HBO is Pathetic

The thing is HBO's highest rated WCB broadcast of the last two or three years was Vitali vs Arreola, the Klitschkos have historically turned in decent ratings for HBO. How they can pass on Wlad fighting America's most proven young heavy, but charge us 50 bucks for Mayweather's sparring match versus a blown up Marquez blows my mind.

 

Maybe 99.5% of Americans cannot, but they draw huge crowds and the fight is being broadcast in 110 countries and will probably attract around 450 million viewers, most people do care, just not most Americans.

 

Said Mayweather sparring session did over a million PPVs. The only US PPV ever headlined by either Klitschko had the lowest buy rate of any HW championship fight in history until that point.


Despite the fact that Chambers has the best record of the current crop of American HWs, he is totally unknown to casual fans, and the fact that he's an undersized HW with little power isn't going to win him any mainstream support. This fight is a total mismatch, and if HBO were to air it, it would be tape delayed and run against the NCAA tourney. So it's pretty much guaranteed low ratings.

The outrage regard HBO's decision not to air this fight is mind-boggling to me.

 

I think the outrage is more towards the reason they gave which is extremely stupid, as for them not showing the fight I can totally see why they would choose not to

 

NCAA hoops? Max Kellerman said it best. you stop at a red light and you put a hoop game, gold game, soccer game and fight on each corner, all eyes will go to the fight.

hbo shunning Klitschko is an outrage and injustice to heavyweight history of boxing

 

HBO is not interested in showing an American getting KO'd by a non-American :-(

 

Sadly, it's really all about the money. Klitschkos don't have enough US support and neither does Chambers.

 

this is a great point. This fight would not even do good ratings opposite a Golden Girls marathon, but against March Madness???? Forget it.

 

basically what he's trying to say is americans are thick as ****.

 

I'm curious what HBO is showing instead of the fight during that time slot?
Anyone know?

 

well they are showing the Pac-Clottey replay at 11pm after the games are finished. Prior to that, a movie, of course.

 

Though this is annoying, it's not that big of a deal, IMO.

Within a year or so, Vitali will retire. Then there will just be Wladimir, and there is still no one in the division who is capable of beating him. So, eventually all HW roads will lead through him and his bouts will be shown when HBO or other networks feel someone -- like Haye -- is capable of actually defeating Wlad. Chambers isn't that guy.

Don't feel too bad for the Klitschkos. They make a killing in Europe, which, if you'll recall, uses the Euro. The current exchange rate for 1 Euro is 1.35 dollars. So, whatever they make in Europe is worth more here. They're in good shape, particularly when fighting in gigantic soccer stadiums and such in various Euro countries.

Does that mean that the USA market isn't relevant? Of course not. More money is more money. But though the Klitschkos haven't made the mark they would like in America, they still are racking up cash and "W's."

It's all good.

 

I do think HBO puts a lot of fights on PPV that should really go on regulare sat night fight on the network
I have missed out on a lot of good fights and good fighters by not having showtime

 

HBO puts zero fights on PPV themselves.

It's the promoters who go to PPV if HBO or another network isn't willing to pay the promoters as much as they want for the fight. If HBO is interested, they'll go ahead and distribute and/or produce the PPV.

 

And do you know why? America is full of mexican's, who love boxing and support their fighters to the fullest. Arreola pulled in the majority of the viewers here in america. Vitali did terrible numbers for his fight against Johnson, as well as his fight with Gomez.