Shots Fired At Boxing via Steve Cofield

[The Narcissist]

Steve Cofield makes an interesting comparison between the Pacquiao-Diaz boxing event and the Thomson-Melendez MMA event over the weekend. Boxing promoter Bob Arum was blaming high gas prices and a tanking economy on the Pacuiao fight not drawing well. But Cofield has this to say:

Not a bad point by Arum but it doesn’t explain why the day before, in a rough economy, Strikeforce packed in a solid 7,448 to the HP Center in San Jose to watch Josh Thomson upset Gilbert Melendez.

Boxing has some self-examining to do if their best fighter can only outdraw a Strikeforce card by roughly 800.

This is a ****** point to argue. The PPV probably did really good numbers. Who gives a **** about the arena gate? Its a PPV because people around the world want to see the fight.

[Xyei]

I love how people blame everything on high gas prices.

You caught your GF blowing someone else? Must be those damn gas prices....

[2501]

who is steve cofield and why doesnt he talk about Pac/Marquez and those numbers

[rizkybizness]

I love how people blame everything on high gas prices.

You caught your GF blowing someone else? Must be those damn gas prices....

lol, i hope the AC was off. That **** burns more gas.

[Kakutogi-Gumi]

Seeing more fans in the arena makes people want to buy more PPVs. Makes them feel part of something. Makes it look like a big deal.

Also, all those people who went to the STRIKEFORCE show are now advertisers. They just saw one of the top Lightweights in the world get his ass handed to him and they want more. So not only are they going to shell money to get a ticket to the next show, they're going to bring friends who are interested too. thus filling more seats, thus creating more good buzz via word of mouth.

Also, no diss on Pac, but everyone was confident he'd beat Diaz. The reason Nino/Punk was big was because this fight needed to happen. Thompson was the last step Melendez needed to be undefeated in STRIKEFORCE. So their fight was just a big a deal as Pac/Diaz.

I don't think Cofeild is attacking Pac or Diaz. What I think he's saying is that Arum ****ed up promoting this fight as the fight that would make Pac P4P champ and instead of admitting to screwing the pooch on an awesome fight, he turns into a pro wrestling promoter and blames everyone BUT himself. If the gas prices are normal, he'd blame in on being to hot out. If it was a nice day, he'd blame rain. If there isn't no rain in sight, he'd blame video games. Now, I don't know about you, but I wouldn't buy anything anymore if I knew that the guy selling stuff to me is also talking **** at me because I buy from someplace else or I just couldn't buy his ****. I'd take my business elsewhere.

So there you go.

[Kakutogi-Gumi]

who is steve cofield and why doesnt he talk about Pac/Marquez and those numbers

A Boxing and "MMA Expert" over at Yahoo. Like Iole, he thinks that sucking Shaw's and White's nuts qualifies him as an "expert" in MMA.

He does bring up a good point though...which makes me believe he's started to steal **** from Doyle and Meltzer.

[Kakutogi-Gumi]

I also got to add that NBC had a hand promting STRIKEFORCE as well.

[Check]

I hate to sound like an idiot but I have never even heard of this thing called strikeforce. The Pac fight may of only drew in 800 more people but I would assume that the price of a PPV and the price of "strikeforce" are quite a bit different. If boxing wanted to charge 25 dollars for a Pac fight I am sure they would get more than 8000 people.

[Kakutogi-Gumi]

STRIKEFORCE is a league created and for So Cal fighters. They put on some awesome shows.

I don't think Cofield was making a big deal about the attendance. He was making a deal out of how Arum feels the near to make excuses to why the card didn't sell out the arena, when really, he didn't need to. You didn't sell it out. Just say so. The excuse is weak sauce too, because people went to see MMA as well.

[TheManchine]

if they brought down the ticket prices im sure they would get alot more in,

tickets are really ****in expensive,

i know alot of fans probably couldnt afford it