Kerry Packer
There is are names in Australia that changed not only Australian sport but sport all over the world more than anyone else behind the scenes. Their genius and ambition working in tandem to change the game forever.
Kerry Packer, the man behind world series cricket and Alan Bond, the man who’s dream was to be the first successful challenger to the Americas Cup. Both successful entrepreneurs who bought Australia to the world stage, Bond and Packer have decided to team up and to bring Australia to the centre stage of the boxing world.
Alan Bond
The hiring of veteran SimBoxing manager and former promoter Mr. P4p the biggest name in Australian SimBoxing proves that Bond and Packer don’t just want to take part but are ready to take over. The two have put their past behind them, and are looking to future success together. Mr P4p’s first job was to find two unsigned fighters that could take them to the promised land. While the signing of Sam Langford was seen as a sensible and unsurprising selection. Experts had predicted that Moore, Charles and Tunney would be the first 3 picks but have been saying that the 4th pick overall Langford is without a doubt in their class. The surprise came in at pick 13 when with their selection Bond-Packer chose the undersized Harry Greb. Packer clearly the more talkative of the duo stated, ‘Look we went through the list of fighters and we kept coming back to Greb. We know his best weight is at middleweight but we also know he is the only man who beat Tunney and if you know boxing you know he did it twice but was robbed once. He knocked off Loughran who was taken at pick 5, Gibbons who went pick 8, Rosenbloom who went pick 11. I'm betting that he is the surprise package of the season and everyone knows I love a good bet.'
The two are currently in conversations with SimBoxing commissioners Mr Crease and Mr BoxBuzz about the TV distribution rights. The duo intend to show all the matches live on Packers channel 9 in Australia and use Mr Packers’ media connections to show the fights on sports channels all over the world. The deal currently being tabled to the SimBoxing commission is that fights including world title fights would be shown on free to air TV. The two believe that showing the weekly fights on free to air is not only the right thing to do for the public that has been so starved of these matchups for year but it would also be the best platform to allow them to promote the seasonal tournaments, The Million Dollar Tournament and The Super Six where they hope that ad revenue could keep these major tournaments of PPV cable TV. ‘We are in it for the little man. The working bloke who grafts hard in the sun all day and wants to come home and not have to used his hard earned to watch his favourite sport.’ Packer stated.
The iconic boxing flag from Australia II's successful America's Cup Challenge. Bond later sold rights to the flag to the Australian government for $1.
There is whispers of Bond and Packer being in negotiations with the commission to bring a new tournament to the Australian shores, however with the sim already having multiple tournaments it may be an uphill battle. If they are to get it over the line they will need to come up with something never done before. Neither parties would comment on the rumours.
The two Australian tycoons have the financial backing, the connections and sporting success to turn their new venture into a wildly successful partnership.
