Comments Thread For: First Boxxer show to be broadcast on BBC ?sooner than you think,? says Ben Shalom

[BoxingUpdates]

?It?s been a long time coming to be fair, so I?m happy,? said Ben Shalom just hours after announcing that Boxxer was linking up with the BBC as part of a new TV deal. ?The feedback has been very good.?
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[M312]

'BBC TV'.

Very careful wording Ben.

It's BBC3 isn't it?

[BoxerWriter]

Two different broadcasters is unusual... I wonder if they'll maintain a relationship with Sky Box Office for Pay Per View, which will kind of keep Sky partially in boxing? Or whether it'll be a curveball such as DAZN PPV or Amazon Prime. Hopefully not TrillerTV or anything like that. It's a strange one though as it could end up feeling like the BBC shows are second-rate and the best fights are saved for PPV. Hopefully the PPVs will be reserved to one or two special events a year. Clearly the likes of Eubank Jr will only want to appear on PPV. I don't really think Boxxer has any other PPV level fighters though - not yet anyway.

[BoxerWriter]

I keep hearing that some of Boxxer's stable were signed exclusive to Sky so it'll be interesting to see how that shakes out and who stays with Boxxer. Obviously Buatsi is already gone. Perhaps that's the real reason for the two broadcaster arrangement and certain fighters will only appear on Sky Box Office shows as a result? Eubank Jr being one of them. I can see Sky wanting co-broadcast rights for Eubank Jr-Benn 2.

[Goatintheboat]

Having boxing on the nations broadcaster is a coup. Well done Shalom. Need good fights but there is mention of Clarke v TKV which is a great start. Be interesting if the relationships with Turki, Hearn and Warren remain and help with fleshing out the cards.

[ShoulderRoll]

Who is in the Boxxer stable again? I’m American so remind me, please.

[Coverdale]

'BBC TV'.

Very careful wording Ben.

It's BBC3 isn't it?

Yeah man, let's focus on a small potential negative.

[BoxerWriter]

Who is in the Boxxer stable again? I’m American so remind me, please.

Basically, Chris Eubank Jr, Ben Whitaker, Frazer Clarke, Chris Billam-Smith, Martin Bakole, Callum Simpson, Adam Azim, Lauren Price, Caroline Dubois, Viddall Riley, and Fran Hennessey (that's just off the top of my head of course so I may have missed one or two fighters) - and I don't know how many of those are staying with Boxxer. So, looking at the stable, they really only have one big name in Eubank Jr, a couple of reasonably well known world level fighters in CBS and Bakole, a leading prospect in Whitaker, a big domestic ticket seller in Simpson and a decent domestic heavyweight name in Clarke, a couple of very good world champion female fighters (although most of the other women are now with MVP), and otherwise a lot of younger talent and up and comers.

[BoxerWriter]

Yeah man, let's focus on a small potential negative.

If they were to show the full cards on BBC Three and the main event or co-main plus main event on BBC One or BBC Two then I wouldn't complain. I think that would be a decent formula. Realistically, BBC isn't going to turn over the entire BBC One primetime slot on a Saturday night over to a three-hour boxing card, but they might show the main event (plus co-main maybe) before Match of the Day, with the rest of the card on BBC Three (or another BBC channel immediately beforehand). Who cares which BBC channel it goes on though really as long as it's on and free? Channel 5 has always done pretty well with their boxing coverage in terms of viewing figures (Tyson Fury made his name on there after all) and BBC should do better again. All in all I think the BBC getting back into boxing unexpectedly is an interesting little shake up of the status quo.

[Goatintheboat]

Think it's likely the headline fights will be on BBC2