6 months into the deal

[Jeff Thomas]

I couldn't help but feel last night, that the exclusive deal matchroom have with sky just isn't working at all at the moment. Obviously I'm largely a Matchroom supporter I think they have got some good ideas but last nights show and a few in the past have being quite boring.

People were leaving from about the fourth round of the Bellew fight, and with the Mathews Crolla fight being a largely tactical affair a lot of people around me were disappointed. Credit to the fighters as always they did what they had to do to attempt to get the W but when we're only allowed to see boxing every 4-6 weeks from a channel we pay for it should make up for the five weeks of crown green and formula one. It doesn't at all.

I'm not a bunny fan and the ultimate nightmare scenario would be him occupying hearns spot so don't think I'm suggesting that but things need to change. Watching a world class amateur punch lumps out of some foreign dude who we've never heard of is never fun whether his record is 6-2 or 6-224. They will be far more interesting when they step up to the UK top ten but for now there is little intrigue especially as they've all being built on this point scoring style. The only up and comer who is fun to watch at this level is Yafai.

Matchroom/ sky would be better served using the cash saved by not showing any boxing for 4 weeks to bring over foreign talent like deontay wilder or bringing ex champs over to fight our guys (like evatt vs junior jones).

The irony of it all is crap business acumen allowed Matchroom to get this mantle. Bunny didn't know how to speak to the fans or deal with things when critisized. Didn't know when to change with the times.

But at the same time sky and matchroom are now keeping allegedly and bunny afloat by not providing the fans with anywhere near the volume or quality they should be. Prizefighter has done its course IMO and I'd urge anyone who reads this from Sky or Matchroom to reassess things because last night was dissapointing.

You can deal with a disappointing show when there's another one the week after but we might not see any decent boxing again on sky for 4-6 weeks. So either stick more shows on or improve the entertainment value of the shows you do put on. Learn where bunny went wrong and continually evolve.

[JimJim2009]

We can't expect promoters to have crystal balls. Nobody knows how a fight will pan out, but last night's two main bouts were evenly matched, excellent contests on paper. In reality they turned out to be very competitive, I loved the whole show (all five hours).

Its easy coming on the morning after a show and slagging off the promoter, did you have a problem with the fights on this show beforehand, or is it a case of just how they panned out on the night for you ?

I'm not having a go mate, but I honestly wonder what the promoters are expected to do in the minds of some fans - Crolla vs Matthews was FOTY in 2012 so we're given a rematch, and Bellew was in a genuine WBC title eliminator - us fans are sick of bogus titles and carefully managed prospects, and here was Bellew taking on a top ranked contender to earn the right to challenge the best light-heavyweight on the planet.

It would have been a crap show for me if the promoter had decided to milk the Liverpool faithful by putting Matthews in with a no-hoper import for a WBU title, and done something similar with Bellew.

My only criticism of Matchroom/Sky is that the shows are weeks apart.

[Jeff Thomas]

We can't expect promoters to have crystal balls. Nobody knows how a fight will pan out, but last night's two main bouts were evenly matched, excellent contests on paper. In reality they turned out to be very competitive, I loved the whole show (all five hours).

Its easy coming on the morning after a show and slagging off the promoter, did you have a problem with the fights on this show beforehand, or is it a case of just how they panned out on the night for you ?

I'm not having a go mate, but I honestly wonder what the promoters are expected to do in the minds of some fans - Crolla vs Matthews was FOTY in 2012 so we're given a rematch, and Bellew was in a genuine WBC title eliminator - us fans are sick of bogus titles and carefully managed prospects, and here was Bellew taking on a top ranked contender to earn the right to challenge the best light-heavyweight on the planet.

It would have been a crap show for me if the promoter had decided to milk the Liverpool faithful by putting Matthews in with a no-hoper import for a WBU title, and done something similar with Bellew.

My only criticism of Matchroom/Sky is that the shows are weeks apart.

yeah good point ... Maybe just a bit dissapointed with the action rather then the match ups.

[jessi]

We can't expect promoters to have crystal balls.

Eddie's an Essex boy through and through, I'm sure if he hasn't already had them done, it's an available option in those salons where you can get your arsehole bleached.

[steve689]

I think you have to call Sky's decisions into question. Not even just for the domestic promotional monopoly but who is deciding the fights, especially the international contests? Anyone could see that Rios-Alvarado II would be a sure fire winner and the type of fight that Sky would've picked up in years gone by, when they operated a regular world boxing programme with those good Sunday morning shows. Instead the international output of late has consisted of Golovkin-Proksa and the second-rate fare that was Bute-Grafikov.

Bellew-Chilemba was poor; I don't blame the promoter as it was a solid match on paper but then a few hours later there was the aforementioned Rios fight on allegedly. Sky have put all of their eggs into one basket and there's a hole in the basket at the moment Sorry about the rubbish metaphor.

[chad]

Must give credit to SKY / Matchroom for extending their coverage via the red button. 5 and a half hours of action last night featuring 7 or 8 fights. They are listening to the fans. Plenty have praised allegedly for showing full events and it looks like SKY are following suit. SKY Sports and allegedly are good competition for each other.

I'm not happy that it can be 3 weeks between events on SKY. Prizefighter for me has run it's course. I don't tend to watch them anymore. What that means for me is minus Prizefighter, it can be anywhere between 4 to 6 weeks between events I'll actually watch.

Not everyone will agree however I'd rather see 40 live 2 hour shows per year ahead of 20 live 4 hour shows. Football fans and rugby fans wouldn't put up with 1 live game on SKY every 3 or so weeks. Matchroom will have a budget to work too but surely SKY could buy some international rights for Sunday morning tape delay broadcast to keep hardcore fans happy.

[steve689]

I see what you're saying but the four hour shows, with more fights on the bill, must also be to cater for the live audience. Packing out the Motorpoint Arena, Odyssey in Belfast or wherever would be easier to do with a stacked card and therefore a longer night of TV watching, whereas a 2 hour slot would mean less for the ticket buying audience in the venue.

Having been to all of the Matchroom shows in Belfast I can't complain at all. They have been stacked heavy right through, especially the top half of the cards often, with 2 or 3 fights that would all have headlined a show in their own right a few years' back.

[whiskey]

To be fair, the prospects were matched up more to get a run out and experience, as they're already booked for April & May shows. And the interactive element was a bonus and not "the show".

Crolla vs Matthews was demanded, and Bellew vs Chilemba was a WBC eliminator.

The fights in this instance, kind of made themselves. As an event it was a bit one-paced, but it's hard to knock the promoter for that.

Who would have thought Bradley vs Provodnikov would erupt like it did and be FOTY ? sometimes fights absolutely explode and other times they fail to ignite. Last night both did, but were still interesting.

[steve689]

Youre quite right Gomez and hindsight is a wonderful thing but with Rios-Alvarado see Marquez-Vazaquez, it was a no-brainer of a great fight and allegedly only confirmed they were showing it a few days ago so it was still up for grabs.

[Jack B]

I must admit, I felt a little underwhelmed at the end of the night, but that was more down to Bellew's performance than the promotion itself. As has already been said, hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I don't think you can have many complaints with the fights on show last night. Strong card, far better than others we've had recently, just a shame the main event didn't work out as everybody hoped - but that's sport for you, no guarantees.

As for the international shows, it looks to me that Sky Sports have basically stopped buying cards. Since the Matchroom deal, I think all the stuff they've had on has actually been bought by Matchroom to put on overnight, as they've had an indirect interest in the fights (Ward-Dawson, Kessler-Magee linked to Froch, Proksa promoted by Matchroom).

The only exception to that was Khan-Molina, but obviously he has switched now. I don't think you'll see Khan on Sky again unless it's a Box Office event.

[Tomasino]

We can't expect promoters to have crystal balls.

Eddie's an Essex boy through and through, I'm sure if he hasn't already had them done, it's an available option in those salons where you can get your arsehole bleached.

Never heard of that, sounds useful.

[TJ77]

We can't expect promoters to have crystal balls.

Eddie's an Essex boy through and through, I'm sure if he hasn't already had them done, it's an available option in those salons where you can get your arsehole bleached.

[mullenman]

its like this "the fights are just not being made at the moment"

skys next main headline fight is rose v alcine

when we have barker, macklin , murrary, billie joe and we have to watch the pure shit show from winter gardens

alcine was just blasted out by macklin in one round and is now on a headline show with sky

its not working with matchroom

only good card was the carl framtom card this year

pure shit

[ashedward]

its like this "the fights are just not being made at the moment"

skys next main headline fight is rose v alcine

when we have barker, macklin , murrary, billie joe and we have to watch the pure poo show from winter gardens

alcine was just blasted out by macklin in one round and is now on a headline show with sky

its not working with matchroom

only good card was the carl framtom card this year

pure poo

Nah last ights card was good,i would give Matchroom 6 out of 10 so far they are building a decent stable.If in 18 months they have still failed to deliver fights like Frampton-Quigg and Murrey-Barker then they would deserve all the grief people will give.The positives are that Brook has got his chance coming up soon and Froch-Kessler which will be the best fight of the year and was sold out within minutes and it will do well on ppv whatever the whingers on here would like to think.The Rose card would be fine if they had more dates which i hope they will get after this contract.Last night with the red button we got 8 live fight the old FFN fomat of one live fight was shit, people have short memorys

[dbf]

Couple of things. Sky's exclusive deal with Matchroom was purely a business decision. They can rely on them in business terms and thats what appears to matter to people who make decisions at sky. Matchroom a big enough and professional enough business to meet Sky's requirements.

I don't buy into Bellew v Chilemba being a great trade fight as some have said. Most boxing fans knew little about Chilemba let alone casuals. If Warren staged that as a final eliminator he would have got panned. I accept though the WBC make the rankings not Hearn. But it wasn't headline material.

Matchroom have shown they are struggling to come up with consistent good cards, by Hearns own admission, some have been average. I don't care how much interactive stuff Sky do, how much they cover on ringside what really counts are the saturday night cards and so far they haven't been good enough. It's a minority sport more than ever and dressing it up with peripheral stuff won't change that.

[leforge]

Here the thing if matchroom fail to get ratings up sky will pull plug on boxing its that simple!

[maninthemiddle]

We haven't seen a "leisure centre" for most of the 6 months. I feel we've gone from Championship to Premier League.
No cancelled shows that I can think of. Definitely quality over quantity, and actually if you count in terms of hours the coverage probably hasn't reduced that much as we get 3hrs instead of 2.
A bit uncomfortable with the power one promoter has when he's holding all the Sky TV dates, you can see great fighters like Scott Quigg getting frozen out.

[ashedward]

Here the thing if matchroom fail to get ratings up sky will pull plug on boxing its that simple!

Yep,so we all got to hope that he gets it right.

[leforge]

Here the thing if matchroom fail to get ratings up sky will pull plug on boxing its that simple!

Yep,so we all got to hope that he gets it right.

But it not the 100 so of us on here that's going to make if work! Casual fans need to start watching! Oy big fights get good viewing figures!

[ashedward]

Here the thing if matchroom fail to get ratings up sky will pull plug on boxing its that simple!

Yep,so we all got to hope that he gets it right.

But it not the 100 so of us on here that's going to make if work! Casual fans need to start watching! Oy big fights get good viewing figures!

yep,he has managed to get record viewing figures for the likes Froch and Brook but for the other fighters the viewing figures havent been good enough and the figures for Brooks last fight were poor and Froch -Mack did half as good as Froch-Bute of course so he will need to make some big domestic fights over the next 18 months like Barker-Murrey and Quigg-Frampton because people will be getting sick of ringside mentioning those fights which never happen so the quality will have improve for sure.

[chad]

My concern is that any truely big fights on British soil, promoted by Matchroom, will end up on PPV just like Froch Vs. Kessler II. This makes the fight even less accessible / attractive casual fans. Even hardcore fans are turning away from PPV. allegedly revealed Hattons comeback fight a few months ago on Primetime generated less than 100,000 PPV buys.

[leforge]

My concern is that any truely big fights on British soil, promoted by Matchroom, will end up on PPV just like Froch Vs. Kessler II. This makes the fight even less accessible / attractive casual fans. Even hardcore fans are turning away from PPV. allegedly revealed Hattons comeback fight a few months ago on Primetime generated less than 100,000 PPV buys.

How many do you think are watching on loaded which is free to air on sky? I think hatton did well to get that was not much advertising of it!

[ashedward]

My concern is that any truely big fights on British soil, promoted by Matchroom, will end up on PPV just like Froch Vs. Kessler II. This makes the fight even less accessible / attractive casual fans. Even hardcore fans are turning away from PPV. allegedly revealed Hattons comeback fight a few months ago on Primetime generated less than 100,000 PPV buys.

I understand the concern but Primtime ppv isn`t like Sky ppv when it comes to selling the fight but hopefully Hearn isn`t silly enough to put fights like Murrey-Barker ot Quigg-Framton ppv after Froch-Kessler the only ppv worthy fight would be Khan-Brook(if Brook beats Alexander) and mayby if Groves wins a world title Froch-Groves

[chad]

My concern is that any truely big fights on British soil, promoted by Matchroom, will end up on PPV just like Froch Vs. Kessler II. This makes the fight even less accessible / attractive casual fans. Even hardcore fans are turning away from PPV. allegedly revealed Hattons comeback fight a few months ago on Primetime generated less than 100,000 PPV buys.

How many do you think are watching on loaded which is free to air on sky? I think hatton did well to get that was not much advertising of it!

How many people know that there is live boxing action once a month tucked away on channel 200? I'd assume only hardcore fans know about the televised events on Loaded TV. It's not exactly high up on SKY's EPG. Also the fact it appears on SKY's EPG as Controversial TV, rather than Loaded TV, makes it very hard to find.

Hattons return was one of the biggest stories in British boxing last year. Tickets to the event sold out within 2 days without a named opponent. News of his comeback reached mainstream media with the news being covered by the BBC, ITV, SKY Sports News etc... The fight also got a fair amount of coverage in The Sun and The Daily Star. Whilst the fight was not heavily advertised if received a fair amount of exposure. Hattons following is massive. Hatton Vs. Mayweather pulled in over 1 million PPV buys on SKY. Personally I thought he would do much, much better than 100,000 buys.

[chad]

My concern is that any truely big fights on British soil, promoted by Matchroom, will end up on PPV just like Froch Vs. Kessler II. This makes the fight even less accessible / attractive casual fans. Even hardcore fans are turning away from PPV. allegedly revealed Hattons comeback fight a few months ago on Primetime generated less than 100,000 PPV buys.

I understand the concern but Primtime ppv isn`t like Sky ppv when it comes to selling the fight but hopefully Hearn isn`t silly enough to put fights like Murrey-Barker ot Quigg-Framton ppv after Froch-Kessler the only ppv worthy fight would be Khan-Brook(if Brook beats Alexander) and mayby if Groves wins a world title Froch-Groves

I agree that there isn't too many PPV fights out there however if Froch Vs. Kessler II is a success, there will be a hunger for more PPV shows. It would be easier for Matchroom to sell future PPV by doubling up events. For example Burns Vs. Vazquez plus Quigg Vs. Frampton on the same card or Bellew Vs. Dawson plus Groves Vs. Stieglitz on the same card.