Should ITV Become a Boxing Promoter?
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boxingchat
- Heavyweight
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jamesmcdonnell
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 45232
- Joined: 12 Nov 2003, 06:11
That didn't stop the likes of HBO and Showtime a few years ago, they were verging on becoming promoters themselves, with big multifight deals with fighters, something which gladly, seems to have become less fashionable of late. I think they got their fingers burnt when they saw how Roy Jones Jr. took the piss fighting part timers and bin-men as title defences.boxingchat wrote:Err....because they are a TV Network.
...erm, and then did the same with Floyd? What's the saying that George Dubya massacred? Fool me once, shame on you...jamesmcdonnell wrote:I think they got their fingers burnt when they saw how Roy Jones Jr. took the piss fighting part timers and bin-men as title defences.boxingchat wrote:Err....because they are a TV Network.
I've never understood the problem with network channels being promoters. According to Maxboxing, it's a disaster area, and they used The Klitschko's K2 promotions, Lennox's Lion Promotions, and Hamed's Prince promotions as evidence, alleging that these companies were mere 'fronts' for HBO as a promoter and that led to shitty fights because experienced hands and match-makers were excluded and the fights were made, in effect, by the fighters them selves, with an emphasis on cynical expediency.
I disagree. If it was run professionally and competently by and experienced and savvy man, there'd be no reason why it wouldn't work.
I suppose it's an extension of my argument that the role of promoters and managers should be separated again.
I ask the question, for a TV date card, what does a promoter actually do? Book the venue? Can't be difficult. Sell tickets? Many of the fighters sell their own tickets and bring their own support. And surely ITV or Sky know a whole lot more about marketing, and have access to far better promotional outlets than Frank, Mick, Dennis et al. Really, promoters for TV cards are little more than packagers, aren’t they? They bring the fighters together for fights, don't they?
But, surely, in a world where promoters also manage their own fighters, thus having a vested interest in not making the exciting fights, and when there's rivalry between promoters who don't want to miss out on revenue to be made of their own boxer's bouts, they can't always make the fights we, and the TV channels, want.
So why not just create ITV -- or Sky -- Boxing Promotions LTD, and sit down with the managers and say 'these are the fights we want and this is what we'll pay’? Create a list of fights you want to make now, fights you'd like to build interest in for a big pay-off in the future, and potential you'd like to develop. Build a schedule where exciting, close fought domestic clashes are made at the top of the bill, two fighters who may face off in the near to medium term future are given exposure on the support bill to build rivalry, and young talent is on the undercard.
TV companies would also be able to subsidise their advertising and ratings concerns with onsite advertsing revenue and ticket sales. They wouldn’t have to pay the middle man a whole bunch of profit.
Of course, the managers won't want to make all the fights, but they'll soon realise that there's more money to be made by getting exposure for their men fighting in exciting, hard-fought fights on a regular basis, pulling in the crowds and getting regular dates on TV that their would be going the WBU route, never going into an 50-50 match, and then not getting a big money match at all, or falling woefully short when you do.
And then we’d be happy, the TV companies would be happy, the fighters would be happy, more people would watch boxing because it’d be exciting and interesting on a regular basis again, and the managers would be happy too.
This would be a dream.Carbo wrote:
So why not just create ITV -- or Sky -- Boxing Promotions LTD, and sit down with the managers and say 'these are the fights we want and this is what we'll pay’? Create a list of fights you want to make now, fights you'd like to build interest in for a big pay-off in the future, and potential you'd like to develop. Build a schedule where exciting, close fought domestic clashes are made at the top of the bill, two fighters who may face off in the near to medium term future are given exposure on the support bill to build rivalry, and young talent is on the undercard.
I'm no businessman, and never will be, but fighters want to make as much money as they possibly can. Promoters and managers want to make as much as they can. The big money must be in the big match ups.
Benn lost to Watson and Eubank but those defeats didn't hurt his marketability and didn't stop him making good money.
Besides if a big promoter's man loses just get a rematch on the go. I know some don't like rematches but I love them. It builds rivalries and that's what the sport really thrives on.
It just seems criminal when we have a number of quality Brits around the same weights who could face-off but don't. When I was a kid I always wanted to see Mcguigan-Cowdell. A terrible shame that one never came off.
ok, but what other fights have Square Ring (Jones Jr), Winky Promotions etc staged besides the obvious? Winky Promos haven't even got a promoters licence and he's clearly being carried by Golden Fanny, who in turn is guaranteed HBO dates no matter what he's serving (whether it be crumbs or cake).I've never understood the problem with network channels being promoters. According to Maxboxing, it's a disaster area, and they used The Klitschko's K2 promotions, Lennox's Lion Promotions, and Hamed's Prince promotions as evidence, alleging that these companies were mere 'fronts' for HBO as a promoter and that led to shitty fights because experienced hands and match-makers were excluded and the fights were made, in effect, by the fighters them selves, with an emphasis on cynical expediency.
Yes, that was the point that Maxboxing made. And, I suppose I was making the same point; namely, that if ITV became a de facto promoter, rather than a genuine one, a la HBO with Square Ring, Prince, K2 etc, it wouldn't be a good thing. They need to be a genuine promoter, I say.Final Fight wrote:ok, but what other fights have Square Ring (Jones Jr), Winky Promotions etc staged besides the obvious? Winky Promos haven't even got a promoters licence and he's clearly being carried by Golden Fanny, who in turn is guaranteed HBO dates no matter what he's serving (whether it be crumbs or cake).I've never understood the problem with network channels being promoters. According to Maxboxing, it's a disaster area, and they used The Klitschko's K2 promotions, Lennox's Lion Promotions, and Hamed's Prince promotions as evidence, alleging that these companies were mere 'fronts' for HBO as a promoter and that led to shitty fights because experienced hands and match-makers were excluded and the fights were made, in effect, by the fighters them selves, with an emphasis on cynical expediency.
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hitman_hatton1
- Heavyweight
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- Joined: 26 Nov 2003, 20:57
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DG.
- Heavyweight
I agree Golden Boy gets free reign at HBO towers but to be fair to him he has served up a damn sight more cake than crumbs (if i am reading this metaphorical conundrum correctly!) since he entered into the world of promotership (sic). I think Oscar as a promoter has been good for the game thus far.Final Fight wrote:ok, but what other fights have Square Ring (Jones Jr), Winky Promotions etc staged besides the obvious? Winky Promos haven't even got a promoters licence and he's clearly being carried by Golden Fanny, who in turn is guaranteed HBO dates no matter what he's serving (whether it be crumbs or cake).I've never understood the problem with network channels being promoters. According to Maxboxing, it's a disaster area, and they used The Klitschko's K2 promotions, Lennox's Lion Promotions, and Hamed's Prince promotions as evidence, alleging that these companies were mere 'fronts' for HBO as a promoter and that led to shitty fights because experienced hands and match-makers were excluded and the fights were made, in effect, by the fighters them selves, with an emphasis on cynical expediency.