched or it will die a death.
Our fighters are just not very good. Look at the 2016 Olympians from other countries - Shakur Stevenson just become 2 weight world champ aged 24 and Teofimo Lopez, also aged 24, has recently beat one of the greats to become the unified world champion. Meanwhile 30 year old Anthony Fowler who had an extensive amateur background and fought at the same Olympics was apparently not ready for Liam Smith coming off a loss but ‘deserved massive credit for stepping up’. Buatsi and Cordina also 2016 Olympians are also not ready for title shots despite being late 20’s.
Josh Taylor gave himself step up fights all the way since turning pro and there was danger in nearly all of his fights. There was no hard fight then 3 puddings - every fight was a harder test for him right up to him becoming the undisputed World Champion. A fighting man with no fear, no excuses and no time wasted in his career. Now he has been recognised in the Annual @Mitch87 Resume Awards
It was unfortunate timing for British boxing that so many of the biggest names retired in the last few years. There was talk when boxing all but disappeared from terrestrial tv about how hard it now would be to build stars on Sky. It’ll be ten times harder to do so on DAZN. It’s going to be interesting to see how it all plays out, but I think it’s going to be some time before the next boom period.
