Ben Shalom

[Coco]

Shalom clearly has the best stable of British, female former Olympians out there

He’s gone quiet a little bit with the women’s boxing. Tasha Jonas/Mayer have been critical that he didn’t deliver the rematch and Jonas seems annoyed that she hasn’t had another fight this year.

Kariss Artingstall, one half of British boxing’s power couple, hasn’t fought in 9 months. Considering she beat Skye Nicholson at the 2021 Olympics, there’s a massive difference in how they’ve been matched/built/promoted.

At least we’ve got Shannon Courtenay making her return this weekend.

Lauren Price disappeared too, not that anyone would notice.

Spent a lot of money getting her a title

[JamesPhilips]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/59349918

Shalom describes the 20-year-old Caroline Dubois as "the future face of boxing" having beaten rival promoters to her signature.

How’s that working out for you Ben?

[Ruthless-RKO]

[tony1234]

Have Boxxer got any shows lined up ? I looked at the schedule and there is nothing I can see. If you're signed with him then your career is going nowhere for now

[johninmanchester]

Have Boxxer got any shows lined up ? I looked at the schedule and there is nothing I can see. If you're signed with him then your career is going nowhere for now

Recently he did some interview saying boxxer will be staging some untelevised events in future.

He spun it as "a way to develop fighters without the pressure of being on Sky"

But why on earth would you sign for boxxxer unless you want to be on Sky? That is literally the only attraction. You'd never sign with him otherwise.

The fact they've done hardly any shows this year, Sky not really advertising boxing and the contract coming towards an end...

... Makes me think he's seeing writing on the wall and trying to get out ahead of it with some spin. What that writing is, I don't know.

Maybe something like a lower budget for Boxxer in the future and only a few events around a select few fighters, with the rest of the boxing coming via Riyadh Season.

Whittaker has a deal with Sky same as Joshua did, maybe some other boxxer fighters have same. So maybe you see boxxer events around a handful of Sky-deal fighters and nothing else. 3-4 events a year.

I'd be extremely surprised to see him retain exclusivity as well. He's had 3 or 4 years of being the exclusive Sky promoter with £8m+ budget a year and it's largely been a disaster outside of a few select events. He is very clearly not the guy for the job.

[coneye]

Have Boxxer got any shows lined up ? I looked at the schedule and there is nothing I can see. If you're signed with him then your career is going nowhere for now

Recently he did some interview saying boxxer will be staging some untelevised events in future.

He spun it as "a way to develop fighters without the pressure of being on Sky"

But why on earth would you sign for boxxxer unless you want to be on Sky? That is literally the only attraction. You'd never sign with him otherwise.

The fact they've done hardly any shows this year, Sky not really advertising boxing and the contract coming towards an end...

... Makes me think he's seeing writing on the wall and trying to get out ahead of it with some spin. What that writing is, I don't know.

Maybe something like a lower budget for Boxxer in the future and only a few events around a select few fighters, with the rest of the boxing coming via Riyadh Season.

Whittaker has a deal with Sky same as Joshua did, maybe some other boxxer fighters have same. So maybe you see boxxer events around a handful of Sky-deal fighters and nothing else. 3-4 events a year.

I'd be extremely surprised to see him retain exclusivity as well. He's had 3 or 4 years of being the exclusive Sky promoter with £8m+ budget a year and it's largely been a disaster outside of a few select events. He is very clearly not the guy for the job.

How many a year is he expected tto put on , Sounds a lot but 8 million a year probably is'nt a great deal to put big names on shows , if he can get them

[joshj909]

If Sky move him on, who do they bring in as their main boxing promotion? Frank and Eddie are now with DAZN. I could even see TNT picking up Boxxer because they'll also be looking for someone. Wasserman are on Channel five but they have next to no Boxers right now and did nothing with Eubank.

Shalom has been heavily trying to get involved in the Saudi shows which includes lots of promotion and non-event programming which might irritate Sky a little if they feel like it's going beyond what is being done for Sky.

[johninmanchester]

How many a year is he expected tto put on , Sounds a lot but 8 million a year probably is'nt a great deal to put big names on shows , if he can get them

They weren't supposed to be big name shows, they were supposed to be building a new Sky stable to become ppv stars down the line.

And then for actual ppv shows in the interim, like Khan vs Brook, Sky would add extra funds to enable them to happen.

But from the looks of it, Boxxer have massively overpaid the stable they've signed and haven't been able to recoup that in gate money.

Promoting is a fine art and there's a lot of balancing risk involved. It's a gamble a lot of the time, you don't get too many dead-certs like Fury vs Usyk or Joshua vs whoever.

I think they've fucked their budgeting. I think they've overspent on talent and they've overspent on production and God knows what else, so they've ended up unable to stage events. Or they've done these weird small events where there's like 5 fights on the card.

[johninmanchester]

If Sky move him on, who do they bring in as their main boxing promotion? Frank and Eddie are now with DAZN. I could even see TNT picking up Boxxer because they'll also be looking for someone. Wasserman are on Channel five but they have next to no Boxers right now and did nothing with Eubank.

Shalom has been heavily trying to get involved in the Saudi shows which includes lots of promotion and non-event programming which might irritate Sky a little if they feel like it's going beyond what is being done for Sky.

Sky might not care about having any main promoter at the moment.

Right now the Saudis are funding huge events - at a huge loss - and letting Sky air them. And they're staging these events frequently.

So Sky doesn't really need boxxer and all the headaches that come with them. They've got a steady flow of big name boxing coming out of Saudi and they hardly have to lift a finger.

Shalom getting involved in Saudi is likely a 50 50 for them. On the one hand boxxer is "their" brand, so to speak.

On the other hand, it has taken away several fights which could have been sky event headline bouts.

I feel like boxxer are in dire need of cash flow though and are latching onto Saudi for that, because Saudi overpays these boxers by an insane amount. You've got guys getting paid 4-5x more than they've ever been paid before.

If I had to guess, sky have given them the nod to do this as a sort of fudge way to fulfill their obligations. But I think also in the long term Sky will just see Riyadh as a much easier thing to deal with, whereas Shalom just seems to have lurched from media car crash to media car crash and doesn't show any signs of becoming the New Hearn that sky want /need.

If possible I'd also place an outside bet on boxxer ending up in the Dazn boxing ghetto when the sky deal is up. I think Saudi are going to bring Warren there as well and try and put all the promoters under one roof.

Goldstar thing is interesting as well. That's really just the Saudi front. Goldstar is starting to sign fighters to deals directly. That's the beginning of what many people predicted - that eventually the Saudis would take the talent themselves and cut the promoters out.

Shalom has a very shallow stable and brings nothing to the table as a promoter. He's flying very close to the sun with Saudi. If they take his main couple of names off his hands, he's out of the game.

[Frostieballs]

How many a year is he expected tto put on , Sounds a lot but 8 million a year probably is'nt a great deal to put big names on shows , if he can get them

They weren't supposed to be big name shows, they were supposed to be building a new Sky stable to become ppv stars down the line.

And then for actual ppv shows in the interim, like Khan vs Brook, Sky would add extra funds to enable them to happen.

But from the looks of it, Boxxer have massively overpaid the stable they've signed and haven't been able to recoup that in gate money.

Promoting is a fine art and there's a lot of balancing risk involved. It's a gamble a lot of the time, you don't get too many dead-certs like Fury vs Usyk or Joshua vs whoever.

I think they've fucked their budgeting. I think they've overspent on talent and they've overspent on production and God knows what else, so they've ended up unable to stage events. Or they've done these weird small events where there's like 5 fights on the card.

Sky shouldn’t need to fund PPV’s at all.

These are the rare, golden egg events that actually make a definable, standalone profit.

[johninmanchester]

Sky shouldn’t need to fund PPV’s at all.

These are the rare, golden egg events that actually make a definable, standalone profit.

"fund them" as in put up the extra purse money requires to make the bout possible, then taking profits from the subsequent ppv.

Standard practice.

[maverick23]

Have Boxxer got any shows lined up ? I looked at the schedule and there is nothing I can see. If you're signed with him then your career is going nowhere for now

Last year/start of this year they were saying they were focusing on the U.K. as that was most important to the fans etc. Now they’ve had a taste of the Saudi money, the U.K. shows have heavily dropped off.

Some of their U.K. shows this year have been good but there’s like 6 or 7. Must be the lowest ever amount of U.K. shows on Sky Sports in a year since boxing launched on there. Nothing confirmed either as you say.

[maverick23]

How many a year is he expected tto put on , Sounds a lot but 8 million a year probably is'nt a great deal to put big names on shows , if he can get them

They weren't supposed to be big name shows, they were supposed to be building a new Sky stable to become ppv stars down the line.

And then for actual ppv shows in the interim, like Khan vs Brook, Sky would add extra funds to enable them to happen.

But from the looks of it, Boxxer have massively overpaid the stable they've signed and haven't been able to recoup that in gate money.

Promoting is a fine art and there's a lot of balancing risk involved. It's a gamble a lot of the time, you don't get too many dead-certs like Fury vs Usyk or Joshua vs whoever.

I think they've fucked their budgeting. I think they've overspent on talent and they've overspent on production and God knows what else, so they've ended up unable to stage events. Or they've done these weird small events where there's like 5 fights on the card.

I agree. By several accounts they paid too whack for their Olympians so it will be hard for them to keep them active, have other signings like Buatsi on shows and make money.

[maverick23]

It’s a big next 9 months re: the tv situation.

Boxxer’s deal with Sky finishes, Queensberry deal finishes with TNT and Top Rank’s deal with Sky is also up as well as their ESPN deal.

I can’t see Frank staying at TNT. It’s also a bit surprising that Sky haven’t confirmed anything yet if they were sticking with Boxxer. Could Frank return to Sky? Or is it a lock that he goes to DAZN?

I also wouldn’t be surprised if Sky move away from boxing. They could still look to air Saudi PPVs but perhaps not align with any promoter for regular shows.

[johninmanchester]

It’s a big next 9 months re: the tv situation.

Boxxer’s deal with Sky finishes, Queensberry deal finishes with TNT and Top Rank’s deal with Sky is also up as well as their ESPN deal.

I can’t see Frank staying at TNT. It’s also a bit surprising that Sky haven’t confirmed anything yet if they were sticking with Boxxer. Could Frank return to Sky? Or is it a lock that he goes to DAZN?

I also wouldn’t be surprised if Sky move away from boxing. They could still look to air Saudi PPVs but perhaps not align with any promoter for regular shows.

There was lots of chatter post-Matchroom departure that Sky would step away from boxing. Several senior figures apparently wanted out of boxing at that time but others were able to persuade giving boxing another shot.

Hard to see that the last few years will have changed anyone's minds. If anything, will be the opposite. Shalom came in as a young fresh face chatting all this on-trend diversity transparency bollocks and has ended up plaster all over Sunday Times with Dodgy Cricket Man and has had many untransparent dealings like Buatsi etc.

I'd be amazed if a single unbiased person at Sky looked at Shalom as someone they want to stay in business with.

Frank to Sky wouldn't surprise me, and may well fit with the Riyadh dealings as well, given that Sky is taking all the Riyadh stuff.

My bets are that Sky keep Top Rank and they keep a Riyadh and they bin Boxxer /Shalom or reduce him to a couple of shows a year on which to try and make Azim and Whittaker into something.

But I also wouldn't be surprised to see Boxxer let go and end up back on ITV4 or something. It seems more their place in the natural order of things. Most of their top talent is rumoured to have clauses tied to Sky deal so if Boxxer get binned, they can just do a deal with another promoter.

Boxxer minus Sky will be back to doing untelevised 02 Indigo... Which oddly enough, Shalom has recently been talking about doing some untelevised shows next year. Like he knows what's in the pipeline and wants to get out ahead of it.

Either that or he regrets spending fortunes on PPV-level walkout setups for Whittaker to go out showboating against binmen when those bouts could have been done at the local Working Mens Club for about 100k less.

[johninmanchester]

I agree. By several accounts they paid too whack for their Olympians so it will be hard for them to keep them active, have other signings like Buatsi on shows and make money.

Hence the complete disappearance of Artingstall and Price, for example. Large purses, bringing in $0 revenue in return and actively turning off tv viewers at the same time.

I wonder if those girls and some of the other names are edging into legal action territory yet with the length of time they've not been offered bouts.

[johninmanchester]

Last year/start of this year they were saying they were focusing on the U.K. as that was most important to the fans etc. Now they’ve had a taste of the Saudi money, the U.K. shows have heavily dropped off.

I wouldn't be surprised if its been more profitable for them to supply fighters to Riyadh on a % rather than staging their own shows. They've surely lost a bunch of money on their own shows. Hard to turn a profit on something like Azeez vs Buatsi in an arena.

Maybe the post-Sky era will see Shalom try and transition into being some sort of manager /agent figure. I can see people lining up to place their career in his hands following the huge success of the last few years.

[TheLeprechaun]

I agree. By several accounts they paid too whack for their Olympians so it will be hard for them to keep them active, have other signings like Buatsi on shows and make money.

Hence the complete disappearance of Artingstall and Price, for example. Large purses, bringing in $0 revenue in return and actively turning off tv viewers at the same time.

I wonder if those girls and some of the other names are edging into legal action territory yet with the length of time they've not been offered bouts.

Who wants to watch an Artingstall fight? Or Lauren Price tiptoeing around the ring to the distance. As you say, it actively turns off viewers and sucks the life out of an arena.

[Coco]

I agree. By several accounts they paid too whack for their Olympians so it will be hard for them to keep them active, have other signings like Buatsi on shows and make money.

Hence the complete disappearance of Artingstall and Price, for example. Large purses, bringing in $0 revenue in return and actively turning off tv viewers at the same time.

I wonder if those girls and some of the other names are edging into legal action territory yet with the length of time they've not been offered bouts.

Who wants to watch an Artingstall fight? Or Lauren Price tiptoeing around the ring to the distance. As you say, it actively turns off viewers and sucks the life out of an arena.

But they paid a lot of money to get her a world title

[johninmanchester]

I agree. By several accounts they paid too whack for their Olympians so it will be hard for them to keep them active, have other signings like Buatsi on shows and make money.

Hence the complete disappearance of Artingstall and Price, for example. Large purses, bringing in $0 revenue in return and actively turning off tv viewers at the same time.

I wonder if those girls and some of the other names are edging into legal action territory yet with the length of time they've not been offered bouts.

Who wants to watch an Artingstall fight? Or Lauren Price tiptoeing around the ring to the distance. As you say, it actively turns off viewers and sucks the life out of an arena.

I still can't believe they did an all women's card at the 02

I bet Sky forced that. I bet it was someone at like board level going "yeah, this will be really progressive!" while everyone who knew what they were talking about had their head in their hands like noooo.

[tony1234]

I agree. By several accounts they paid too whack for their Olympians so it will be hard for them to keep them active, have other signings like Buatsi on shows and make money.

Hence the complete disappearance of Artingstall and Price, for example. Large purses, bringing in $0 revenue in return and actively turning off tv viewers at the same time.

I wonder if those girls and some of the other names are edging into legal action territory yet with the length of time they've not been offered bouts.

Who wants to watch an Artingstall fight? Or Lauren Price tiptoeing around the ring to the distance. As you say, it actively turns off viewers and sucks the life out of an arena.

That's half the problem or more, neither of them sell a ticket between them and I doubt Caroline Dubois does either. Whittaker has turned out to be a fraud for now and Clarke has nowhere to go.
Not even mentioning the likes of Okolie and how much must have been wasted on him.

[JamesPhilips]

Ben Shalom knows nothing about boxing. That’s clear. The sooner he’s gone the better. No idea why or how he got gifted his position from doing a couple of crap prizefighter type shows that no one cares about. Friends in high places?

[margaret thatcher]

he massively misrepresented his business achievements prior to getting any deals with sky. he was basically a student night promoter with a bunch of companies that turned 0 profit and were barely active. looks a bit like a younger hearn-esque figure, sky maybe fell for the act

fake it till you make it


he made it and got handed the keys of a high power vehicle, but now that he has to deliver it's painfully clear he's out of his depth. the lack of boxing knowledge is so obvious and he can hardly do an interview without asking for something to be removed

[mickey1975]

The thing that I can never get over is signing Okolie and putting him on at the Manchester Arena. It's almost as if he was trying his hardest to fail.

[Frostieballs]

Sky shouldn’t need to fund PPV’s at all.

These are the rare, golden egg events that actually make a definable, standalone profit.

"fund them" as in put up the extra purse money requires to make the bout possible, then taking profits from the subsequent ppv.

Standard practice.

What is standard practice, that they pay the fighters their full purses before the PPV money comes in?

Things may have changed since my days, but Pre-Saudi bills, I was only aware of broadcasters guaranteeing a purse, not paying it in full, in advance before all the funds are in.

Even if they did, it’s only a matter of cash flow. How many PPV’s have made a loss for a major broadcaster?