Comments Thread For: Top Rank President Admits Beterbiev-Bivol Could Not Have Happened 'On This Timeline' Without Saudi Arabian Support

[kiaba360]

By timeline, he means in the multiversal sense. Top Rank was going to continue stonewalling the fight until Beterbiev retired.

...or until Bivol was no longer under Matchroom. It seems like that's what they were waiting for: an in-house match-up.

[CubanGuyNYC]

I agree with the most of the first part of your statement. However, in regards of the atmosphere, it does matter IMO. Hard to get hype when theres nobody else around to get hype with during the fight. Even some of the fights in the bubble during COVID that were really good fights felt kinda dull bc there was no energy around it. The atmosphere in a big-time sporting event with a big crowd helps keep it from feeling like you're just watching guys at practice. That energy is hard to match and is contagious. Just my opinion.

Agree 100% with your two posts, but I’ll respond to this one. Atmosphere in any sporting event, whether live or on TV, is an enormous part of the experience. I don’t care how exciting a movie is, if you can’t hear the gunshots, explosions, etc., you lose at least half the effect. I’ve been to sporting events that took on an almost spiritual experience because of the crowd. You’re right about those COVID fights. They were almost like watching two guys play a video game. As a fan, I felt strangely detached.

[H8boxxing]

Neither fighter ever aggressively called out the other, only agreed they want to fight for belts when asked in interviews. The promoters didn’t want to make an undisputed fight between 2 pound for pound Russians when no money was involved. Neither are PPV draws and imagine the headache trying to promote the fight to casuals when the war in Ukraine is ongoing. You know Klitschko would have ran his mouth again and some opportunistic politician would have jumped all over it.

[_Rexy_]

Agree 100% with your two posts, but I’ll respond to this one. Atmosphere in any sporting event, whether live or on TV, is an enormous part of the experience. I don’t care how exciting a movie is, if you can’t hear the gunshots, explosions, etc., you lose at least half the effect. I’ve been to sporting events that took on an almost spiritual experience because of the crowd. You’re right about those COVID fights. They were almost like watching two guys play a video game. As a fan, I felt strangely detached.

I actually liked the bubble fights because you heard all of the action in the ring. I had also hoped that no crowd noise would take away that aspect from the judging, since so many times we're told "The judges react to the crowd sounds!" But we had just as many awful scorecards with no fans as we did with fans.

[crimsonfalcon07]

...or until Bivol was no longer under Matchroom. It seems like that's what they were waiting for: an in-house match-up.

Perhaps? Beterbiev was with Matchroom and left the same day that Bivol signed with MR, if memory serves. Bivol has been calling Beterbiev out for 5 years now. I really doubt the fight would ever have been made if the Saudis hadn't been willing to pay huge sports washing money for it.

[_Rexy_]

Perhaps? Beterbiev was with Matchroom and left the same day that Bivol signed with MR, if memory serves. Bivol has been calling Beterbiev out for 5 years now. I really doubt the fight would ever have been made if the Saudis hadn't been willing to pay huge sports washing money for it.

Beterbiev signed a 1 fight deal with Matchroom, and then went to Top Rank for a Kovalev fight. 175 would have had a completely different landscape had Canelo not decided to insert himself twice.

Beterbiev/Kovalev unification was set to go down after the Yarde defense

[crimsonfalcon07]

Beterbiev signed a 1 fight deal with Matchroom, and then went to Top Rank for a Kovalev fight. 175 would have had a completely different landscape had Canelo not decided to insert himself twice.

Beterbiev/Kovalev unification was set to go down after the Yarde defense

I mean, at this point it seems like Canelo has been stagnating divisions from 147 to 175. Thank goodness Bivol beat him, or we might have the cruisers waiting around for him too.

[_Rexy_]

I mean, at this point it seems like Canelo has been stagnating divisions from 147 to 175. Thank goodness Bivol beat him, or we might have the cruisers waiting around for him too.

Don't forget "First Bivol, then Usyk at 201 catchweight for all the belts!!"

[Afi23]

Agree 100% with your two posts, but I’ll respond to this one. Atmosphere in any sporting event, whether live or on TV, is an enormous part of the experience. I don’t care how exciting a movie is, if you can’t hear the gunshots, explosions, etc., you lose at least half the effect. I’ve been to sporting events that took on an almost spiritual experience because of the crowd. You’re right about those COVID fights. They were almost like watching two guys play a video game. As a fan, I felt strangely detached.

Even on TV, the production counts for alot.

Some of PPVs felt bigger on HBO because of the production value down to a "small" detail such as Lampley, Max and Jones all wearing a tuxedo for PPV fights as opposed to a regular HBO boxing card.

PPVs felt bigger on HBO as opposed to DAZN for example imo.

[Mammoth]

Because Top Rank is cheap and Arum never really wanted to make the fight