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

[deuce_drop]

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.

i'm wasn't saying that was the last fight on network tv, but that was the start of them pulling it off the air, and after that fight(kim-mancini) hbo picked up boxing because they were phasing out boxing.

like i said also, they have had fights on tv since but they did absolute ****.

[Yogi]

i'm wasn't saying that was the last fight on network tv, but that was the start of them pulling it off the air, and after that fight(kim-mancini) hbo picked up boxing because they were phasing out boxing.

like i said also, they have had fights on tv since but they did absolute ****.

Well then you must have a completely different memory than I do, because I can easily remember boxing being very, very strong on network television during the immediate years after that fight, and the lightweight division in which that fight was fought in was a very regular showcase on the networks on those weekend afternoons...

Ray Mancini, Edwin Rosario, Hector Camacho, Jose Luis Ramirez, Harry Arroyo, Jimmy Paul, Melvin Paul, Tyron Crawley, Pernell Whitaker, Meldrick Taylor, the two Charlie Browns (Choo Choo & White Lightning), Livingstone Bramble, Robin Blake (he of the hot pink trunks), Terrence Alli, Cornelius Boza Edwards, Vinny Pazienza, Greg Haugen, Alvin Hayes, etc., etc...I can distinctly remember watching every single one of those lightweights fight on television during the mid 80's and on multiple occasions for every single one of them. And no, my memory of them isn't from ESPN, HBO or any other channel that may have shown boxing, because I didn't get those channels until the late 80's when I bought my first satellite dish (the old cracking variety...that was bought in 1989). It's entirely from network television, because that's the only televised boxing coverage that I had at the time save the odd heavyweight card (i.e. Tyson fight) broadcast on TSN.

P.S. The list of fighters I gave there can easily be from another prominant division from that time (and under the same guidelines), whether it be featherweight, welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight, and especially, heavyweight.

[deuce_drop]

Well then you must have a completely different memory than I do, because I can easily remember boxing being very, very strong on network television during the immediate years after that fight, and the lightweight division in which that fight was fought in was a very regular showcase on the networks on those weekend afternoons...

Ray Mancini, Edwin Rosario, Hector Camacho, Jose Luis Ramirez, Harry Arroyo, Jimmy Paul, Melvin Paul, Tyron Crawley, Pernell Whitaker, Meldrick Taylor, the two Charlie Browns (Choo Choo & White Lightning), Livingstone Bramble, Robin Blake (he of the hot pink trunks), Terrence Alli, Cornelius Boza Edwards, Vinny Pazienza, Greg Haugen, Alvin Hayes, etc., etc...I can distinctly remember watching every single one of those lightweights fight on television during the mid 80's and on multiple occasions for every single one of them. And no, my memory of them isn't from ESPN, HBO or any other channel that may have shown boxing, because I didn't get those channels until the late 80's when I bought my first satellite dish (the old cracking variety...that was bought in 1989). It's entirely from network television, because that's the only televised boxing coverage that I had at the time save the odd heavyweight card (i.e. Tyson fight) broadcast on TSN.

P.S. The list of fighters I gave there can easily be from another prominant division from that time (and under the same guidelines), whether it be featherweight, welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight, and especially, heavyweight.

hey boo boo.........................

either way you look at it, it aint there now. but you're right it was strong, but from what i remember it was the beginning of the end, maybe it was all in my head i was a little guy when all that went down, but the fact of the matter is boxing isnt doing as well as it did in the years leading up to the 90's, since the 90's boxing been slipping away and the network television doesn't want to deal with it.

but i admit you got the info all laid out.........peace.

[bassing68]

As I said before. Pay per view is killing boxing. This country is in a serious recession and most of us can not afford it. Therefore boxing is losing attention; remember the old saying...out of sight/out of mind.

If football and baseball went to pay per view they would suffer the same fate. END PAY PER VIEW!!!!

[Abe Attell]

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.

No offense, but blah, blah, blah, WE ARE IN ****ING NATURE.

****ing Hypocrites, the majority of people kill for food, don't they?

We go to War, don't we?

We Fight to survive, that is boxing

...

[Abe Attell]

As I said before. Pay per view is killing boxing. This country is in a serious recession and most of us can not afford it. Therefore boxing is losing attention; remember the old saying...out of sight/out of mind.

If football and baseball went to pay per view they would suffer the same fate. END PAY PER VIEW!!!!

agree....but, boxing still has survived throughout history...it has died down before, only to come alive again.


You see, kids are fighting in the back yards, in their basement, in the streets, etc. so it is not like it is dead, it is just dying because it is on cable.

[deuce_drop]

No offense, but blah, blah, blah, WE ARE IN ****ING NATURE.

****ing Hypocrites, the majority of people kill for food, don't they?

We go to War, don't we?

We Fight to survive, that is boxing

...

yeah i know what you are saying and i agree but you know how people are they complain about everything and protest everything. ****ing hypocrites.

for the hypocrites everything is ok until they see it, then it becomes a problem, and then they want to protest.

i saw it somewhere here, where someone wrote " out of sight out of mind ", and that's exactly how they play, a bunch of fence riding butt plugs.

that's why i dislike most people because they complain and ruin thins for the rest of us.

" they're nothing but a bunch of ****ing amateurs! "

[Abe Attell]

I just wish boxing could be seen on regular television...I have satellite, so I can still see fights with no problem, but regular television would make the sport popular again...plus, popularity = money = more people willing to box.

It is still better to call yourself the "Heavyweight Champion of the World" then "I won in baseball, football, baseketball, etc."

[Welter_Skelter]

If they put the REALLY big fights on free TV .. wouldn't be good for everyone?
1- even the casual fan would watch then.. giving more exposure to sport and the fighters...
2-maybe even a NON fan would be channel surfing and get curious.. A new fan.. which is good for the sport and the fighters..
3-right now on PPV a good buy is 350-400 buys... at 50 bucks a shot .. this does not attract the casual fan or non fan and only caters to the hardcore fan.. This is conter productive in that it does not promote growth.. this is bad for boxing and the fighters also the promoters and sanctioning bodies
4-If a BIG fight was on free TV or even cable.. Dont you think all those people who wait till next week or download it.. would actually watch it live instead? Dont you think maybe that figure would be closer to like 2-3 million veiwers.. (**** if NHL Hockey can get 3 million veiwers.. surely a good fight can..) Now I know 3 million non paying veiwers does not generate as much cash as even 1 paying veiwer.. BUT... if I am selling advertisng.. Thats a 700-800% increase in veiwers and I am sure i can demand more ad revenue.. AND wouldn't then more companies compete for the advertising slots ..ergo driving the rates even higher? which should make up for the lost PPV revenues.. PLUS create growth for the sport.. Also the networks would do most of the PROMO themselves.. Thus freeing up money for the promters to spend elsewhere(perhaps signing new talent due the GROWTH of the sport) This is good for boxing.. this is good for the fighters.. this is good for the promoters.. this is good for the advertisers.. this is good for the ABCs.. and most IMPORTANT.. this is good for us the FANS...

Thank you for listening