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Case in point, Saturday nights HBO triple-header. After a night of medicore at best action resulting in the entire card finishing in less than 20-minutes, Max "bug-eye" Kellerman took the mic and delivered a cancer-ridden speech in his own "unique" style. If I wasnt cringing so much at Kellerman's hideous presentation skills I would have been worried.
Kellerman ****** on basically trying to defend the nights action and the state of boxing itself, adding that the fighters in question were prospects and had a lot to learn. I noticed sinister undertones in what Kellerman was saying, and these feelings were nothing new. In his own weird way, he was basically confirming what a lot of us have been feeling for quite some time. Boxing is ill.
The UFC
What really did it for me was, as I watching watching the HBO and Azteca cards on tiny low-resolution illegal streams which kept on being locked down by the HBO bizzies, I was happily watching the UFC 96 Rampage vs Jardine card for FREE on Setanta using my 32" Samsung tv. Now, I've only really started watching UFC since the turn of the year. For me, the quality of the stand-up fighting makes it nearly unbearable to watch for the most part and watching 2 grown men in speedos roll around the floor grunting isnt my idea of a good scrap. However, last nights card was excellent. There are no mismatches in UFC, there isnt a million different weight classes, there's only a single belt in each divison and every UFC card is stacked and I mean STACKED. Take Decembers UFC92 Triple-header which had Griffin vs Evans, Nog vs Mir and Rampage vs Silva - thats about 6months worth of boxing main-events in one night aswell as an undercard that would put most HBO BAD main events to shame. The UFC is currently doing everything that boxing should be.
Where are boxing's superstars ?
I asked my non-sport girlfriend this morning if she knew who Oscar de la Hoya was. All I got was a blank stare back. Floyd Mayweather ?...nothing. Ok I thought, as we live in the UK I might have better luck....Joe Calzaghe ? Nope. She knew that Ricky Hatton was a boxer, but didnt know what he looked like. Ok I said, who do you know ?
She then proceeded to name Frank Bruno, Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Muhammed Ali and Chris Eubank. "Oh and the grill man" she said.
Manny Pacquiao... ? Another stare.
To put it bluntly, boxing is falling away as a mainstream support. The casual non-sports fan no longer has any idea about who's who in boxing. The casual sports fan might be able to name you the top guys, and might watch a fight or 2 a year. Casual boxing fans will mostly likely be able to tell you the jist about the latest news.
And then you have hardcore boxing fans like me that stay away untill 5am so I can stay up and watch shocking HBO no-namer cards like last nights. How many people can you say would do that ?
The Beginning of the End
To add to the woes, there doesnt look like theres anyone who's going to change that either. Now I know Im going to get a lot of stick for saying that but its only what I feel.
People will say well what about Cotto/Dawson/Williams/Haye ETC ?
What about prospects like Ortiz/Jacobs/Gamboa/Khan ETC ?
Quite frankly, im not excited about anyone. It says a lot that the only elite fighters (Pacquiao, Marquez, Hopkins) are 30 years old and over, the recently retired Mayweather and Calzaghe both over 30, and Shane Mosley who is now many people's P4P #5 aint no spring chicken either.
Who is going to replace this generation ?
Boxing is being punished by the success of other sports. In other sports you can earn more money whilst not getting bashed in the head, sounds like a pretty good deal to me. The net of younger fighters comming through is dwindling and in doing so reduces our chances of getting the next "big thing".
Promoters
My most recent pet-peev is the disgrace of a "PPV" set up by Top Rank, the Cotto-Pavlik double header. At a cost of $54.99 in this financial climate, you would have expected the most stacked card of the year. Instead we got what has become all too familier lately. A dismal undercard followed by two JOKE mismatch main events. Im glad I got it for free on Setanta. Now a card that had say for arguements sake....Mosley vs Cotto as the headline event. Stick Williams vs Winky in as the main support, then have say last nights Kirkland vs Julio on the card aswell as Ortiz vs A human being. I'd gladly play PPV prices for a card such as this instead we get club-level fights or 1-sided beatdowns.
Previously to that, the Pacquiao - De la Hoya farce was nearly as annoying. I think I actually laughed out loud when it was announced as "The Dream Match" and looked on in dismay as Oscar put on what was quite possibly the worst performance of any top fighter since I've been watching boxing. If this was the biggest fight that boxing could produce...then **** me boxings already dead. My non-boxing fan buddies werent impressed, in fact I think its turned them away.
Why would anyone want to watch fights like that again ? The biggest boxing spectacle of the year probably done MORE DAMAGE to the sports image than good. Amazing !
Marquez vs Diaz
Fight of the year no question. It had everything and I was nearly in tears after it. It reminded me why boxing was my favourite sport and why I loved the sport so much.
The most hardened non-boxing fan could watch this and only be enthralled.
Had this fight been given the attention, funding, resources and marketing that Oscar/Hatton/Mayweather "fights" are given then boxing wouldnt be in such a sorry state.
Whilst this fight was a major win for boxing fans, it was only exactly that. A win for boxing fans. Not a win for boxing. This fight wouldnt have generated any new boxing fans as it was only boxing fans who watched it in the first place and more worryingly only boxing fans who knew about it in the first place.
In Conclusion
Boxing's illness can much be compared to the situation in Africa where diseases cured over 20 years ago like TB are running rampant because pharmaceutical companies CAN BUT WONT send vaccines over because of cost.
The TV companies, promoters and the fighters themselves can all pitch in and help save boxing. At the end of the day its all down to money and no one wants to lose out.
Why would a fighter want to take less money to fight a harder oppoent ?
Why would a promoter want his fighter to take less money to fight a more competative opponent knowing he could lose it all ?
Why would HBO or Showtime want to take less money putting on a more attractive fight card ?
Why would HBO or Showtime want to spend more money into advertising and marketing their fighters knowing that in the short-term its not going to pay off ?
The saviour of boxing might indeed come, but its going to take a long-term solution rather than be a straight quick fix. If everyone complied together than we could get a bigger audience watching boxing and in turn increase the number of people involved in boxing.
Sadly, I dont think this will happen. Boxing will always have a place in my heart though.
Kellerman ****** on basically trying to defend the nights action and the state of boxing itself, adding that the fighters in question were prospects and had a lot to learn. I noticed sinister undertones in what Kellerman was saying, and these feelings were nothing new. In his own weird way, he was basically confirming what a lot of us have been feeling for quite some time. Boxing is ill.
The UFC
What really did it for me was, as I watching watching the HBO and Azteca cards on tiny low-resolution illegal streams which kept on being locked down by the HBO bizzies, I was happily watching the UFC 96 Rampage vs Jardine card for FREE on Setanta using my 32" Samsung tv. Now, I've only really started watching UFC since the turn of the year. For me, the quality of the stand-up fighting makes it nearly unbearable to watch for the most part and watching 2 grown men in speedos roll around the floor grunting isnt my idea of a good scrap. However, last nights card was excellent. There are no mismatches in UFC, there isnt a million different weight classes, there's only a single belt in each divison and every UFC card is stacked and I mean STACKED. Take Decembers UFC92 Triple-header which had Griffin vs Evans, Nog vs Mir and Rampage vs Silva - thats about 6months worth of boxing main-events in one night aswell as an undercard that would put most HBO BAD main events to shame. The UFC is currently doing everything that boxing should be.
Where are boxing's superstars ?
I asked my non-sport girlfriend this morning if she knew who Oscar de la Hoya was. All I got was a blank stare back. Floyd Mayweather ?...nothing. Ok I thought, as we live in the UK I might have better luck....Joe Calzaghe ? Nope. She knew that Ricky Hatton was a boxer, but didnt know what he looked like. Ok I said, who do you know ?
She then proceeded to name Frank Bruno, Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Muhammed Ali and Chris Eubank. "Oh and the grill man" she said.
Manny Pacquiao... ? Another stare.
To put it bluntly, boxing is falling away as a mainstream support. The casual non-sports fan no longer has any idea about who's who in boxing. The casual sports fan might be able to name you the top guys, and might watch a fight or 2 a year. Casual boxing fans will mostly likely be able to tell you the jist about the latest news.
And then you have hardcore boxing fans like me that stay away untill 5am so I can stay up and watch shocking HBO no-namer cards like last nights. How many people can you say would do that ?
The Beginning of the End
To add to the woes, there doesnt look like theres anyone who's going to change that either. Now I know Im going to get a lot of stick for saying that but its only what I feel.
People will say well what about Cotto/Dawson/Williams/Haye ETC ?
What about prospects like Ortiz/Jacobs/Gamboa/Khan ETC ?
Quite frankly, im not excited about anyone. It says a lot that the only elite fighters (Pacquiao, Marquez, Hopkins) are 30 years old and over, the recently retired Mayweather and Calzaghe both over 30, and Shane Mosley who is now many people's P4P #5 aint no spring chicken either.
Who is going to replace this generation ?
Boxing is being punished by the success of other sports. In other sports you can earn more money whilst not getting bashed in the head, sounds like a pretty good deal to me. The net of younger fighters comming through is dwindling and in doing so reduces our chances of getting the next "big thing".
Promoters
My most recent pet-peev is the disgrace of a "PPV" set up by Top Rank, the Cotto-Pavlik double header. At a cost of $54.99 in this financial climate, you would have expected the most stacked card of the year. Instead we got what has become all too familier lately. A dismal undercard followed by two JOKE mismatch main events. Im glad I got it for free on Setanta. Now a card that had say for arguements sake....Mosley vs Cotto as the headline event. Stick Williams vs Winky in as the main support, then have say last nights Kirkland vs Julio on the card aswell as Ortiz vs A human being. I'd gladly play PPV prices for a card such as this instead we get club-level fights or 1-sided beatdowns.
Previously to that, the Pacquiao - De la Hoya farce was nearly as annoying. I think I actually laughed out loud when it was announced as "The Dream Match" and looked on in dismay as Oscar put on what was quite possibly the worst performance of any top fighter since I've been watching boxing. If this was the biggest fight that boxing could produce...then **** me boxings already dead. My non-boxing fan buddies werent impressed, in fact I think its turned them away.
Why would anyone want to watch fights like that again ? The biggest boxing spectacle of the year probably done MORE DAMAGE to the sports image than good. Amazing !
Marquez vs Diaz
Fight of the year no question. It had everything and I was nearly in tears after it. It reminded me why boxing was my favourite sport and why I loved the sport so much.
The most hardened non-boxing fan could watch this and only be enthralled.
Had this fight been given the attention, funding, resources and marketing that Oscar/Hatton/Mayweather "fights" are given then boxing wouldnt be in such a sorry state.
Whilst this fight was a major win for boxing fans, it was only exactly that. A win for boxing fans. Not a win for boxing. This fight wouldnt have generated any new boxing fans as it was only boxing fans who watched it in the first place and more worryingly only boxing fans who knew about it in the first place.
In Conclusion
Boxing's illness can much be compared to the situation in Africa where diseases cured over 20 years ago like TB are running rampant because pharmaceutical companies CAN BUT WONT send vaccines over because of cost.
The TV companies, promoters and the fighters themselves can all pitch in and help save boxing. At the end of the day its all down to money and no one wants to lose out.
Why would a fighter want to take less money to fight a harder oppoent ?
Why would a promoter want his fighter to take less money to fight a more competative opponent knowing he could lose it all ?
Why would HBO or Showtime want to take less money putting on a more attractive fight card ?
Why would HBO or Showtime want to spend more money into advertising and marketing their fighters knowing that in the short-term its not going to pay off ?
The saviour of boxing might indeed come, but its going to take a long-term solution rather than be a straight quick fix. If everyone complied together than we could get a bigger audience watching boxing and in turn increase the number of people involved in boxing.
Sadly, I dont think this will happen. Boxing will always have a place in my heart though.
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