Excellent article on HBO Boxing's recent missteps

[-EX-]

I am not defending Arum. I am condemning HBO. If HBO demanded A list vs. A list fights and held out until the promoters gave in...they would get them.

That's fine...well then Greenburg is at fault...and another big problem is overpaying some of these prospects...Berto expects top dollar now yet he's only beat one pretty good fighter...

Why didn't Goosen, Arum, and DiBella do anything when HBO got in bed with GBP's?


I guess there were too many WCB telecasts and shudda been more BAD...

[-EX-]

Exactly. Maybe HBO should change? Maybe that's the point of the article?

Its obviously the point...but if they have HBO by there nuts until 2011...wat exactly can we do about it?

HBO has the most boxing...and I'm gonna watch whether the fights are not good matchups nor not...unless Showtime overtakes them...and that's not happening

[IMDAZED]

Its obviously the point...but if they have HBO by there nuts until 2011...wat exactly can we do about it?

HBO has the most boxing...and I'm gonna watch whether the fights are not good matchups nor not...unless Showtime overtakes them...and that's not happening

What can they do about it? They can force them to put on better fights? How about pay-per-views with better undercards? There's A LOT they can do. WTF?

[IMDAZED]

That's fine...well then Greenburg is at fault...and another big problem is overpaying some of these prospects...Berto expects top dollar now yet he's only beat one pretty good fighter...

Why didn't Goosen, Arum, and DiBella do anything when HBO got in bed with GBP's?


I guess there were too many WCB telecasts and shudda been more BAD...

What were they supposed to do exactly? Beat HBO up?

[JakeNDaBox]

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.

[Eaner0919]

........church!

[DC Fight Fan]

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.

Valid points. Conclusion is that anytime a network allows a promoter to dictate match ups they fail to do a service to the sport. Being on TV is a perk and the extra money is the reward. But in order to fight on TV, you should have to fight somebody. It is up to the networks to ensure this happens.

[dstew]

Its obviously the point...but if they have HBO by there nuts until 2011...wat exactly can we do about it?

HBO has the most boxing...and I'm gonna watch whether the fights are not good matchups nor not...unless Showtime overtakes them...and that's not happening

Now this is just a piss poor ****ing attitude if I've ever seen one.

[IMDAZED]

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.

I think it's obvious he has a beef with Greenburg (why, God only knows). But it's necessary. Absolutely necessary. HBO is too important, too huge to the sport. I sure hope Greenburg and the rest of the suits read the article with their morning coffee.

BTW, I saw Berto that day at the HBO offices (by himself). Amazing when the pieces all come together...

[dstew]

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.