WBSS Finals rumored to be picked up for US TV

[Eff Pandas]

Was listening to TalkBox the other day & both Michael Woods & Raging Babe confirmed there is a party who'll be purchasing the WBSS finals.

Although they did say it wouldn't be a major player or something similar to that type of wording which to me meant HBO & Showtime (& they may have specifically mentioned HBO & Showtime but I don't remember). Any boxing insiders got an idea who this non-major player is?

[Dean_Razorback]

why now? bunch of morons

[Eff Pandas]

why now? bunch of morons

I've speculated before the schedule was nuts for most TV for the money WBSS would want & how they wanted to sell it (not in pieces or by weight division).

Remember that opening round had 8 big fights in 8 weeks. How many TV networks have shown 8 cards in 8 weeks ever? I'd say not many. And how many times have the networks who've had that sorta schedule done it? I'd assume not many times.

Plus the major networks aren't often showing major fights of guys they don't have signed to their network.

And I also think the lack of US fighters made it a difficult buy. All combined I don't think they had much hope in selling the whole event to US TV in hindsight.

Might be better for the 2nd season if they spread things out a lil bit. Maybe split the start time of the two weight divisions by a month or two so its not all clustered together so much & then end it with a final in May & a final in July.

[Randall Cunning]

A guy from ESPN said on Twitter they tried to get the semis, maybe them. They fall under major players though, right?

[MasterPlan]

Hopefully Schafer is smart enough to get a deal for the next series if they pick up the final.

['b']

They need to get their priorities straight and give us more of Cletus Seldin, that's what we really want, not this WBSS crap

[Eff Pandas]

A guy from ESPN said on Twitter they tried to get the semis, maybe them. They fall under major players though, right?

Idk if I'd consider them major just yet since this TR/ESPN thing is still new & most of the stuff they do isn't on the level of HBO or Showtime (or most of HBO or Showtime anyway cuz I know HBO haters or Showtime haters may freak out about that).

But yea ESPN would probably be my best guess right now.

[Randall Cunning]

Idk if I'd consider them major just yet since this TR/ESPN thing is still new & most of the stuff they do isn't on the level of HBO or Showtime (or most of HBO or Showtime anyway cuz I know HBO haters or Showtime haters may freak out about that).

But yea ESPN would probably be my best guess right now.

I hope it is them. Get more chance of Lomachenko/Gvozdyk being in the next one if ESPN are interested in it. Latest Sky Toe 2 Toe podcast has pretty much confirmed 135 will be one of the divisions next time. Hinted Ricky Burns will be in it.

[Eff Pandas]

I hope it is them. Get more chance of Lomachenko/Gvozdyk being in the next one if ESPN are interested in it. Latest Sky Toe 2 Toe podcast has pretty much confirmed 135 will be one of the divisions next time. Hinted Ricky Burns will be in it.

Ricky Burns?!?!?! I hope not. But yea I've heard a couple people say 135 is likely for their next go around.

Definitely a interesting division that could use some figuring out.

If Tank doesn't fight at 130 anymore he's in play. I think Loma is already planning to move up so he'd be like Usyk with that CW tournament in that if he's not in it it makes it less legit. Easter. Linares. Mikey seems like he's not wanting to stick at 135 for more than 1 fight, but if you could get him that'd be cool. Luke Campell wouldn't be a bad random guy to throw in there. Don't hate it for sure, but idk that Burns should be one of the guys so I hope thats not legit. But I wouldn't be surprised if they try to make it UK-centric again like they did with 168 this year cuz it seems like a solid success.