interesting article by iole.It's a view shared by others like steve kim(its why he think bob arum can do no wrong), it seems like many promoters today think their job is to get a fighter on tv and fighting in casino rooms instead of promoting them into something people want to go see.Take the bradley/alexander fight a st louis fighter and a cali fighter fighting in a empty tomb in Detroit because it was easy money
He's 100% correct, promoting a fighter means more than signing a deal for tv and a venue. A lot of promoters think getting a guy on HBO for a few fights is their goal and they'll sit back and take the money. When is the last time you saw a few commercials on ESPN or whatever for a non-ppv HBO fight?
It is interesting. But I'd contend there is more to the problem. He is right, a lack of good promoting is a problem. And without good promoting, fighters go unnoticed, unrecognised and unrewarded. But I'd say it is more symptomatic of the real problem as opposed to BEING the problem. I'd say the real problem is that it's not a lack of quality people looking out for the boxers, it's a lack of people looking out for BOXING. The promoters allegiance is to their fighters, their business partners, their bank accounts. The will do what they need to in order to protect their investment. And it is often at odds with what is best for boxing. How is PPV good for boxing? The biggest and best fight there, but only diehards will buy it. Try explaining to a prospective fan that there at 4-8 titlists at each weight class because there are a bunch of organizations who are pulling strings, rankings and dictating terms.The ABC orgs are run as if by a series of feudalistic warlords, each only concerned with their own little kingdom. And it blows.
They allegiance is with their fighters. They need to working their asses off to get them more recognition. How about interviews with major newspapers, radio interviews, articles in magazines, etc. Promoters need to fight for media coverage and general awareness of their fighters.
