Comments Thread For: Welcome To 2022: ShoBox-Level Events On FOX & Fights Fit For Free TV Forced To PPV

[MulaKO]

The blame here can be spread around
Not sure who the main culprit is ( Haymon or Hearn ) but it sure has taken a toll on our sport
Or then again this is what boxing is supposed to be
One thing is sure , boxing is getting harder and harder to watch whether it’s financially or you don’t get the channel etc etc

[Ricardi]

I hope Al Haymon leaves the sport. He is bad for the sport of boxing and it’s fans, yea he gets his fighters paid but those days are long gone.

Arum has ruined boxing on ESPN
Haymon has ruined boxing on network TV
Hearn overpay a bunch of scrubs on DAZN

BOXING STINKS! not easy being a fan of this crap product. 95% of fights nowadays are the “top fighters and champs” fighting C level opposition.

What Haymon needs to realize if things continue and the sport keeps losing fans . Fighter's won't have anyone to pay em. If the sport thrives there will be a lottttt more money for everyone.

Our only hope for the future of boxing at this point is DAZN if they can build the subscriber base therefore have more money to put on even better fights . Maybe If the right person replaces Bob Arum in the future with ESPN they can return Top Rank back to it's glory days . Hopefully Probellum can have a lot of success outside the States lot's of room for growth

[Bronx2245]

I hope Al Haymon leaves the sport. He is bad for the sport of boxing and it’s fans, yea he gets his fighters paid but those days are long gone.

Arum has ruined boxing on ESPN
Haymon has ruined boxing on network TV
Hearn overpay a bunch of scrubs on DAZN

BOXING STINKS! not easy being a fan of this crap product. 95% of fights nowadays are the “top fighters and champs” fighting C level opposition.

First of all, how many fighters have went to court to sue Al Haymon, or the promoters working with PBC, due to contractual disagreements, i.e. Mikey, Canelo, Terence Crawford? Boxing on network TV was DEAD before PBC! It's dead again, because they do not want to pay boxers! Their only model is PPV, i.e. FOX! Lastly, boxing fans are spoiled! We had Fury vs. Wilder 3, fights for Undisputed @ 140, 154, and 168, all in the same year! Still, all we do is complain about what we're not getting! The only way to stop PPVs are to STOP PAYING FOR THEM! That's not on FOX, that's on us!

[PBR Streetgang]

It's a shame. I think what you are seeing are a couple factors happening at the same time: the economic realities of pandemic, the fact that boxing is a niche and the fighters still wanting the same purses.

it's funny, I see NSB posters gloating and cheering as PBC, FOX, Matchroom or DAZN falter... but they are oblivious to the fact, as boxing fans, they are just squabbling dinosaurs while the meteor comes streaking down to impact.

HBO is out, Showtime still around (probably because of Espinoza) but not as prevalent, FOX's quality is diminishing and poor quality PPVs increasing, DAZN has less content and hinting at PPV. Im not sure how much long ESPN will be committed. Unless something changes, the sport will be pushed to the margins and the price point will increase for us to watch an increasingly inferior product.

I see boxing's future being relegated to apps, probably where we are provided mediocre content for a basic fee and required to purchase anything better a la carte PPV (similar to FiteTV).

[Boxing fan1981]

They need to dump Tessitoire, know nothing, corporate stooge Mark “I do the 1990s pause for fake dramatic effect” Kriegel and annoying voice Timothy Bradley and bring back ESPN Friday Night Fights with Teddy!

I agree with everything you said except bring back Teddy.

Teddy sucks, he slurs and takes an eternity to make a point and thinks he’s hilarious. I find him the worst of all those you mentioned.

[Boxingfanatic75]

I agree with everything you said except bring back Teddy.

Teddy sucks, he slurs and takes an eternity to make a point and thinks he’s hilarious. I find him the worst of all those you mentioned.

Teddy is an acquired taste but he knows his boxing. I’ll take him, Max, Foreman, RJJ, Malinaggi and Bernstein

[b Murphington]

Somemof the best boxing ever was USA Tuesday night fights particularly at the blue horizon, and Friday night fights as well. It’s in effect what showbox is and what hbo boxing after dark was. Someone needs to step up and bring that back and weekly

That actually was a great product. It somewhat resembled a “season” sport. If I recall, the season ran from sometime in spring - fall and the winter months were “off season.” And they might’ve taken a few breaks here and there for holidays or other programming that was of higher value, but it was always consistent with what it brought and some of their fights were absolute barn burners. The Teddy - Tessitore connection.

[wrecksracer]

I think they are just making these fights PPV to defray the loss that they are sure to take. I just can't see enough people buying them to actually make any money. None of these guys are stars like Floyd, Pac, or Mike Tyson. I'm not going to schedule my Saturday night around a Thurman vs Barrios card. Even if it was free. It's not a compelling fight. There are other entertainment options. This isn't a sustainable model. I'll be interested to see where PBC is at in a year. Maybe they are still making money somehow.

[b Murphington]

Teddy is an acquired taste but he knows his boxing. I’ll take him, Max, Foreman, RJJ, Malinaggi and Bernstein

RJJ is a great broadcaster. Atlas is an interesting character. He has so much passion for the sport, that it gets him in trouble like with what happened with him and ESPN.

I like Teddy because he is so out of left field with the things he says, that it’s refreshing to get such a unique perspective.

[Sctrojan]

"Advert revenue doe"......Been saying the writing was on the wall early last year that the PBC ship was taking on water, yet most it's supporters here were in denial. You simply can't alienate your stable to an island and expect it to thrive. Boxing never will be UFC'd. Too many hands in the cookie jar. As smart as Haymons supporters claim him to be,you'd think he'd understand that. Theres too many horses to feed in his stable and their non existent revenue, can no longer sustain that model. Showtimes budget simply isn't enough either.

All this snowballed impart to him attempting a monopoly on the sport. It has failed and now he's relegated to throwing whatever he can on PPV. It's time for PBC to concede that thier attempt has failed and allow cross promotional fights between all promoters with all of thier fighters. This allows other platforms to alleviate some of the financial burden all the while exposing your stable/brand to a bigger audience. Seems like a win win if you ask me. This article,without clearly saying it...is clearly saying FOX has one foot out the door so what other options does Al Haymon have??...