Irish Boxing

Ardy, I agree. Sinky is my favourite Irish boxer and I am hoping that the Rhodes clash comes off as I am convinced Sinky will KO him, especially, as you say he has a slugfest - there is only one winner in that scenario. Sinky is that last person you want to be standing in front of going toe-to-toe.:deal

 

Paddy,

I'm most put out. I don't hug Spike's nuts - I only like to fiddle them. Jamie Moore on the other hand - guilty, M'Lord.

Thankfully we seem to have go back on track after Aine-gate. Doug - I hear ya buddy, I have a pal who does the same. He's thrown his **** into some monstrosities. The worst was a Jonah Lomu lookalike, only she had a better goatee. Oh, the humanity.

Anyways, I ran this by Sligo yesterday - what about us fans start a campaign for a Super 8 of our middleweights?

As I said to Sligo:
Super Eights middleweight - Long, Fitz, Spike, Coyle, James Moore, Ciaran Duffy, Simon O'Donnell, Willie Thompson, Lee Murtagh, etc. What you think? €20k prize or so at the end for the winner.

Tis ambitious, but I'm even thinking of pitching it to Trevor Welch or Aidan Cooney in TV3 as a Contender-type show, mixed with 24/7 elements. TV3 is gone fierce for homegrown programming. They'd probably say eff off, but that's the worst they can say. If that Lord of the Rings shite (celeb boxing on RTE) can do well, surely the real thing can.

Am I nuts?

 

Great thinking Podge. I think a seeded KO competition might even be an improvement on the current Super Six format, but either way it would be a nice format. Where do I sign?

 

Not a super 8`s, we need an Irish Prize-Fighter with the Irish title at the end of it as i cant see an Irish Promoter throwing 20k to the winner,
Maybe if Barry Hearn is interested or even the Hattons Promotional outfit as they have the Sky Contracts already

 

I can't see a British promoter getting involved in an Irish tournament, in any circumstances. Sky mostly nix any Irish lads in the Prizefighter cos they're not well known. Madness I think, considering how Rogie and Barrett did.

€20k is not the worst in the grand scheme of things. Sponsors would cover it, but TV is needed.
An Irish TV station could do well with a reality format to draw in, as Sligo put it: "You need to rob the best bits of the Contender, 24/7, Super 6 and Prizefighter. Children, Mammies and Daddies all need to be able to buy into it."

Nobody will show boxing on its own here (besides Bernard and Andy Lee - thank God for the two of them), so it has to be family entertainment-orientated.

 

Hopefully 1 of the Irish Promoters has the bottle to risk it as the names that were mentioned to be involved are not house-hold names so i think it would leave only Brian Peters to do it as he already has the contacts to get it aired on TV and has his own sponsors,

Boxers Purses would be.

Quarter Finals 4 x €4,000
Semi Finals 2 x €6,000
Finalist 1 x €10,000
Winner 1 x €20,000
Total = €58,000

So hopefully it can be arranged but i dont think the Stadium would be big enough to stage it and i think the o2 would be too big...So is there anywhere else where it might be held

 

Whats going on with the Ambassador on Parnell Square these days. I know they had the Bodies I think if they could work it out that would be a top fight venue in the centre of town. Or maybe the Helix as a other venue out in DCU.
Its a top idea if I ever came into money won the lotto that would be a thing I would love to see happen over here in Dublin. If it gets a good crowd you could do others in around Ireland and it would promote the other unknown fighters. TV will always be a hard to sort out.

 

If you have the money TV is the easiest to sort out,
The only thing stopping boxing shows (good ones) is lack of sponsorship...
Smaller Promoters are losing their bollix having shows as ticket sales dont add up to half of the outgoings involved in holding a show. as getting good opposition costs an absoloute fortune.
And sponsorship is real hard to get in the current climate as companies dont have the money or dont want to spend the money on a boxing show that hasnt got a house hold name like "Dunne, Lee, Duddy and so on)

 

I think you could sell the stadium standing on your head if there was any TV coverage leading up to it.

The social aspect is what is intriguing to me.

Spike with his family-run gym out of one of Cork's toughest neighbourhoods, Anthony Fitz from Inner City Dublin, Robbie Long came back boxing a year ago after weighing more than 15 stone at his peak, Simon O'Donnell and his Philly experience, Henry Coyle the same and the fact he comes from a political family, James Moore working to make ends meet in a bar in New York, etc.

All different lads, all with a story to tell. I wouldn't be a fan of rugby by any means, but you can be sure I'm gonna buy that new book about how they won the Grand Slam. People love the stories behind the athletes as much as the sport itself.

I'm perhaps being naive, but reality TV sells and sells big. I think boxers tales are more interesting than run of the mill stuff.

Bill Cullen, business graduates and utter shite talk about projections and profit margins is not my formula for entertainment, but I have to say I am hooked on The Apprentice now. It can be done if produced properly.

It's our job together to start pitching ideas - come on lads, input from all of us! Yes we can!!!

 

Ive no doubt it will sell the Stadium out, I just dont think the Stadium will be big enough as i reckon the demand for tickets will be high but not high enough to sell out the o2. unless Paddy Hyland and DolPhil can maybe Co-Promote it or Tommy Egan Fancies throwing money at it with Paschal Collins and Gary Hyde or summat down them lines.

Ive no doubt this would be a big success but will a promoter take it on board and make it happen is the Main Question.......

 

a super 6 format is great....a prizefighter copy would be shite

 

wise words doug

 

A super 6 version will have to go on for a few different shows....Which i cant see selling out every show.... But the Prize-Fighter Style will be a Sell out for the 1 night and gain a lot of interest to see 8 irish fighters fighting each other all in 1 night and would probably suit the lads a lot more than doing a few 10 round fights over a couple of months...Just my opinion though

 

A modified Super Six would be a happy medium. The current SS format is probably a bit too drawn out and 3 rounders for those names in a prizefighter format really sells those guys a bit short. You could draw this out over a year with seeded KO competition, that would build up the penultimate final at the end of the year.....Good sponsorship money and TV money would help pay for the bigger names.....