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If ESPN signs free agent Dmitry Bivol, they will have all four titlists in the division, and the other biggest name Gilberto Ramirez. I think ESPN should sign Bivol and make a 175 tournament the centerpiece of their boxing programming. What do you think?
Besides the fact it would be probably the most awesome thing to happen in the sport in decades (tournaments are usually the best thing, and this would be the best tournament in ages, so that's not an exaggeration), here is the other reason why they should do it.
Loma and Crawford are going to be off to PPV regularly soon, just like Canelo, Floyd, and Pacquiao were with HBO and Showtime. What ESPN needs is some new stars who are talented enough to give fans PPV-quality fights on regular ESPN, but not big enough stars to demand PPV-sized-money.
ESPN needs the equivalent of a GGG that was on HBO. Exciting, top talent, but unknown at first, not a big enough name for PPV, so HBO got to air that type of talent on its regular airwaves for years.
175 should be ESPN's GGG. It doesn't have to be one guy, it can be an entire division. In fact it's better to have an entire division. People keep saying the WBSS needs to do a 175 tournament, but who needs the WBSS in this case? ESPN has 3 of the champs at 175, and Bivol is a free agent. Sign Bivol and you can make your own tournament. You want to introduce casual sports fans back into boxing? You want to give them an actual semblance of a SPORT where they can actually follow it and get engaged and follow the **** from one round to the next over an entire year? Sign Bivol, and make that 175 tourney exclusive on ESPN. That **** would be a STATEMENT in the boxing game. No other promoter would have anything half as good to announce for years.
If ESPN actually wants to beat DAZN and PBC, then a 175 tournament is their ticket. I don't care about that personally, I just want to see it as a boxing fan, but I'm just saying, it makes so much business sense for ESPN too.
Besides the fact it would be probably the most awesome thing to happen in the sport in decades (tournaments are usually the best thing, and this would be the best tournament in ages, so that's not an exaggeration), here is the other reason why they should do it.
Loma and Crawford are going to be off to PPV regularly soon, just like Canelo, Floyd, and Pacquiao were with HBO and Showtime. What ESPN needs is some new stars who are talented enough to give fans PPV-quality fights on regular ESPN, but not big enough stars to demand PPV-sized-money.
ESPN needs the equivalent of a GGG that was on HBO. Exciting, top talent, but unknown at first, not a big enough name for PPV, so HBO got to air that type of talent on its regular airwaves for years.
175 should be ESPN's GGG. It doesn't have to be one guy, it can be an entire division. In fact it's better to have an entire division. People keep saying the WBSS needs to do a 175 tournament, but who needs the WBSS in this case? ESPN has 3 of the champs at 175, and Bivol is a free agent. Sign Bivol and you can make your own tournament. You want to introduce casual sports fans back into boxing? You want to give them an actual semblance of a SPORT where they can actually follow it and get engaged and follow the **** from one round to the next over an entire year? Sign Bivol, and make that 175 tourney exclusive on ESPN. That **** would be a STATEMENT in the boxing game. No other promoter would have anything half as good to announce for years.
If ESPN actually wants to beat DAZN and PBC, then a 175 tournament is their ticket. I don't care about that personally, I just want to see it as a boxing fan, but I'm just saying, it makes so much business sense for ESPN too.
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