Comments Thread For: Eddie Hearn offers his views on potential creation of boxing league

[BoxingUpdates]

Although Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn isn't part of the formation of a proposed boxing league involving TKO and Saudi Arabia, but he believes it has a chance given the powerbrokers behind it.
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[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

I think boxing’s ice cold tbh. There’s far less of it on TV, it’s dead in America, 10 years ago you’d have 2-3 cards you’d want to watch each month, you now get 2-3 cards you want to watch a year, the UK scene isn’t terrible but it’s definitely declined from a few years ago when Matchroom had the Sky deal and the likes of Golovkin, Loma, Klitschko, Tank, Spence etc were coming to the UK for fights.

The boxing market in Germany and mainland Europe is now essentially nonexistent, the Canadian market is dying too, the Russian market is also extremely limited admittedly due to political issues also. The days of Klitschko, Huck, Sturm, Abraham, Kessler, Bute, Stevenson, Pascal, Povetkin, Lebedev etc selling out arenas in those regions are long gone.

The only place with a strong boxing market currently is the Middle East but they do maybe 6-7 shows a year. The cards are absolutely stacked but they’re infrequent and then inflated value of the purses means fighters are content to just sit around and wait for the next Saudi payday. I mean why wouldn’t they? It’s resulting in less boxing being on TV and makes boxing even more niche than it is already. Look at football/soccer, you will struggle to find a week in the year that isn’t on TV.

I don’t think the Saudi involvement is good for boxing as a sport, it’s unquestionably good for those involved making life changing money and good luck to them. But, it’s making the sport seasonal, it’s creating a false market that doesn’t exist and when the Saudi’s eventually move onto the next phase of their sports washing strategy I think boxing will struggle to recover. You’ll have fighters wanting numbers that simply don’t exist. Long term I am worried about where the sport is heading.

[Pulmonary Embolii]

In reply RJJ-94-02=GOAT, some people have been saying boxing is dead for decades, but here we are, all talking about it, including yourself.

Certainly, there's less boxing on regular TV, but that's because it went to PPV for fights of the century to PPV for bog standard bouts and throw in subscription services too. Too many bills, less free to air tv. Also there were always dips and rises in boxing, it doesn't follow that it has become a do or die moment for the fight game, either regionally, nationally or globally.

You could apply the same argument to football in the UK. You need to pay a subscription to watch it regularly or PPV to watch a play off promotion final or a Champion's League final. So boxing isn't the only sport where they try to bleed you dry. You have to do the same back to the service providers. Choose what you really want to watch and then tell them to go stuff themselves. I keep my boxing intake up by going to small hall shows: cheap, friendly, good times and less people protecting their zeroes which makes for competitive fights.

Not sure what you mean by "the only place with a strong boxing market currently is the Middle East". I haven't seen huge crowds there. You must mean the only place with a strong boxing market is the rest of the world, who buy those fights, yeah? And where does your Saudi money means boxers fight less argument come from? Beterbiev and Bivol fought twice quickly for their purses. And what's with the "when the Saudi’s eventually move onto the next phase of their sports washing strategy I think boxing will struggle to recover". Which next phase do you think is coming? Their own football league has been up and running for yonks and they have hosted the finals of other sports. Boxing seems relatively the new baby.

And if you want to talk about the evil side of boxing, you might as well go back to the days of the mafia or when there was a color bar on black fighters or chat about "the other side of the road" arguments and all that bag of shyte. You're far too gloomy and I like to be the biggest cynic around, so have a drink and give us a smile.

[brankobugarski]

Turki wants to make boxing competitive by having the best fight the best. So far, he has been paying over the market rate to achieve that. Now, it looks like he is going to attempt to strike at the core of the current system, which means sidelining the boxing alphabet soup organizations AND promoters. That is why Eddie finds himself on the outside looking in.

Turki is partnering with Dana White because he wants to run boxing like a dictator. If he is successful, nobody will get to "marinate" fights for three years. They will not negotiate fights for six months. They will simply be told this is who you are fighting next because I say so and by the way this is your purse. If you don't like it go somewhere else.

Eddie is right in saying that initially the league will attract lower level talent, fighters who are coming up and willing to fight anybody for a decent purse. But eventually you have to ask, if the second tier all go to the new league because of the opportunities they are offered, who will the current stars have to fight in a couple of years? Food for thought.

[wrecksracer]

I think boxing’s ice cold tbh. There’s far less of it on TV, it’s dead in America, 10 years ago you’d have 2-3 cards you’d want to watch each month, you now get 2-3 cards you want to watch a year, the UK scene isn’t terrible but it’s definitely declined from a few years ago when Matchroom had the Sky deal and the likes of Golovkin, Loma, Klitschko, Tank, Spence etc were coming to the UK for fights.

The boxing market in Germany and mainland Europe is now essentially nonexistent, the Canadian market is dying too, the Russian market is also extremely limited admittedly due to political issues also. The days of Klitschko, Huck, Sturm, Abraham, Kessler, Bute, Stevenson, Pascal, Povetkin, Lebedev etc selling out arenas in those regions are long gone.

The only place with a strong boxing market currently is the Middle East but they do maybe 6-7 shows a year. The cards are absolutely stacked but they’re infrequent and then inflated value of the purses means fighters are content to just sit around and wait for the next Saudi payday. I mean why wouldn’t they? It’s resulting in less boxing being on TV and makes boxing even more niche than it is already. Look at football/soccer, you will struggle to find a week in the year that isn’t on TV.

I don’t think the Saudi involvement is good for boxing as a sport, it’s unquestionably good for those involved making life changing money and good luck to them. But, it’s making the sport seasonal, it’s creating a false market that doesn’t exist and when the Saudi’s eventually move onto the next phase of their sports washing strategy I think boxing will struggle to recover. You’ll have fighters wanting numbers that simply don’t exist. Long term I am worried about where the sport is heading.

Yeah, I was a pretty hardcore fan for years, but I've been really choosy about what I watch nowadays. If I don't think it will be competitive, I won't watch. The next fight I'm looking forward to is more than a month away (Boots vs Stanionis). After that? I don't know. It's slim pickings.

[MulaKO]

Oh Boy

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

In reply RJJ-94-02=GOAT, some people have been saying boxing is dead for decades, but here we are, all talking about it, including yourself.

Certainly, there's less boxing on regular TV, but that's because it went to PPV for fights of the century to PPV for bog standard bouts and throw in subscription services too. Too many bills, less free to air tv. Also there were always dips and rises in boxing, it doesn't follow that it has become a do or die moment for the fight game, either regionally, nationally or globally.

You could apply the same argument to football in the UK. You need to pay a subscription to watch it regularly or PPV to watch a play off promotion final or a Champion's League final. So boxing isn't the only sport where they try to bleed you dry. You have to do the same back to the service providers. Choose what you really want to watch and then tell them to go stuff themselves. I keep my boxing intake up by going to small hall shows: cheap, friendly, good times and less people protecting their zeroes which makes for competitive fights.

Not sure what you mean by "the only place with a strong boxing market currently is the Middle East". I haven't seen huge crowds there. You must mean the only place with a strong boxing market is the rest of the world, who buy those fights, yeah? And where does your Saudi money means boxers fight less argument come from? Beterbiev and Bivol fought twice quickly for their purses. And what's with the "when the Saudi’s eventually move onto the next phase of their sports washing strategy I think boxing will struggle to recover". Which next phase do you think is coming? Their own football league has been up and running for yonks and they have hosted the finals of other sports. Boxing seems relatively the new baby.

And if you want to talk about the evil side of boxing, you might as well go back to the days of the mafia or when there was a color bar on black fighters or chat about "the other side of the road" arguments and all that bag of shyte. You're far too gloomy and I like to be the biggest cynic around, so have a drink and give us a smile.

We hardcore fans talk about it but the casual sports fan doesn’t give a f***. The numbers/viewing figures strongly support that argument too.

Football has never been PPV in the UK. It never will be either because it’s not a niche product.

Fighters are only looking to fight during Riyadh Season and why wouldn’t they, it’s far better money. It’s making the sport seasonal and creating a false market. Long term it’s gonna hurt the sport IMO.

You really think boxing is the end game for the Saudi’s? You think they’re gonna keep just losing money on these cards? Fossil fuels are a becoming a thing of the past, the Saudi’s need to build tourism to sustain their economy, boxing is just a small part of that plan.

[TMLT87]

We hardcore fans talk about it but the casual sports fan doesn’t give a f***. The numbers/viewing figures strongly support that argument too.

Football has never been PPV in the UK. It never will be either because it’s not a niche product.

Fighters are only looking to fight during Riyadh Season and why wouldn’t they, it’s far better money. It’s making the sport seasonal and creating a false market. Long term it’s gonna hurt the sport IMO.

You really think boxing is the end game for the Saudi’s? You think they’re gonna keep just losing money on these cards? Fossil fuels are a becoming a thing of the past, the Saudi’s need to build tourism to sustain their economy, boxing is just a small part of that plan.

I think boxing is fairly mainstream in the UK really. I mean AJ and Fury are two of the biggest sports stars in the country, Usyk, Del Boy, Eubank Jr, Wilder, Dubois, Canelo and Shyte are going to be widely recognised by the casuals too.

Is it niche compared to football? yeah, but everything is. I mean we call rugby and cricket major sports but nobody gives a **** outside of the big international games.

[Boxing 112]

Boxing fans, this is a special public announcement. If you want insight into how dirty TR operates and how they harm fighters, this is a must read.


Lawsuit filed in the United States District Court, Central District of California ….. William Keane, Plaintiff vs Top Rank and Todd duBoef, Defendants.

Absolutely Shocking. So much so that any fighter signed by Top Rank should seek to have their Promotional Contract with Top Rank immediately voided. The government should immediately put TR out of business and Todd duBoef should be hit with massive punitive damages.

To UFC President and CEO, Mr. Dana White,

If you have any chance to clean up boxing, your first decision should be to disassociate yourself with Top Rank, Frank Warren, Eddie Hearn, and Spencer Brown. Failure to do so will continue the corruption that they are all a part of. Warren, Hearn, and Brown have all been grifting off Turki, while lining their pockets with massive amounts of money while doing work that any novice can do.

You are known for your business acumen, which boxing desperately needs. Clean house are get rid of the scoundrels, otherwise it’s going to be the same sheet just warmed over. You cannot allow fighters to be taken advantage of as is clearly the case with Top Rank in the lawsuit referenced above.

Be advised that Warren, Hearn, Arum, and Brown have a long history with Kinahan, a wanted criminal. How that got by Turki is beyond belief. If he doesn’t take action against these scoundrels himself, they one can only assume that he’s in on the corruption. Inshallah, I hope that’s not the case. All the best to you Mr. White. Boxing has needed you for a long time. Make Boxing Great Again!

How is Dana any different to the other guys you mentioned, if anything he is even worse, UFC fighters generally are locked into long terms contract a lot longer than boxers, and the top stars are paid s*** compared to what they could get.

[TMLT87]

How is Dana any different to the other guys you mentioned, if anything he is even worse, UFC fighters generally are locked into long terms contract a lot longer than boxers, and the top stars are paid s*** compared to what they could get.

The UFC model is better for fans but worse for fighters.