Can anyone please tell me if Setanta are showing the A.B.A.E Senior Championships from Sheffield next month??? I don't ever recall seeing amateur boxing on Setanta, but on the advertising poster for the finals (as can be seen on the inside cover of this week's Boxing News) it features the Setanta logo amongst the sponsors/endorsees, etc. :think Many thanks in anticipation of an answer.
That would be a good idea, i remember when Frankie Gavin won the World Championships in Chicago, Buncey was on a live Setanta broadcast raving about his achievement but bemoaning the fact that there was little or no Media attention. Maybe Buncey could swing it with the man at Setanta and get some amateur boxing on.
a quick google search found the minutes from an abae meeting last year.... www.abae.co.uk/Images/Council Mins Aug 08[1]_tcm97-143376.doc - "7.9 Sentanta TV Negotiations PK indicated that he recently met David Tippett from Setanta TV who had indicated that they were very willing to take on board a potential 6 bout international programme with the ABAE moving forward from April 2009. This was a very large offer and exceptional profile and potential income stream given that these purported events could then be sold on to various participants and partners who could pay permit fees which incrementally could increase the income and support to the ABAE. A formal agreement should be in place no later than November 2008 for this potential contract to start in April 2009 updates will be given at the next Council and Board meetings following further contractual conversations and discussions."
Thanks guys. It would be great to see amateur boxing getting wider coverage on television again. Even if Setanta are or not, at least there's been some sort of negotiations and discussion going on, which is a step in the right direction. If it does happen with Setanta, then not only would it be a good profile boost for the amateur game, it would inject more money into funding various amateur programmes towards developing young boxers. Also, think of the great exposure it would give some of the amateur boxers who are great talents but do not, for one reason or another, get to the Olympics. The Olympics are great for exposing a few, but there are plenty of classy boxers in Britain who don't get the benefit of that exposure. For example, everybody now knows James DeGale but have never heard of George Groves or Jamie Cox. Even Frankie Gavin's World Championship win was pretty obscure with the general public, until he became known as the guy who couldn't make the weight for Beijing. With regular coverage, historic victories such as that will at least get a bit more of the attention they deserve.
I don't think it would cost Setanta too much cash and they surely could knock off one of their Kendall Holt/Timothy Bradley repeats to give British Amateurs some exposure.
Be a good idea, they must be having something to do with it else the setanta logo wouldnt be on the poster. Whether clips just get shown on Bunces hour or something, but I'd like to see them show them. Fair play to setanta