Why is there a boxing "season"?

[smoothmoves]

Genuine question, it's always puzzled me.

[orbtastic]

It came over from the ama code, Sept-May but I can't remember the exact reasoning.

[smoothmoves]

I just think at this time of year, with the lack of any football, sky should be looking to showcase different less popular sports. Not wind down their coverage.

[orbtastic]

It came over from the ama code, Sept-May but I can't remember the exact reasoning.

Is it not because it runs with the school year?

I genuinely cannot remember. I just remember being bemused being packed off at the end of May with a cheery "See you in September, get out chasing girls" from Ken Blood.

It seemed counter productive to me.

[Graham Houston]

I think it's just that it's always been assumed that people in Britain will be thinking about "summer" things from mid-June to the end of August -- summer holidays particularly. Promoters back in the day seemed to think that if a large percentage of the population was on holiday there would be fewer ticket-buyers for boxing shows. Yet some very big fights have taken place in Britain in the summer: Turpin-Robinson, Downes-Pender and Frazier-Bugner were all held in the month of July.

[standing8]

Genuine question, it's always puzzled me.

Its hard enough to sell tickets, without august been in the way

[iamasadlittleboy]

The advantage of following the Asian Scene is that they tend to have fights when we don't

[smoothmoves]

Genuine question, it's always puzzled me.

Its hard enough to sell tickets, without august been in the way

I see what you're saying, but they still have shows on around christmas/new year. If good fights are being made, tickets will get sold regardless of the time of year surely?

[Khaosai-Galaxy]

I didnt know their was a boxing season.

Yet I know there is a salmon fishing season, and im no salmon fisherman.


hmmmm

[TheCobra]

I've always found it strange and stupid, there seems to be a big opportunity if someone markets it right, for big summer boxing events during the football lull.

[Coco]

I think it's a traditional thing, there was always a season in the amateurs, still is, I suppose it's the build up to the championships, boxers need a break too!
And the pro have always followed suit to some extent even though there are a lot more shows in the summer in recent years.
Dinner shows which are the lifeblood of the pros are always in the winter and the summer shows always tend to be the bigger events.

[thatllbeme]

most of the top fighters fight every 3-6 months so they get plenty of time between fights for holidays

[The Insider]

It just seems to be a break in August these days as it hard enough for promoters to sell a show without the majority of the public either saving for their Hols or being skint having just come back from them. September is always a very busy month back though.

[The_Don1]

Although clevs fight on August 17th seems to have bucked trend, boxing all year round hurrah!

[Cap]

In Canada there isn't a season, though back in the old pre-television days, boxing cards would more often be held in the late fall through winter to allow people from rural areas to attend. Farmers had more free time in bad weather. I imagine it was the same in Britain.

[stevedoc]

i think it's just to give everyone a rest ,it's does you good having a break for 6 weeks in the summer .
when i started as a ameteur i remember having a fight on the last day of the season and losing i wanted to get straight back in and fight the next week to get it out of my system but had to wait 3 months i think for the season to start again ,it was a crap few months .

[ILikeBeer]

Was it not originally a Sky Sports thing? They decided that they didn't want to show boxing in summer months? I assumed they were just more concerned with showing summer sports, or assume that the people watching would be also.

Maybe they assume that in the unlikely event that it gets hot in the summer, people might be outside rather than inside watching sport. Being that boxing is on in an evening though, it never struck me as that big a deal. Seems like a good opportunity to make big fights in football stadiums, if nothing else. Weather is warm, there's no football matches happening in July etc.

I guess it's just another example of boxing's obsession with catering towards the casual fans.

[banjo]

I far as I've seen their tends to be two busy times for boxing, usually April-July and September-December have always been the most intense times for boxing.

[orbtastic]

Was it not originally a Sky Sports thing? They decided that they didn't want to show boxing in summer months? I assumed they were just more concerned with showing summer sports, or assume that the people watching would be also.

Maybe they assume that in the unlikely event that it gets hot in the summer, people might be outside rather than inside watching sport. Being that boxing is on in an evening though, it never struck me as that big a deal. Seems like a good opportunity to make big fights in football stadiums, if nothing else. Weather is warm, there's no football matches happening in July etc.

I guess it's just another example of boxing's obsession with catering towards the casual fans.

No, it went on way before SKY sports even existed.

[ILikeBeer]

In that case, I see no point whatsoever.

[orbtastic]

It makes little sense to me in the pro game, "big" fights are potentially best held over the summer where outdoor stadiums are more of an option but it's worth noting that the fights GH listed all involved US names where there's (as far as I know anyway) no boxing "season".

3 of the biggest fights (in terms of outdoor arena) in recent memory were all "in season" with the exception of Haye/Chisora.