Comments Thread For: Arum Open To Showtime Pact, Lomachenko-Walters on SHO

[Mitchell Kane]

This is a puzzling comment by Peter Nelson on Walters/Lomachenko -


http://r ingtv.craveonline.com/news/412785-peter-nelson-talks-canelo-golovkin-the-biz-hbos-future#.VtCKxVsHHXo.twitter


I'm not sure what Nelson's getting at, but it does indeed sound like he doesn't necessarily want the fight card. Makes no sense, HBO invested alot of money into Walters & Lomachenko and Postol could be an important fight for Crawford unless Crawford's moving up to 147 next.

I think he's basically saying HBO can't invest the time and money into building fights/fighters the way they used to.

HBO Sports is working with a reduced budget these days, so while Lomachenko-Walters is a good match-up, neither Lomachenko or Walters are big ratings draws, so the fight may not translate into viewers, and therefore not worth that much to HBO.

The fight is good, so hopefully it finds a television home.

But Top Rank can't build it's stars the way it's done in the past, because HBO Boxing isn't what it used to be.

Which is why, for example, Top Rank has already made plans to put Verdejo back on Unimas in April after this upcoming fight.

[Eastcoast]

I think he's basically saying HBO can't invest the time and money into building fights/fighters the way they used to.

HBO Sports is working with a reduced budget these days, so while Lomachenko-Walters is a good match-up, neither Lomachenko or Walters are big ratings draws, so the fight may not translate into viewers, and therefore not worth that much to HBO.

The fight is good, so hopefully it finds a television home.

But Top Rank can't build it's stars the way it's done in the past, because HBO Boxing isn't what it used to be.

Which is why, for example, Top Rank has already made plans to put Verdejo back on Unimas in April after this upcoming fight.

But HBO already put the money into building up that fight and it's a better ratings draw than the card we're getting this weekend with Crawford/Lundy. HBO just had Walters on vs a no-name journeyman.

I could understand if it's over money, but this is a big fight and Nelson was talking non-sense about quality?

[Scipio2009]

Sorry man. Didn't know you were so emotionally invested in showtime. Lol at the fights i highlighted. They are not quality fights your just defending whatever your daddy haymon does. also the wilder-povetkin fight might not even happen. At this point showtime better do what Arum says. Cause i think Arum is just flexing but either way if Chavez (what was one of boxing biggest stars) does less with ratings at showtime than he did with HBO then imagine what walters or loma does who are less known at showtime

Outside of Kovalev-Ward, what fight has been even rumored for HBO's schedule that's a better fight than Stevenson-Fonfara II (funny how you tried to omit the marquee fight of the night, Frampton-Quigg, to attempt to make a point).

Bob Arum is up a creek, and everyone knows it; he's no longer the house promoter for HBO and, with the continued decline in the boxing budget, HBO is playing hardball with their dates.

To try and act as if Lomachenko-Walters, a good fight, is such a marquee matchup that Showtime would have to air it at any price, makes you look ******.

[Mitchell Kane]

Dan Rafael reporting that Arum pitched the fight to SHO during a dinner this week with Matt Blank and Stephen Espinoza.

[Mitchell Kane]

But HBO already put the money into building up that fight and it's a better ratings draw than the card we're getting this weekend with Crawford/Lundy. HBO just had Walters on vs a no-name journeyman.

I could understand if it's over money, but this is a big fight and Nelson was talking non-sense about quality?

HBO's more invested in Crawford than they are in Lomachenko or Walters.

[Scipio2009]

This is a puzzling comment by Peter Nelson on Walters/Lomachenko -


http://r ingtv.craveonline.com/news/412785-peter-nelson-talks-canelo-golovkin-the-biz-hbos-future#.VtCKxVsHHXo.twitter


I'm not sure what Nelson's getting at, but it does indeed sound like he doesn't necessarily want the fight card. Makes no sense, HBO invested alot of money into Walters & Lomachenko and Postol could be an important fight for Crawford unless Crawford's moving up to 147 next.

HBO, under the efforts of Peter Nelson, is in the business of trying to make stars, rather than air good fights:

-Vasyl Lomachenko fights at 126lbs and holds the WBO title; the WBC, IBF, WBA, and wba titles at 126 are all held outside of HBO's orbit (in addition to most of the fighters at the weight. If HBO shells out the money for Loma-Walters, what can Nelson objectively look at aiming for in Loma's subsequent fights?

-Viktor Postol, in knocking off Lucas Matthysse, derailed a fighter that HBO seemed actually interested in pushing. You add that his style leaves a lot to be desired for the TV viewer, and there's already strikes against him; lucky for him, the WBC/IBF/WBO and possibly wba titles at 140 are all within the HBO orbit. Bob Arum simply has to match him with "Bud" Crawford, Jose Benevidez, Troyonovsky, Herrera, and other rough fights to peak HBO's attention.

HBO's path forward seems pretty obvious: "Canelo" Alvarez, Gennady Golovkin, Sergey Kovalev, and possibly "Bud" Crawford(HBO is likely waiting and seeing on how Verdejo/Valdez/Ramirez progress, but Crawford is the closest thing that Top Rank has at the moment to a young star) are "the stars of big-time boxing", with everything else taking a backseat. gl

[sicko]

Espinoza is a better man than me, not sure I would be as forgiving given all the trash talking he was doing leading up to the Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight lol but Loma vs Walters on Showtime would be GOOD BUSINESS!

[GMAN SUPREME]

just make the fight happen who cares what network its on.showtime would be ****** to turn this down they are in the same boat as hbo they don't have much going on boxing wise this fight is exactly what showtime needs.

[boxinggod101]

Espinoza is a better man than me, not sure I would be as forgiving given all the trash talking he was doing leading up to the Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight lol but Loma vs Walters on Showtime would be GOOD BUSINESS!

I guess money makes people forget and forgive easier

[Mitchell Kane]

I guess money makes people forget and forgive easier

Or the decision about whether to work with Arum isn't up to Espinoza, but the people above him.