Plea to boxing promoters re the live experience

[chinny]

Always broadcast the post fight interview to the live audience as well as TV viewers. The opinions of fighters after the match are extremely important and part of the 'story'. If your first concern is how it looks on TV then please consider that a crowd reaction to an interview in itself make for good TV (see Hatton calling out PBF post JL Castillo).

Provide some kind of simple entertainment between fights, especially if we are looking at a gap of more than 10 minutes. Even if it is just playing some music. Show some highlights of the main event boxers. Broadcast some trash talk from the press conference. It will build an atmosphere and keep punters coming back.

Update the audience on what and when they can expect matches. It is incredibly frustrating relying on hearsay about running orders. Make the MC earn his corn.

This is all pretty simple but would really improve the live experience IMO

[dondada]

Say what you like about MMA but I went to a non-league version of it a few years ago and it crapped all over boxing in crowd entertainment terms.

Plenty to do to occupy yourself between bouts and you could even take your ale to the seat.

[chinny]

Plenty to do to occupy yourself between bouts and you could even take your ale to the seat.

Yes, its a BBB of C rule isn't it, banning alchohol from seating areas? Anyone know when and why this came in? It doesn't go all the way back to Minter-Hagler does it?

[dondada]

Plenty to do to occupy yourself between bouts and you could even take your ale to the seat.

Yes, its a BBB of C rule isn't it, banning alchohol from seating areas? Anyone know when and why this came in? It doesn't go all the way back to Minter-Hagler does it?

Yeah, it's definitely a boxing rule. No idea when it came in and it's a load of bollocks.

Some bloke from the Board was trying to justify the nonsense to me once. I wasn't having it and glassed him. I was pissed up, see.

[stujones]

Interesting, is the banning of alcohol the case for ALL proffesional shows, and what about Pro/AM's shows.

I went to a pro-am show recently, evening show. And the VIP area were serving alcohol to the ringside crowd - via waitress service. This was during both the Proffesional and the Amateur bouts.

As for a "live interview" - I aint sure... all the fighters tend to do is mention the fans and thank them.. which is great, but doesn't really give an inside into the fighters opinion of the fight and his future.

[dondada]

Interesting, is the banning of alcohol the case for ALL proffesional shows, and what about Pro/AM's shows.

I went to a pro-am show recently, evening show. And the VIP area were serving alcohol to the ringside crowd - via waitress service. This was during both the Proffesional and the Amateur bouts.

As for a "live interview" - I aint sure... all the fighters tend to do is mention the fans and thank them.. which is great, but doesn't really give an inside into the fighters opinion of the fight and his future.

Very naughty then. I'm pretty sure you can't have alcohol served in the same room as the boxing. Which is why I love the Grosvenor Hotel in Sheffield. The bar is about ten seconds from ringside

[stujones]

Well the alcohol wasn't served there, but escorted to the people in the seat - so maybe thats a "loop hole".. I thnk they did pay for the service. Although in my previous experiences - you cannot carry beer to your seat.

[dondada]

Well the alcohol wasn't served there, but escorted to the people in the seat - so maybe thats a "loop hole".. I thnk they did pay for the service. Although in my previous experiences - you cannot carry beer to your seat.

'Service' was simply an expression. You can't have booze in the same room as the ring, I think.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Interesting, is the banning of alcohol the case for ALL proffesional shows, and what about Pro/AM's shows.

I went to a pro-am show recently, evening show. And the VIP area were serving alcohol to the ringside crowd - via waitress service. This was during both the Proffesional and the Amateur bouts.

As for a "live interview" - I aint sure... all the fighters tend to do is mention the fans and thank them.. which is great, but doesn't really give an inside into the fighters opinion of the fight and his future.

Very naughty then. I'm pretty sure you can't have alcohol served in the same room as the boxing. Which is why I love the Grosvenor Hotel in Sheffield. The bar is about ten seconds from ringside

Is that the one we got pissed up at Ian?

[dondada]

Interesting, is the banning of alcohol the case for ALL proffesional shows, and what about Pro/AM's shows.

I went to a pro-am show recently, evening show. And the VIP area were serving alcohol to the ringside crowd - via waitress service. This was during both the Proffesional and the Amateur bouts.

As for a "live interview" - I aint sure... all the fighters tend to do is mention the fans and thank them.. which is great, but doesn't really give an inside into the fighters opinion of the fight and his future.

Very naughty then. I'm pretty sure you can't have alcohol served in the same room as the boxing. Which is why I love the Grosvenor Hotel in Sheffield. The bar is about ten seconds from ringside

Is that the one we got pissed up at Ian?

Christ Jim, I can't even remember which show that was now. I know we were both seething at Hillsborough Leisure Centre once because the bar was shut.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Yes me too, was well pissed off, rather than pissed which is what I wanted to be.

Which was the one where we got to the VIP bit, think it was a Hennessy show? There was a buffet with curry and chinese food, proper bo it was. Think we met someone else from boxrec down there.

[leforge]

Boxing treated like fotball you cant drink at your seats. Where as darts, cricket rugby you can.

[gobbles]

Can't be a general boxing rule or where would it leave dinner shows?

[dondada]

Yes me too, was well pissed off, rather than pissed which is what I wanted to be.

Which was the one where we got to the VIP bit, think it was a Hennessy show? There was a buffet with curry and chinese food, proper bo it was. Think we met someone else from boxrec down there.

Oh aye I remember the buffet now. Can't remember which bill it was though

Think Spud might have been there. Might have been a Hobson do.

[dondada]

Can't be a general boxing rule or where would it leave dinner shows?

Oh yeah, how daft of me. I'll find out. Maybe I've just been told this several times by stewards and promoters trained in dealing with hacks desperate for ale!

[jamesmcdonnell]

Yes me too, was well pissed off, rather than pissed which is what I wanted to be.

Which was the one where we got to the VIP bit, think it was a Hennessy show? There was a buffet with curry and chinese food, proper bo it was. Think we met someone else from boxrec down there.

Oh aye I remember the buffet now. Can't remember which bill it was though

Think Spud might have been there. Might have been a Hobson do.

That's it, it was a Hobson do, we were proper pratted, top night!

[Gazmac81]

Apparently Boxing and Bevy incourage violence
I was at a Braveheart Promotions show and when you went to the bar they had blackened out the Window so you couldnt see the fights , however this may have been just to try and stop people from staying in the bar and not watching the fights.

I know in sCotland Tommy Gilmour apparently doesnt like drink to be served due to a fatalty while back
james Murray his name was, there was Glasgow / Edinburgh rivalry and when he colapsed there were riots resulting in Treatment delays

Hower Gilmour does have dinner shows with Drink.

[Poncey]

I always thought that the ban on alcohol emanated from the crowd's performance in the Hagler v Minter fight. However, I cannot find evidence of this on the Internet (I tried looking a while ago).

I created a thread about it on BOTP, but no-one knew.

[yogi]

Provide some kind of simple entertainment between fights, especially if we are looking at a gap of more than 10 minutes. Even if it is just playing some music. Broadcast some trash talk from the press conference. It will build an atmosphere and keep punters coming back.

Update the audience on what and when they can expect matches. It is incredibly frustrating relying on hearsay about running orders. Make the MC earn his corn.

This is all pretty simple but would really improve the live experience IMO

I fully agree with you, mate.

The problem is not the promoters but the TV producers. Take a Sky show. The show goes live at 10 but it starts as earlu as 6.30 sometimes. In that 3 1/2 hour window the Sky team are recording interviews and taping things, they don't want a video clip ruined by the MC talking to the crowd in the background. I've been to some Sky shows where we've sat for 30 minutes plus with feck all information coming over the PA because the Sky producer doesn't give a toss about the audience, only what his TV show looks like.

[whicker]

Always broadcast the post fight interview to the live audience as well as TV viewers. The opinions of fighters after the match are extremely important and part of the 'story'. If your first concern is how it looks on TV then please consider that a crowd reaction to an interview in itself make for good TV (see Hatton calling out PBF post JL Castillo).

Provide some kind of simple entertainment between fights, especially if we are looking at a gap of more than 10 minutes. Even if it is just playing some music. Show some highlights of the main event boxers. Broadcast some trash talk from the press conference. It will build an atmosphere and keep punters coming back.

Update the audience on what and when they can expect matches. It is incredibly frustrating relying on hearsay about running orders. Make the MC earn his corn.

This is all pretty simple but would really improve the live experience IMO

Yeah, touch of the WWE in your suggestion, but I do see your point. A boxing "show" isn't a show, it's really a series of contests with breaks, not unlike an athletics meet- or for that matter a school sports day. Most people are there to see a specific fight, and the others are pretty incidental. It's not uncommon for people to go to a boxing event and ONLY watch the main event!

[oliverfennell]

Interviews broadcast to crowd - good idea. True, some might get repetitive, but good for the big fights/rivalries, like the aforementioned Hatton-Mayweather, as well as Lewis calling out Tyson post-Botha. And anyway, what's wrong with thanking the fans? Adds to the atmosphere. "Finally... KO King has come baaaaack... to Widnes Leisure Centre."

Alcohol at seats ban - completely agree with it. Some fans can be intimidating enough without adding to that. I do like a beer when watching boxing on TV, but it's a worthy sacrifice at live shows. However I do think you should be allowed to take soft drinks and food to your seat.

Running orders - they should at least advertise approximate times and yes, good suggestion that the MC should tell you how long to expect to wait. There's nothing worse than waiting 40 minutes in your seat because you don't want to miss anything, or going to the bar/snack stall/toilet and a one-round knockout happening while you were there.

Between-fights entertainment - I don't think simply playing music would add anything, but certainly a highlights/hype package would be excellent. Yes, much like the WWE, but what's wrong with building a bit of excitement? You get these on the TV shows so would it be impossible to incorporate the same format to a live show? I mean, for example, if Sky Sports are broadcasting, why not allow the promoter to use the pre-fight package on screens? Which brings me too...

Big screens - this is raised by fans over and over again, but nobody seems to be listening. If wrestling/MMA can do it, why can't boxing? Again, just use the TV channel's broadcast, so no extra production costs.

[dondada]

I always thought that the ban on alcohol emanated from the crowd's performance in the Hagler v Minter fight. However, I cannot find evidence of this on the Internet (I tried looking a while ago).

I created a thread about it on BOTP, but no-one knew.

I've asked the BBBoC Emerz - they are usually good at dealing with queries.

[TerribleTerry]

Apparently Boxing and Bevy incourage violence
I was at a Braveheart Promotions show and when you went to the bar they had blackened out the Window so you couldnt see the fights , however this may have been just to try and stop people from staying in the bar and not watching the fights.

I know in sCotland Tommy Gilmour apparently doesnt like drink to be served due to a fatalty while back
james Murray his name was, there was Glasgow / Edinburgh rivalry and when he colapsed there were riots resulting in Treatment delays

Hower Gilmour does have dinner shows with Drink.

I too thought it was the James Murray v Drew Docherty riot that led to the blanket ban on alcohol in the arena..

[jamesmcdonnell]

Interviews broadcast to crowd - good idea. True, some might get repetitive, but good for the big fights/rivalries, like the aforementioned Hatton-Mayweather, as well as Lewis calling out Tyson post-Botha. And anyway, what's wrong with thanking the fans? Adds to the atmosphere. "Finally... KO King has come baaaaack... to Widnes Leisure Centre."

Alcohol at seats ban - completely agree with it. Some fans can be intimidating enough without adding to that. I do like a beer when watching boxing on TV, but it's a worthy sacrifice at live shows. However I do think you should be allowed to take soft drinks and food to your seat.

Running orders - they should at least advertise approximate times and yes, good suggestion that the MC should tell you how long to expect to wait. There's nothing worse than waiting 40 minutes in your seat because you don't want to miss anything, or going to the bar/snack stall/toilet and a one-round knockout happening while you were there.

Between-fights entertainment - I don't think simply playing music would add anything, but certainly a highlights/hype package would be excellent. Yes, much like the WWE, but what's wrong with building a bit of excitement? You get these on the TV shows so would it be impossible to incorporate the same format to a live show? I mean, for example, if Sky Sports are broadcasting, why not allow the promoter to use the pre-fight package on screens? Which brings me too...

Big screens - this is raised by fans over and over again, but nobody seems to be listening. If wrestling/MMA can do it, why can't boxing? Again, just use the TV channel's broadcast, so no extra production costs.

I think having alcohol at a boxing crowd is possibly not a good idea - given the local rivalries in evidence, anything which encourages alcohol consumption during the fights is probably a bad idea. I've been to some fights which were like sitting in a seething cauldron there was so much bad blood, and I've seen enough fights kick off at venues without drink being factored in there. I think you have to blame boxing crowds for this one, promoters don't want the grief, and would need to shell out a fortune in security to make this workable.

Between fights entertainment is an excellent idea, and Hennessy has had DJ's and food at some of his shows as do some others.

Screens - expense, promoters don't want the expense is the only possible reason I can think of. MMA can get away with it, because the participants are paid a pittance compared to boxers.

Interviews should definetly be at the least given an audio feed into the arena, it's been done at some shows, but why not do it across the board, it builds the persona of the fighter, which can only be a good thing.

[Poncey]

I always thought that the ban on alcohol emanated from the crowd's performance in the Hagler v Minter fight. However, I cannot find evidence of this on the Internet (I tried looking a while ago).

I created a thread about it on BOTP, but no-one knew.

I've asked the BBBoC Emerz - they are usually good at dealing with queries.

Cheerz Pal, it's been bugging me for ages. I thought the skin heads throwing glass bottles/glasses at Marvellous was the final straw.

Bought the envelope for your tee today. I have a poster I'll chuck in too. It's creased, but free. Hopefully I can get to the P/O on Sat for you.