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Can the Internet Save Boxing?
March 30, 2006
By Marc Lichtenfeld
I fell in love with boxing by accident. I was twelve years old and sick with one of those countless illnesses that kids seem to get on a constant basis. I got out of my bed to turn the dial on the black and white TV in my room (yes, I actually had to turn the dial and yes, it really was a black and white). There was nothing on that I was interested in. I settled on a boxing match between two guys I’d never heard of – a guy named Marvin Hagler was fighting for the middleweight championship against Vito Antuofermo.
I knew nothing about boxing then other than Muhammad Ali was considered the greatest and Sugar Ray Leonard was exciting to watch in the Olympics. I was a huge sports fan, but had never paid attention to the sweet science.
That night, even a feverish boy novice realized that Hagler was robbed. Nevertheless, I was hooked. The eighties were a great time to become a boxing fan. It seemed as if every weekend we were treated to great prospects and champions on network TV. I remember watching the likes of Michael Spinks, Alexis Arguello, Salvador Sanchez, Bobby Chacon and Ray Mancini.
But today’s boxing fan has to actively seek out their boxing news or programming. Back in the day, I could be reasonably sure that Sports Illustrated would have an article on a big fight if I couldn’t watch it. Today, boxing fans need to log on to ********* to read about what happened in a fight that they weren’t able to catch. The upside of course is that the information is available almost instantaneously. However, the fan still has to take the step to go get it as opposed to having it delivered to them.
As more of us enjoy broadband internet connections, the technology exists that just could the savior of boxing – streaming video. If you’re reading this article, you’re most likely a die-hard fan. You already know most of the up and coming prospects and watch a lot of the big fights. But the average sports fan who enjoys boxing, but doesn’t go out of his way to watch it or read about it, can now start to watch prospects slug it out for free on the internet.
A few sites have popped up offering free boxing broadcasts. This Friday welterweight prospect Said Ouali will take on Marc Thompson as part of a free webcast. Also on the show is Aaron “Homicide” Mitchell. Ouali and Mitchell are the kinds of boxers that you would have been able to see on free television twenty years ago. Ouali is 17-2 (9) and is a solid boxer who throws blistering combinations. Mitchell is a 23-1 (19) powerhouse who has won his last eleven, all by KO.
It’s still early in the game, but I believe that having free boxing broadcasts, whether on TV or the internet (they will probably converge at some point in the near future), could be exactly what is needed to revive interest in the sport. If fans who have never watched (or even heard of) Ouali or Mitchell, like what they see on Friday night, they’ll want to see them again. They’ll use sites like ********* to keep track of their careers and the fighters will enjoy a wider following than they would have without these webcasts – so that when they are ready for the big-time, there will already be a buzz about them and the public relations folks won’t have to work so hard to generate some hype. Fans will already be familiar and anxiously awaiting the fights.
As ********* editor Flattop and I were discussing the topic, he brought up an excellent point. “Imagine if we could start watching some of the fights over in Japan or Thailand,” he said. I can easily imagine a boxer, rarely seen by American audiences, achieving cult like status based on performance seen online. I know that I’d like to see more of guys like Takashi Koshimoto, Injin Chi or Chris John in order to better assess their abilities. Seeing more of these types of boxers could also create more big money fights, as American fight fans would now be interested in a fight featuring a Yankee and a foreign boxer, rather than asking, “who?” when the opponent is introduced.
If the powers that be in the sport were smart, they’d put some money into these webcasting outfits in order to start building a following for tomorrow’s stars. It would benefit everyone in the sport.
Until next week, obey my commands and protect yourself at all times.
Marc Lichtenfeld is the host of Through the Ropes – a new and unique boxing program. Through the Ropes can be heard every Thursday night from 9:00 – 10:00 ET on *********.com and The Sports Byline USA Broadcast Network, including Sirius Satellite Radio channel 122 and the American Forces Network.
Marc Lichtenfeld is the host of Through The Ropes, a new nationally syndicated radio show that airs Thursday nights from 9:00 – 10:00 ET on 75 affiliates of the Sports Byline USA Broadcast Network, Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 122, American Forces Network, Sportsbyline.com and *********.com.
http://www.*********.com/lichtenfeld06.htm
------------------------------------------------
Can the Internet Save Boxing?
March 30, 2006
By Marc Lichtenfeld
I fell in love with boxing by accident. I was twelve years old and sick with one of those countless illnesses that kids seem to get on a constant basis. I got out of my bed to turn the dial on the black and white TV in my room (yes, I actually had to turn the dial and yes, it really was a black and white). There was nothing on that I was interested in. I settled on a boxing match between two guys I’d never heard of – a guy named Marvin Hagler was fighting for the middleweight championship against Vito Antuofermo.
I knew nothing about boxing then other than Muhammad Ali was considered the greatest and Sugar Ray Leonard was exciting to watch in the Olympics. I was a huge sports fan, but had never paid attention to the sweet science.
That night, even a feverish boy novice realized that Hagler was robbed. Nevertheless, I was hooked. The eighties were a great time to become a boxing fan. It seemed as if every weekend we were treated to great prospects and champions on network TV. I remember watching the likes of Michael Spinks, Alexis Arguello, Salvador Sanchez, Bobby Chacon and Ray Mancini.
But today’s boxing fan has to actively seek out their boxing news or programming. Back in the day, I could be reasonably sure that Sports Illustrated would have an article on a big fight if I couldn’t watch it. Today, boxing fans need to log on to ********* to read about what happened in a fight that they weren’t able to catch. The upside of course is that the information is available almost instantaneously. However, the fan still has to take the step to go get it as opposed to having it delivered to them.
As more of us enjoy broadband internet connections, the technology exists that just could the savior of boxing – streaming video. If you’re reading this article, you’re most likely a die-hard fan. You already know most of the up and coming prospects and watch a lot of the big fights. But the average sports fan who enjoys boxing, but doesn’t go out of his way to watch it or read about it, can now start to watch prospects slug it out for free on the internet.
A few sites have popped up offering free boxing broadcasts. This Friday welterweight prospect Said Ouali will take on Marc Thompson as part of a free webcast. Also on the show is Aaron “Homicide” Mitchell. Ouali and Mitchell are the kinds of boxers that you would have been able to see on free television twenty years ago. Ouali is 17-2 (9) and is a solid boxer who throws blistering combinations. Mitchell is a 23-1 (19) powerhouse who has won his last eleven, all by KO.
It’s still early in the game, but I believe that having free boxing broadcasts, whether on TV or the internet (they will probably converge at some point in the near future), could be exactly what is needed to revive interest in the sport. If fans who have never watched (or even heard of) Ouali or Mitchell, like what they see on Friday night, they’ll want to see them again. They’ll use sites like ********* to keep track of their careers and the fighters will enjoy a wider following than they would have without these webcasts – so that when they are ready for the big-time, there will already be a buzz about them and the public relations folks won’t have to work so hard to generate some hype. Fans will already be familiar and anxiously awaiting the fights.
As ********* editor Flattop and I were discussing the topic, he brought up an excellent point. “Imagine if we could start watching some of the fights over in Japan or Thailand,” he said. I can easily imagine a boxer, rarely seen by American audiences, achieving cult like status based on performance seen online. I know that I’d like to see more of guys like Takashi Koshimoto, Injin Chi or Chris John in order to better assess their abilities. Seeing more of these types of boxers could also create more big money fights, as American fight fans would now be interested in a fight featuring a Yankee and a foreign boxer, rather than asking, “who?” when the opponent is introduced.
If the powers that be in the sport were smart, they’d put some money into these webcasting outfits in order to start building a following for tomorrow’s stars. It would benefit everyone in the sport.
Until next week, obey my commands and protect yourself at all times.
Marc Lichtenfeld is the host of Through the Ropes – a new and unique boxing program. Through the Ropes can be heard every Thursday night from 9:00 – 10:00 ET on *********.com and The Sports Byline USA Broadcast Network, including Sirius Satellite Radio channel 122 and the American Forces Network.
Marc Lichtenfeld is the host of Through The Ropes, a new nationally syndicated radio show that airs Thursday nights from 9:00 – 10:00 ET on 75 affiliates of the Sports Byline USA Broadcast Network, Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 122, American Forces Network, Sportsbyline.com and *********.com.