Why is ESPN....

Discussion in 'World Boxing Forum' started by WiDDoW_MaKeR, Mar 16, 2009.


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  1. WiDDoW_MaKeR

    WiDDoW_MaKeR ESB Hall of Fame Member Full Member

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    C'mon man, they have to pay for all of their shows, guys, music, ect... The point is that they could open up the budget for a fight like this. Besides that, they don't HAVE to show previous footage of the fighters to promote this fight. Of course it would help, but they don't HAVE to have it. It would take absolutely nothing for them to take a minute during one of their hour long broadcasts to mention the upcoming fights.
     
    WiDDoW_MaKeR, Mar 16, 2009
    WiDDoW_MaKeR, Mar 16, 2009
    #76
  2. Punisher33

    Punisher33 Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    I see it the exact same way as you on this topic, as scary as that sounds. This to me is where ESPN is going wrong, you have a golden opertunity to not only get the average boxing fans attention again, but if it turns out to be a two good Heavyweight scraps, more people will tune into the Wednesday night fights, as well as friday night fights.

    The Posters getting upset at Widdow are wrong. He knows how significant these two fights could be to the sport and Heavyweight boxing in general, and doesn't want to see ESPN to blow a huge opertunity to market the fights to a bigger population of people. Of course diehard fans are going to watch the fight, but right now boxing needs more than just us, we need the average fans back as well.
     
    Punisher33, Mar 16, 2009
    Punisher33, Mar 16, 2009
    #77
  3. sdsfinest22

    sdsfinest22 Pound 4 Pound Full Member

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    ESPN is usually featuring up and coming fighters...I don't think Vitali or Wlad have PPV potential...ESPN has never had the best fighter in the world at the time he was the best in the world on there channel...Its great for me that the fight is on ESPN as i'd love to see it...I just never thought I'd see the best HW in the world on ESPN...I've been watching boxing for a long time and I don't recall the last time ESPN showcased the best fighter in any weight class let alone the HW division...
     
    sdsfinest22, Mar 16, 2009
    sdsfinest22, Mar 16, 2009
    #78
  4. Arriba

    Arriba Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Because ESPN has led people to believe that. They've cornered the "up and coming prospects fight nobodies" market for their FNF program. They've improved recently but they've led the boxing world to look at them as the B Show for all real boxing events basically.
     
    Arriba, Mar 16, 2009
    Arriba, Mar 16, 2009
    #79
  5. Arriba

    Arriba Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Chances are they already opened their budget beyond their means to showcase a fight with no financial gain basically.

    And what will they show if they can't pay for footage? Vitali and Juan Carlos Gomez sitting down? I'd like an explanation of how the advert would go without any boxing footage of the two. It's just not possible.
     
    Arriba, Mar 16, 2009
    Arriba, Mar 16, 2009
    #80
  6. downthatbottle

    downthatbottle Please don't ban me Full Member

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    Vitali did fight Danny Williams on HBO's PPV (which I believe did somewhere in the 300's).

    I'm sure Vitali could be on HBO if he wanted.
     
    downthatbottle, Mar 16, 2009
    downthatbottle, Mar 16, 2009
    #81
  7. CHEF

    CHEF Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Maybe ESPN wants to change that perception. You cant rate a fighters skill based on what network their fights are on.... thats just stupid. And to discredit Klitschko or Gomez for it, is even worse.
     
    CHEF, Mar 16, 2009
    CHEF, Mar 16, 2009
    #82
  8. Boxing Fanatic

    Boxing Fanatic Loyal Member banned

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    I thought they were doing an okay job. Yeah, they don't advertise enough, but, at least this fight with the Klitschkos can generate more interest into future live broadcasts. Anyway, Oscar has taken over the slot for a large part of the year with his fights being broadcasted on FNF. Don't know if that is good or bad. Probably both.
     
    Boxing Fanatic, Mar 16, 2009
    Boxing Fanatic, Mar 16, 2009
    #83
  9. sdsfinest22

    sdsfinest22 Pound 4 Pound Full Member

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    I'm not discrediting either fighter...but it's an insult to Vitali imo....
     
    sdsfinest22, Mar 16, 2009
    sdsfinest22, Mar 16, 2009
    #84
  10. WiDDoW_MaKeR

    WiDDoW_MaKeR ESB Hall of Fame Member Full Member

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    Wow... really?
     
    WiDDoW_MaKeR, Mar 16, 2009
    WiDDoW_MaKeR, Mar 16, 2009
    #85
  11. CHEF

    CHEF Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Like I said... maybe ESPN wants to change that perception... more power to them
     
    CHEF, Mar 16, 2009
    CHEF, Mar 16, 2009
    #86
  12. Arriba

    Arriba Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    I don't think anybody is disagreeing. They've just buried themselves with that image for so long that people have fallen in love with it.
     
    Arriba, Mar 16, 2009
    Arriba, Mar 16, 2009
    #87
  13. CHEF

    CHEF Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    IMO its brilliant... the marketing for Vitali could be amazing due to the number of potential viewer compared to HBO or showtime.
    I also think things like this will keep the assholes at HBO and Showtime in check
     
    CHEF, Mar 16, 2009
    CHEF, Mar 16, 2009
    #88
  14. Suge Green

    Suge Green Boxing Junkie banned

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    ...but Widdow is right, they are blowing it. As much as I dislike him, there is a proper way to sell ViTKLiT on basic cable...and they are not doing it.

    ...I mean it's not like this is WLaD. :yep
     
    Suge Green, Mar 16, 2009
    Suge Green, Mar 16, 2009
    #89
  15. WiDDoW_MaKeR

    WiDDoW_MaKeR ESB Hall of Fame Member Full Member

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    First of all, paying for footage isn't a big deal. You are acting like all of this stuff is such a huge money risk. The fights are already signed and scheduled. Marketing the fights properly right now would help them in the back end with the big ratings. Vitali pulled down the highest rated boxing events on HBO back after he fought Lewis. (not counting the PPV that did so-so) I think that you are really reaching with the assumption that they are so overstretched by having this fight take place on ESPN in the first place.

    Now, even without footage they could easily show pictures, which are legal... and they could simply talk about the fighters and hype it up. Just like they do with everything else. Hell... they could have brought Vitali and Gomez on for an interview as well, just like the Best Damn Sports Show used to do.
     
    WiDDoW_MaKeR, Mar 16, 2009
    WiDDoW_MaKeR, Mar 16, 2009
    #90
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