By Keith Terceira
 
I want to start by thanking all those who emailed me regarding the ESPN article I wrote yesterday. Many  questioned what could be done to correct the issues and asked if I had any suggestions.  Boycotting  ESPN as one message suggested is not possible as it may totally discourage their participation in the sport. Writing them  your dissatisfaction with Loughrey and/or the quality of the shows again may or may not help. I would say it is worth a try.
 
Personally ,after thinking long and hard, maybe some suggestions would move them to question their direction in the production of shows and the manner in which they are currently handling promoters, fighters etc.
 
One question I do have for ESPN is why are you  only half way into the promotion and matchmaking of fights ?
 
Why not jump in with both feet and fix what all of us know is wrong and get more modern in your production methods making it more interactive? You have seen the results that embracing  fantasy sports has made in your fan base. Why can you not plunge in with both feet and do the  same with boxing….By all means get someone else to run your Boxing Department say someone who is  respected by all in the industry.
 
Here is my ten point must system plan for saving FNF….
 
1.) Create 8-10 round ESPN TV Titles using the current weight divisions. What the hell everyone else  create titles around boxing. Better yet be really cool and create just eight weight division titles.
 
2.) Stop trucking your production crews all over the North American Continent  (that can’t be cheap) and  get  three sponsoring venues in which set-up studios to hold shows from the East, West , and Mid West or just one if you really want to be fiscally responsible. Got to be cheaper to fly in a dozen boxing personal than  two dozen production members and gas for your satellite big rig;.
 
3.) Get interactive with the boxing public and put your website to use by allowing fighters that are prepared to fight 8 and 10 round fights to send video’s of their fights and some personal stuff  to ESPN.com  and allow fans to choose weeks in advance whom is fighting whom and use a talent committee to select  say the top six guys to vote on. In each weight class.  Be honest and don’t make deals with promoters behind the scenes. Let the public get involved…
 
4.) Create stars for promoters to fight over. Create value instead of  attempting and mostly failing to capitalize on stars that promoters are building. You obviously can’t  or don’t want to invest enough to bring a consistent product into the market place so create your own value and stop allowing promoters to hand fans garbage to view..
 
5.) There are tons of 10-1, 11-3 fighters out there that the public never get to see because they don’t have promoters and  whom are talented . Instead of paying 30-40 grand for B level fighters to face off against A level prospects that everyone already has a hint who is going to win give us some suspense and question marks and make the whole thing fun for the fan. There is a period between debuting and say 15 fights that promoters don’t feel interested  yet in signing young fighters unless they can sell tickets or were great amateurs. That is the group to focus on… 
 
6.) Stop fooling yourself as to whether you are promoting fighters already because everyone knows how you operate behind the scenes , step up and be innovative  and take a stand. At least with my plan you can blame the boxing public if they vote one round KO’s and you don’t look half as inept as you did putting on Sam Peter versus Julius Long. That fight most people were betting on how many minutes instead of how many rounds it would last.
 
7.) Stop catering to the few select promoters who can afford the most talent and start catering to the athletes themselves and the fans…

8.) You are paying 12,000 or more dollars a piece for a ten - twelve  round fights between some guy on his way up and  someone on the way down when you could pay half that for two guys with up side only and have the fans get excited about the boxers because they have decided whom is on your shows.
 
9.) Once or twice a year or several you can have say a welterweight champ challenge a junior middle title holder and really get some sparks flying.

10.) Let’s say John Doe fights a great fight and loses to the TV champ put his profile back on the list and let him earn his way back into the mix by public vote …If you were smart about the way you  handle this idea you could conceivably have some money making PPV’s within two seasons . Set some rules for fighters and managers and some behavior clauses etc. No long term contracts just fight to fight ones or season to season … You could conceivably change the face and reputation of the sport. In the least , you could derail the undefeated  bandwagon the sport has been riding on for 40 years and focus on talent, star power, and guts instead..
 
Frankly I would rather watch a 12-5 fighter that stands toe to toe with everyone than a pampered poser who fights only the safe fights. I’m tired of glass jawed fighters with paper records fighting other paper records who can’t break eggs… How about letting me decide who I want to see face off every week and giving some guys who have yet to make a ripple in the sport a chance to get a payday and some exposure.
 
The average  unsigned eight to ten  round fighter makes 2500 - 3000 dollars for one fight. Were I an unattached boxer being offered a square deal to fight for say 6000.00 and maybe a chance at several more fights that year if I perform plus a national TV title I’d be saying where do I send the video and I‘d get everyone I knew to vote for me. Not only would you be catering to the fans but you would be creating new ones…
 
Why because maybe I live in an area that there are few promotional opportunities or because I see this show as a chance to showcase my talent not just in my hometown but  in front of the world. Perhaps promoters and fans get to see a Augustus, Brewer, Pendleton, or Galloway before they take so many road losses. 
 
I don’t know for sure if this would work but I can say that American’s enjoy creating idols and heros on our own and do not embrace being told whom our idols should be by less than honest promoters who build phony records  and get fighters exposed eventually. No one ever blames the promoter for hoodwinking us it is always the fighter that gets the blame even though the truth of the matter may be he or she was held back in their level of competition then thrown to the lions when it was close to the end of their contracts.
 
Good ahead and toss that around awhile and see what you come up with on your own. Email me at Kterceira@aol.com  with your  ideas.