then things are looking up! Today for example, for comcast basic cable (west coast, bay area at least) there is the espn fnf with judah vs cruz at 6pm. then a replay of humberto soto vs dominguez at 8. and then some cruiserweights named ran nakash and victor barragan are fighting at 9. All we need now is some legitimate championships on the line every now and then to really hook the casual viewers
I bet your post won't get many replies... I've been some time on these boards and it amazes me how some people, notably from the US and UK, can't even grasp the concept of free TV. It takes several posts to explain them that there is such a thing as they seem to be too young to remember that it used to be like that before.
Yea.. What you said about championship fights is probably the key... It's hard enough to get a meaningful fight on one of the big networks, bless Showtime for the super six and the championship fights they try and make.. I think it's just too damn much money involved, and once these guys get a name they push everything to the limit..
Yes but FCC was far more liberal back then, you have Censors and regulations that dictate what is deemed "appropriate" (and I use the term loosley) for a major network broadcasting a live sporting event. Just look at some of the Bouts, like Israel Vazquez eyebrow...Klitchko's face against Lennow Lewis. If the bloody faces aren't enough to get people's panties in a bunch you have the like of Arreola or James Toney that like to Utilize the word "****" every other word. Not only that, what about in the corner, ala Roger Mayweather, telling Floyd, "that mother****er ain't ****.' That won't go over well with ABC (owned by Disney) While I feel this is the key to making boxing mainstream, realistically with the established regulations I don't see how?...:huh Mainstream audiences have become pussified with Reality TV, and Dating shows like the Bachelor, and ****.
Well, I'm probably one of the few around here old enough to remember when boxing was on free (broadcast) tv EVERY weekend! ABC's Wide World of Sports, CBS Sports Saturday, NBC, all showed fights regularly. And many of them were championship fights that you would see on a "Boxing After Dark" type telecast today. Now, it wasn't a panacea. Even in the late Ali era when I started getting into boxing, people were ALREADY bemoaning that boxing wasn't as popular as it had been in the days of Dempsey, Louis or Marciano. So regular TV won't necessarily make boxing NFL football. But it would help.
combat sport are cable tv thing. It is as simple as that. the way the sport works, advertising is not suited to free to air boxing. look boxing is in a great spot now, stop all the doom and gloom.
