Excellent article on HBO Boxing's recent missteps

[IMDAZED]

Jake, you make some excellent points as well.

All of these issues deserve attention from fight writers like yourself.

As for your question as to "how many times does he need to write about what's wrong with HBO," my answer would be, "for as long as the problem persists."

Could he focus his attention elsewhere? Sure. But from a fan's perspective, this was a good article and if nothing else, may get people's attention where previous pieces have not. Or even remind us that despite a few good fights on free HBO this year, there is still some absolutely ******ed **** going on.

Amen to that. Someone needs to sound the bell on HBO and keep ringing it until voices are heard.

[Scott9945]

quality reading and Hauser's overall theme is good.

Greenberg is in dire straits and I doubt he lasts 2010. He basically allowed HBO to outbid .......HBO over fighters promoters and shows. They upped the bidding to the point where Berto now demands high 6 figures

And then they are surprised when Berto refuses to accept the same money for fighting Mosley that he got for Urango. Why would he?

[Scott9945]

Hauser's a great writer, and yes HBO's boxing budget is in dire straits. But how many times does he need to write about what's wrong with HBO? I mean damn, he even ruined his own eulogy on Artie Curry by using the platform to further his own agenda against Ross Greenburg and company.

He began the year with basically the same article he'd written a year prior, both of which are the same general theme as the one linked at the start of this thread. He's great at pointing out all of the flaws, but to the point where his view on a particular instance isn't quite the same as that of a less biased observer.

Furthermore, HBO seems to be the only source of his anger, as if the rest of the sport is getting it right more often than not.

Yes, the HBO-Golden Boy alliance is an unholy one.

But so too is ESPN's relationship with Artie Pellulo (exposed by Rick Reeno).

ESPN's recent deal with Golden Boy isn't any better, considering that five of their seven shows in 2009 also ranked among the network's worst of the year - their last show (headlined by Vivian Harris-Noe Bolanos) arguably the worst since the return of Friday Night Fights.

How about Showtime's affinity for all things Gary Shaw (to where many in the sport refer to the network as Shawtime)? Or that Don King still remains high in their good graces, the only other promoter able to regularly secure TV dates on the network despite crippling their boxing program throughout the 90's.

How about Top Rank's output deal with TV Azteca?

Or their previous one with Versus?

Or the fact that Top Rank and Golden Boy were granted 90% of the available Telefutura dates per year?

Or the fact that Fox Sports would air any junk tossed at them by Goossen-Tutor?

Why is All Star Boxing the only promoter able to secure dates on Telemundo?

Hauser is there to give a hearty rah-rah to Showtime's ending the year strong, but where was he when they basically went limp **** for the first half of 2009?

Make no mistaken, Ross Greenburg deserves to shoulder a lot of the blame for what's wrong with HBO. In regards to the declination of the sport, Ross Greenburg is certainly A problem. But that doesn't make him THE problem.

Hauser clearly has an agenda against HBO (particularly against Greenburg), but to be fair his articles always include the most recent examples (like Klitschko-Arreola) to make his points.

[dstew]

Hauser clearly has an agenda against HBO (particularly against Greenburg), but to be fair his articles always include the most recent examples (like Klitschko-Arreola) to make his points.

Exactly; the article was very current.

And to be fair, I think his beef is more with Greenburg than HBO, and it seems more than warranted. While he stated the obvious in that HBO holds an unfair monopoly on the sport, he never wished any ill will toward the cable giant. He recognized the ongoing reality of their presence in boxing and said he'd like to see them use their influence to do good for the sport, even offering some pretty reasonable suggestions.

[Boxingwizard]

There is something wrong with this picture when boxing is less popular then ever before.....I still believe the "money" is the problem....even in the late 80's boxing was on CBS.....then the promoters decided they want to increase there profits, by moving boxing to the premium-networks, and started the PPV's, PPV is not a bad idea, but there is so many of them nowadays, that it turns middle-class people off to the sport of boxing....

the money and the promoters is hurting the sport, and the number of viewers, and less coverage of boxing proves this....

[rj_ct]

I thought it was a great article with fair and accurate criticisms that lost credibility by ignoring the other glaring problems with boxing (Bob Arum is not a credible source on the integrity of boxing, yet he is repeatedly cited throughout).

Still a good article and very relevant.

[warp1432]

I don't get why people are saying the match making is so bad? 2009 has had a lot better match ups and is ending the year way stronger then last year.

The ratings have gone up too compared to last year. HBO has tried to make better quality match ups this year, then previous years.

There are some things wrong with it still (particually with the prospects getting way overpaid and how they mostly fight stiffs), but I think HBO is heading in a postive direction. I don't think it helped with them cutting the budget, but whatever.

[ulises_solis]

hbo just made a real good call and surpassed ufc 102 or 103? (lol i cant remember even thou i watched that instead of may vs marquez)
but that will bite them in the ass because the fight was ****ing boring unlike tha mma bouts

[dstew]

I don't get why people are saying the match making is so bad? 2009 has had a lot better match ups and is ending the year way stronger then last year.

The ratings have gone up too compared to last year. HBO has tried to make better quality match ups this year, then previous years.

There are some things wrong with it still (particually with the prospects getting way overpaid and how they mostly fight stiffs), but I think HBO is heading in a postive direction. I don't think it helped with them cutting the budget, but whatever.

Some of the matchups have been very, very good.

Many others involved opponents that had no business being on HBO.

[ulises_solis]

Hauser clearly has an agenda against HBO (particularly against Greenburg), but to be fair his articles always include the most recent examples (like Klitschko-Arreola) to make his points.

the beatifull ppl
shame she got fired