Comments Thread For: Bob Arum: The UFC is The Main Enemy of Boxing

[Butch.McRae]

The video game stuff is interesting & I bet there is impact on the sports with that. As a non-video game guy these days I'd be curious to know more about that whole angle with MMA + boxing cuz I'm sure there is something statistically there that can help/hurt the growth of a sport with fans.

And that old heads thing is interesting to. I actually don't doubt more people consider themselves to be a boxing fan than MMA fan, but when you actually talk about current boxers no one knows anything. I've had conversations with cats who said there favorite active boxer is Mike f#cking Tyson.

Some of these older guys are so casual they don't know a fighter who hasn't done a 1M+ selling PPV fight. I don't know that I really consider that type of fan a real fan. I mean I could say I'm a football fan & name the guys who I've heard from this site or seen on ads, but I've watched 3 super bowls in the last decade or something like that & those are the only 3 football games I've watched in that period as well. Am I reallllllly a football fan?

I agree with your point. They're definitely not active fans, but they'll buy tickets and PPVs if the media/or word-of-mouth tells them something big is happening.

True casuals undeed. Boxing just needs one voice to streamline marketing and messaging and you'd have all those eyes viewing regularly imo. Because it's not that hard to get them to tune in. They just have to think it's a big thing. Which is why I don't understand why the Golden Boy team didn't have Oscar, Canelo, and GGG at that fight last week. At least get some solid camera time lol

Reports are saying over 100 million people worldwide saw that fight. (Based on an average of 10 people per PPV). Saw a number from Yahoo's Kevin Iole that put it closer to 130 million people. A true missed opportunity.

[Mukuro]

What are they pumping into this guy's veins? Why is he still alive

[Eff Pandas]

I actually agree with Bob here. I don't buy all the respect BS with White, Rogan, etc here. They all hate boxing and want to overtake it. Make no mistake..

That is bs for anyone who knows about Dana & Joe.

Dana & Joe both LOVE boxing. Joe talks positively about boxing all the time. Hell I trust Joe talking about boxing more than the average poster here. And Dana came up with boxing & he was ultimately a boxing guy first. And the Fertitta brothers & Dana initially wanted to get into boxing not create a whole new sports league.

Joe's podcast, JRE, has some of the best lil boxing stories you've never heard. Joe loves fighting. Fighting includes boxing.

[Eff Pandas]

They just have to think it's a big thing. Which is why I don't understand why the Golden Boy team didn't have Oscar, Canelo, and GGG at that fight last week. At least get some solid camera time lol

Reports are saying over 100 million people worldwide saw that fight. (Based on an average of 10 people per PPV). Saw a number from Yahoo's Kevin Iole that put it closer to 130 million people. A true missed opportunity.

Hadn't seen that article, but doesn't surprise me & yea thats how I know Oscar is still dealing with addiction or just is a bad businessman cuz anyone with a brain & thinks in dollars & cents knew that fight was gonna be huge & being there & attaching yourself to it as much as possible was a solid plan to get more eyes on your own product.

Although maybe Oscar thought being the dissenting party would get him attention with the hardcores too idk, but I think the hardcores are along for the ride regardless & the goal is to get the casuals, sports fans & non-sports fans onboard as much as you can.

[sicko]

That is a TERRIBLE Mentality for Boxing to have! If anything you want most of the Casuals and hardcore MMA fans to continue to watching boxing after Mayweather vs McGregor not feel like they must be loyal to MMA only and go back to MMA where they came from

You would like at least half of that Audience continue to watch boxing and to watch his next ESPN Event. If you're Oscar you would want at least half of that Audience that bought Mayweather vs McGregor to buy Canelo vs GGG. That is not going to happen if you keep alienating those fans instead of accepting them with open arms.

Hardcore boxing fan but for the sport we love to thrive...WE NEED NEW FANS to the sport and we need more Casuals tuning in since lets be honest. Most of the so called hardcore's (including myself) are not buying tickets or buying PPV's but yet we complain the most like we are!

[GMAN SUPREME]

The saddest part about the whole thing is that the only "working together" that Arum is interested in is everyone doing exactly as he wants, fighting under his banner for whatever he feels like paying folks.

Arum will never and one of his guys out to fight under another promoters banner, yet he has the gall to *****.

Arum sold ESPN a bill of bull****, ESPN turned around and gave him 16 dates, and Arum is coming to terms with the reality that he can't deliver what he promised without help (an issue made more existential to his company after the splitting from HBO).

arum will be just fine. 50 years in the game and still going and with this new espn deal he's showing no signs of slowing down.

[Mitchell Kane]

Didn't Mayweather attend Trumps inauguration?

Anyways, it's an interesting marketing strategy there by Arum.

His "No Trump" card was such a great success...

http://www.foxsports.com/boxing/stor...d-trump-032416

”The more Donald Trump supporters I alienate, the prouder I am,” Arum said.

http://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/i...moter-bob-arum

"Yes, it loses money," Arum said. "It was not one of our big successes. It happens. We're big boys. Do I feel good about it? No."

[Deevel916]

Cant blame MMA for Boxing's faults.

Truth be told, if boxing were run like the UFC, it would be much better.

[Lemonhead_Jeff]

Arum is right, but it doesn't matter. UFC fans are a different type of animal. They have more in common with WWE fans than with boxing fans. For the most part, you can't convert them into boxing fans. The enemy of boxing is not really the UFC it's self, but rather the casual public's misconception that boxing is inferior to MMA.
How can boxing possibly be inferior to MMA?
Boxing is like Stevie Ray Vaughn playing the guitar.
MMA is like the guy standing outside the subway station, trying to play the guitar and harmonica at the same time, with a pair of cymbals strapped to his knees.

[Sugar Adam Ali]

Main enemy to boxing is boxing and it's matchmaking, though matchmaking has gotten a lot better over the past few years