Comments Thread For: Showtime's Figueroa-Nery Card Was A Throwback To A Golden Era Of Boxing Matchmaking

[b Murphington]

Bingo...that USA Tuesday night fights in the 80s and 90s was an example of boxing being made available to the masses without the “special viewing” model being the only way to see boxing be it PPV or now this app nonsense. When Americans can turn on regular tv stations and see boxing that’s when the sport will truly grow. When Americans can see boxing the same way they get to see football, baseball, basketball, tennis, nascar, etc etc then the sport will grow. The PPV only model won’t cut it and the app only model sure as hell won’t ever grow the sport.
good on Top Rank and Premier Boxing Champions for keeping boxing alive for the AMERICAN sports fan. Now if only Golden Boy would strike a network deal ALONG with its triller deal then we are in business

The only problem with the sport growing and becoming too mainstream, is that somewhere down the line, when millions are watching, someone’s going to die in the ring and then calls to reform the sport, or call for its ban entirely will be made.

The only reason this hasn’t happened yet is because boxing is such a niche sport, no one hears or cares about the deaths that happen pretty much annually. That’s why I don’t want the sport to be a major sport. I want it to stay niche.

[Oldskoolg]

The only problem with the sport growing and becoming too mainstream, is that somewhere down the line, when millions are watching, someone’s going to die in the ring and then calls to reform the sport, or call for its ban entirely will be made.

The only reason this hasn’t happened yet is because boxing is such a niche sport, no one hears or cares about the deaths that happen pretty much annually. That’s why I don’t want the sport to be a major sport. I want it to stay niche.

1st law of business, “expand or go under.”

[Thuglife Nelo]

A PBC fanboy sausage fest of a thread!

[T real]

'Happy accidents' - I never thought I'd hear a common quote from the 'Joy of Painting with Bob Ross'.

Boxing is certainly in a peculiar position. With four major belts, countless other meaningless titles, competing promoters and networks who go through cold wars, and bickering - it still manages to fill the ranks with mostly promising talent.

If that talent were merged under a singular sanctioning body, with two or three networks televising we'd have a hell of a sport, probably one of the best in the world, competing with European football, etc.

That will likely never happen if the current arrangement produces more profits than the alternative. Boxers are pure commodities now, similar to stocks, with promoters and networks trying to pick the next Canelo Alvarez, Lomachenko, Joshua, to invest in, with mountains of digital data about everything from their social media appeal to their expected physical longevity, to their earning potential based on low-risk high reward match-ups.

A.I. analytics and algorithms are acting as modern-day clairvoyants - and coming close to predictable perfection.

The answer must lie in an alternative paradigm that makes everybody happy. And rich.

Mikey Garcia is not a top guy now

[T real]

It was a very good card, I agree. I wonder why PBC will match their fighters in good match ups like with his welterweight fighters or Jermell Charlo at Jr. Middleweight, and like the guys we saw on Saturday in the lighter weight division, but when it comes to Jermall Charlo at Middleweight or some of his Super Middleweights, he puts them in soft? Is it because Haymon knows those fighters are not as good and he's trying to milk things as long as he can? I guess we will never know.

how can jetmall fight at MW when guys take franchise tags to avoid him

[T real]

Tell the other guys to quit ducking pbc guys

[T real]

I believe a lot of the match ups being what they are has to do with staying undefeated. Something about that as a driver of all fights is wrong. If you match guys close no one is going to stay undefeated except for a few rare cases and only for a short period of time. Ramero fought great over the weekend, and his oppentent did his best. But Romero has a few loses so he is not talked about as much but he already has a lot of great fights to look back on. Personality has taken the place of fighting skill and will anymore. But that is a story for another day.

Tell guys to quit ducking pbc fighters

[T real]

A PBC fanboy sausage fest of a thread!

Pbc got the only fighters Americans watch

[TinAgeOfBoxing]

Kid fights like this will not save boxing.

[b Murphington]

1st law of business, “expand or go under.”

I agree that changes need to be made, but at the same time, we also need to do a better job at protecting boxers from dying in the ring. I fear that someone dies in the ring during a fight of the century type of fight and as a result, people protest boxing. It comes with the sport, but I know that very new and casual viewers wouldn’t stand for that happening. Especially with this “cancel culture,” what if boxing becomes the next thing that people want to cancel?