When fights went to cable + how come Fights can't be shown on Regular Television?

[Abe Attell]

I was watching Ali vs Foreman, and Bob Sheridan said that each fighter was getting 5 million dollars...that was in 1974, I wonder how much that would be in today's dollars? Maybe 15, 20, 25 million?

Was Ali vs Foreman on regular television?

How about Leonard vs Hearns?

Anybody know when fights started going to cable?


I know there was more viewers back then because there were fewer channels, but we are talking about Boxing/Fighting...just like Max Kellerman said, if you walk down the street, to your left there is a basketball game, to your right, a street fight, which one are you going to choose?

I mentioned that you could have advertising on the sides of the screen, on the ring card girls, on the mat, the commentators could say some quick ****, etc. Then I watched the Pac vs Morales III fight that someone put up and there it was, exactly what I was talking about...yeah, it is a bit annoying, but ****, obviously somebody feels it is a good way to promote some stuff for some extra cash, so I wouldn't mind it if they could get in on regular television.

[Abe Attell]

And if someone wants to talk about people dying, just watch PBS when they do their nature special: you see lions ripping apart other animals all the time....you even see them ****ing the female lions.

[K-DOGG]

In a nutshell, boxing isn't on free Tv because the networks don't feel the majority of their audience want to watch boxing; and they can't sell enough advertising for fights.

It's about money and perceived value. At least, that's my interpretation.

[Abe Attell]

Get a star, and I will get you an audience.

Seriously, that is bull**** if the television people think that...NFL hits big numbers, although the "dancing with the Stars" is the biggest thing since "Idol" so I don't know what the **** is going on...maybe our society is a bunch of ******* at the moment, which would make ever more the reason to put boxing back on regular television.

[the giant one]

boxing hasnt really had a big presence on network TV since the late 80's, right around when Tuesday Night Fights was starting up on USA and ESPN had a lot of fight cards. NBC tried to do some saturday dates a few years back and said they were successful but no followup happened

[K-DOGG]

Get a star, and I will get you an audience.

Seriously, that is bull**** if the television people think that...NFL hits big numbers, although the "dancing with the Stars" is the biggest thing since "Idol" so I don't know what the **** is going on...maybe our society is a bunch of ******* at the moment, which would make ever more the reason to put boxing back on regular television.

You said it all in your first sentence. Mike Tyson's out of the ring, and later in the ring antics didn't help, though. I hate to blame Mike; and I'm not completely. However, he was the most well know boxer on the planet at a certain time....and was making headlines in all the wrong ways. That's bad PR...and when you got various groups threatening to pull their advertsing and take money out of your pockets if you air this "barbaric" sport...well, money talks.

But, you are right about the "star"; but it'll have to be the "right kind of star", if that makes any sense.

[deuce_drop]

And if someone wants to talk about people dying, just watch PBS when they do their nature special: you see lions ripping apart other animals all the time....you even see them ****ing the female lions.

first off PBS produced and worked on by thousands, viewed by hundreds. not valid.


and second, after Kim died from injuries fighting Mancini, they yanked boxing off of network television, too much negativity, too much for the public to handle. then HBO stepped up and nabbed up boxing and put it on cable, showtime shortly after.

and back then when boxing was on network television it was still a premire sport, now it's cast aside and a fringe sport sad to say, too many robberies, too much fight cancellations, too many varibles, guys not making weight, injuries that postpone fights, network television isn't going to put up with that ****, they don't like to waste time or money. that and the numbers aren't there.

you say get a big star, but what big star is going to want to fight on free tv when he can get a slice of the PPV's................

think for a second.................... see what i'm saying.

and for the lions ****ing and killing one another, people protest that **** too, that and people don't care because it's nature not a choice, to go into a ring and fight is a choice and people have harder feelings about watching humans beat each other up for entertainment. people are hypocrites plain and simple, but they seem to get their way when it comes to **** like this. keeping boxing off of network tv.

they tried a few years back and the numbers were terrible. so they **** canned it, what's new.

[Yogi]

Was Ali vs Foreman on regular television?

How about Leonard vs Hearns?

Anybody know when fights started going to cable?

I can't be 100% sure on the Ali/Foreman fight, but I can only imagine that that fight was on closed circuit television, which was in fact the case for the Leonard/Hearns fight...No network television for that one until they showed the replay (which was usually the next weekend), as I can vividly remember staying up fairly late the night of the fight, and watching the late night sport shows to get the result.

I can also recall watching boxing on network televsion up until the early 90's (no Duece Drop, they did not "yank" boxing off their networks after the Mancini/Kim fight, as boxing was still going VERY strong and was thriving on the networks in the immediate years after that unfortunate happening), and for some reason the Edwin Rosario/Loreto Garza fight is standing out in my mind as possibly the very last fight that I watched on network television from that time...At least I can remember watching that one live on a weekend afternoon with the sun shining in the window, and if I'm thinking correctly, that one was on NBC.

[the giant one]

I can't be 100% sure on the Ali/Foreman fight, but I can only imagine that that fight was on closed circuit television, which was in fact the case for the Leonard/Hearns fight...No network television for that one until they showed the replay (which was usually the next weekend), as I can vividly remember staying up fairly late the night of the fight, and watching the late night sport shows to get the result.

I can also recall watching boxing on network televsion up until the early 90's (no Duece Drop, they did not "yank" boxing off their networks after the Mancini/Kim fight, as boxing was still going VERY strong and was thriving on the networks in the immediate years after that unfortunate happening), and for some reason the Edwin Rosario/Loreto Garza fight is standing out in my mind as possibly the very last fight that I watched on network television from that time...At least I can remember watching that one live on a weekend afternoon with the sun shining in the window, and if I'm thinking correctly, that one was on NBC.

hey yogster, better commentary team to you, ryan/clancy or albert/pacheco?
i liked clancy and ryan personally althought pacheco and albert were good

[Yogi]

hey yogster, better commentary team to you, ryan/clancy or albert/pacheco?
i liked clancy and ryan personally althought pacheco and albert were good

Hmm...I never thought about that before and I don't think I can give a definate answer on that, ElG, because I tend to tune out the announcers when watching a fight and I generally don't like/dislike any of them.