Comments Thread For: HBO Passes on Stevenson-Fonfara; Open to Kovalev Bout

[big_james10]

I dunno, this kinda seems like a chess move to me. Sign with Al, have his new team approach HBO with a signifigant raise in requested amount knowing they will get denied, go to Showtime for this fight and now have HBO's attention leading into a potential fall clash with Kovalev. Know HBO is not willing to fork up the big $ for him vs Fonrara, but they most likely will for Kovalev, and asking for more $ prior to than gives him a better chance at getting a bigger payday to fight Kovalev than would have been the case before. Y'all don't read between the lines.. just read the lines and start spewing your nonsense. If you ask me, this is him setting up to get a bigger piece of the pie from HBO to fight Kovalev.

It is definitely a chess move, but it is a bad one. If Showtime buys the Fonfara fight, they won't pay as much as HBO was willing to pay originally because Showtime has a smaller budget. HBO won't pay Stevenson any more for a Kovalev fight than they would have before. I believe that Stevenson signed with Haymon because he thinks he has a better chance of beating Hopkins and Froch than he does Kovalev and wants to make as much as he can fighting those two before he risks a fight with Kovalev.

[joseph5620]

for helping fighters get the easiest fight with the most money - examples - recently discussed joke Broner v. Carlos Molina; Thurman v. Julio Diaz;

Yeah, those are the only two fights he's been involved with

[brick wall]

There is nothing pathetic about running to whatever pays you more money. It's common sense, really.

and it's common sense for a network not to pay for a fight that they think is not worth it.

[rasdun]

I had to stop reading right there. The fact that it's a sport doesn't change the fact that professional boxing is a business above all other things.

really - so u watch it more bc its a business? LMFAO are u serious? u love it bc its a great sport! and thats what fans shoudl care about - seeing the best fight the best. The rest means nothing to me and shoudl mean nothing to you. who cares what they make or how the fights get made - just F***IN make them

[joseph5620]

and it's common sense for a network not to pay for a fight that they think is not worth it.

Who said it wasn't? Networks can pay whatever they choose. The point was that a professional boxer is going to take the most money. That's what they fight for. Just don't cry about that when it happens.

[-PBP-]

There is nothing pathetic about running to whatever pays you more money. It's common sense, really.

For Fonfara. Nobody has mentioned who is willing to pay more for Kovalev or whether Sho will offer more for Hopkins. That's where the bigger money is going to come from anyways.

[rasdun]

Yeah, those are the only two fights he's been involved with

no, just two recent examples. Add Mayweather v. maidana to the list of recent examples as well. Whenever a fighter is more than a 12-1 favorite - its bc it's a complete mismatch

[fish262]

It would work. If HBO and Showtime said we will not pay you hundreds of thousand of $ to fight fights that the fans are not clamoring for - what option does than leave them - PPV? Im a huge boxing fan and Im not paying for Stevenson vs Fonfara on PPV - thats for sure. If the networks played ahrdball - with thses fights - like the recently announced Thurman v. Julio Diaz - another haymon piece of garbage fight, or Broner v. Carlos Molina (the lightwt one) then fighters and their advisors would be forced to make the best fights available, instead of making fights for good money against opponents that pose very little threat

Exactly. If the networks want more subscribes/ better ratings/ why not force the promoters to make good fights or tell them too bad go fight on ESPN or Fox 1.

[joseph5620]

really - so u watch it more bc its a business? LMFAO are u serious? u love it bc its a great sport! and thats what fans shoudl care about - seeing the best fight the best. The rest means nothing to me and shoudl mean nothing to you. who cares what they make or how the fights get made - just F***IN make them

uh..no. I watch it because I'm a fan. I don't get one cent of the money when they fight. Which is why I watch it for the sport. Prize fighters fight to get paid regardless of whether you think they love getting punched in the face for free.


My agenda is totally different from theirs.

[rasdun]

Who said it wasn't? Networks can pay whatever they choose. The point was that a professional boxer is going to take the most money. That's what they fight for. Just don't cry about that when it happens.

no one is "crying" about the money fighters make. people are mad bc it seems that we wont see yet another great fight that, as boxing fans, we should see. add it to the list. dont see how, as a boxing fan, you wouldnt be bothered by a champ not wanting to fight the best. make the most $ for the fight - of cuorse. But fight the best. thats what the true champs - SRR, Duran, Hearns, Sweat Pea - did