Has allegedly learnt a trick the others havent?

[damianhucker1]

ive always said if i ever won the lottery id set up a promotion (ditch my white collar and turn pro) and put on the fights people actually want to see , but this thread may change my mind to something of the greater good, i know its unlikely but its a what if .....

[mickey1975]

nice thread and discussion, Mark

^^ this.

Thanks guys, i love boxing and and want the sport to be great again. I remember growing up and boxing was always talked about plus covered a lot in the press. It would be nice to see those days return and with some of the talent coming through never has there been a better time for those involved to take stock and push forward.

The promoters working together throws up many problems especially when some are more succeesful than others and have TV deals. However with the right sort of game plan the sport could recieve a huge shot in the arm especially now that Sky have started showing interest again.

as Glyn said early "it just takes people to think out of their little boxes"

Khan was on the back page of most papers today with a double page spread inside most tabloids.And that is for a ppv bout in America!The interest IS there.

[Yes We Can]

I would like to say that the Daily Mirror seems to be reporting more and more boxing of late, from the haye fight, froch fight through.... it's the easiest way for people to learn about the next stars, alot of people will remember a name they read.

[Glyn Leach]

Who is their boxing writer?

[hurlock]

how about a new/ diffrent governing body :!: that has one title.

[bruthead]

Firstly, really good discussion.

I think that Sky does have a real opportunity to consolidate its position and turn the fortunes of boxing around. There’s a lot of young, talented fighters around but they need to be in tough, exciting fights for the good of the sport and Sky now has the power to ensure that happens.

However, much as I think Adam Smith is a good boxing man, he strikes me as far too fawning and insipid to ever institute the kind of far-sighted and bold plans being described here.

Just as one recent example: Smith seemed pretty pissed off with the Haye-Harrison farce on the next Ringside and was actually giving Booth a bit of a tough time. Less than a month later he’s back doing the pals act with Booth and Haye in Vegas, throwing the look of love at the Hayemaker every time Dave pauses for a punctuation mark...

Smith seems keener to be buddy-buddy with the talent rather than bringing the tough love the sport needs to prosper. Doing the right thing might mean he falls out with Haye and Warren in the short-term but, in the long-term, if he could pull off some of the ideas in this discussion, he would be remembered as a hero of British boxing.

Opportunity knocks, Mr. Smith.

[Glyn Leach]

Firstly, really good discussion.

I think that Sky does have a real opportunity to consolidate its position and turn the fortunes of boxing around. There’s a lot of young, talented fighters around but they need to be in tough, exciting fights for the good of the sport and Sky now has the power to ensure that happens.

However, much as I think Adam Smith is a good boxing man, he strikes me as far too fawning and insipid to ever institute the kind of far-sighted and bold plans being described here.

Just as one recent example: Smith seemed pretty pissed off with the Haye-Harrison farce on the next Ringside and was actually giving Booth a bit of a tough time. Less than a month later he’s back doing the pals act with Booth and Haye in Vegas, throwing the look of love at the Hayemaker every time Dave pauses for a punctuation mark...

Smith seems keener to be buddy-buddy with the talent rather than bringing the tough love the sport needs to prosper. Doing the right thing might mean he falls out with Haye and Warren in the short-term but, in the long-term, if he could pull off some of the ideas in this discussion, he would be remembered as a hero of British boxing.

Opportunity knocks, Mr. Smith.

Very true Bruthead, these will be testing times for Adam Smith. I don't doubt that he has the ambition to do big things, but actually doing them will not be easy. Guess we'll all, Smith included, find out what he's made of over the coming months. Certainly the current matey-matey relationships he's established as a necessity of his previous role will be challenged by his new job description.

This is a good discussion isn't it, well done for kicking it off Mark,

[Scottrf]

A good start would be to not renew contracts with promoters that tie up their cash and mean there's nothing left in the pot to buy Carl Froch or the recent Marquez-Katsidis for example. Sky has the power so I see no need for them to enter into these contracts. Buy individual events rather than what I presume (?) is the present state of giving them a TV date to build a show around.

[Glyn Leach]

Presently things are built around four promoters having been given a set number of dates. Sky may want to alter this kind of arrangement, but at the same time the promoters need to be offered stability in order for them to be able to continue bringing through the calibre of fighter that Sky, and everyone else, wants. It will be a fine balancing act, for sure.

Definitely promoters would resent Sky taking up what is essentially a more 'promotional' role - they will not want their fighters, that they have invested in, to be matched and basically controlled by Sky, and understandably so. And Sky need the promoters to be able to do what they are good at and will need to encourage that by providing the financial security of some form of deal.

What will be required IMO is frank and open discussion, with everybody involved checking their egos in at the door and being made to understand that a team effort is what is required to get the best result for all involved. Lose the 'me' and get some 'we'.

All very reasonable and sensible, but boxing isn't overloaded with those commodities, there is a pervading attitude of selfishness and small-mindedness, people not looking further than the end of their noses.

Most of the non-co-operation and rivalry between promoters is due to financial concerns - obviously everybody has a right to look out for their own interests. Therefore it is important that Sky in some way provides the promoters with deals that offer some degree of financial security as a worthwhile incentive. But that security must come at a greater cost to the promoters, who Sky will need to ensure realise that staying onside and co-operating is the price they will have to pay if they want to be involved.

It's all a big ask, isn't it. Perhaps easy for us to theorise over from the outside. But something needs to be done to ensure the sport's future is healthy, surely everyone involved realises that, so it would be nice to think that maybe everyone would embrace a fresh approach to an old problem in order to seize what I believe to be the best opportunity in years to put boxing back at the top, where it belongs.

[Scottrf]

At least, unlike the number of recognised belts, it's an area with improvement possible. I don't think it's as bad as Top Rank's in-house matchmaking policy though.

[earsjohn]

Absolutely - but my point is that it was the main fight that turned it into an event - whether Warren had included six well matched fights on the undercard or six of varying standard wouldn't have altered that fact, hence why from a business perspective he'll be inclined to keep control of his costs, rather than give hardcore fans what they want.

Which is why you take that financial burden off just one promoter, it isn't fair. The responsibility should be spread. That's what could happen if Sky instigated a different approach to boxing promotion.

All that needs to happen is for people to think outside their little boxes. And if they won't do it willingly, force them.

And this almost takes us full circle and back to "for people to think outside their little boxes" which in boxing it seems almost impossible to do. I hope Adam Smith manages to sit down with the promoters as he said and address some of the problems that need addressing that have been in covered in this thread. You have more creditablity than me Glyn (in boxing circles maybe not in Spain) and i would love to see this sort of thing covered in BOXING MONTHLY.

The approach from Sky should be quite straightforward. Smith and Francis have a meeting with Warren, Hatton, Hearn and Maloney and simply say "We want to show Carl Froch in 2011, we only have a limited budget, so to pay for Froch, it means less in the pot for you guys. Dates will be made available for which each promoter has to bid and the best bid is selected, based not on money but on quality"

This should force one of two outcomes - each promoter makes an effort to win the "date" by putting together a high quality card to outbid the other promoters (thus aiming for 100% of the fee available, but at an increased risk of getting zero). Or, the promoters get together to put on a high quality card between them and split the fee (lower risk but lower reward).

(a third outcome, I suppose, is collusion where three promoters agree not to bid this allowing one promoter to put in a crap card guaranteed to win)

Am i being too simplistic?

[Scottrf]

Well, I would think their current contracts are likely to run into 2011.