BoxRec

yeah but, that was last september - over 6 MONTHS ago. Set your alarm clock once in a while.

Macc v Hobson 1 was great, but fact Joe has had 4 fights only 1 has been good, he had 2 duff fights on the trot.

Ignoring British matchups and scuppering deals with rival promoters is the main problem, shunning the best fights in favour of mismatches and false belts. Whoever said showcases rather than actual fights hit the nail on the head.

The biggest load of bollocks is the heavyweight scenario keep promising a world title shot? I am sure Williams was promised one after he beat Harrison first time.

Fwank is the main culprit re. showcases. Hennessy and Maloney have but on far better value bills consistently over the last 12 months. And house fighters have suffered defeats as a result. Part of being a boxer. Otherwise do marbles instead.

If you look at British champions not many on sports networks roster.

SN don't do the British Title, they just vacate English titles rather than step up

I'd have rather watched the Newcastle bill from a week or so back on Saturday night than the plate of cack that got served up.

No wonder UFC is growing in popularity - it's actually marketed as a 21st century propsition rather than a bunch of old geezers in club ties covering one anothers arseholes.

Its such a shame, this bill had quite possibly the most hype of any SN/ITV card. We have had one or two big bills in Wales (Bruno vs Lewis and more recently Skelton vs Williams). However, the hype that this bill has had easily surpasses them.

It was such a tud bill, I'm not been too dissapointed with it - cause I expected it and I had the opportunity to go as a present for helping out a mate but I turned it down - cause I knew it was shite. I know plenty that went and have gone home saying "never again".

Had this bill been better then I think the game could have been on the up and up - for the first time in a long time a boxing bill was leading the back pages ahead of Footie in some papers. Then, "disaster" (although we all expected it)... Terry O Connor didn't help matters, neither did the judging of Jennings vs Tak.

If ITV are thinking of pulling out, I can hardly blame them. How many shows have ended up missing the fights that were originally advertised? I doubt it's a coincidence that they're having second thoughts just after they've secured the rights to the FA cup and the England home games. At least with the football they can expect the two teams announced to actually play, rather than have Danny Williams pull out on the day, or Scott Harrison fail to show up.

You can't lay the blame solely at the promoters feet for some of the fornicate-ups. But you can lay a hell a lot of the blame with the promoter for, say, Maccarinelli-Haye not happening. That was Man U-Chelsea, only for Abramovitch to say 'nah, not today'. I have a lot of sympathy with ITV. They've been served up poor matches ever since they came back to boxing. However, I think they were naive if they thought it would be any other way.

There have been some good competitive matches over the past year and a bit. Unfortunately, for the most part they have been on ITV 4.

I could see it comming and last Saturday must have been the decider for ITV - The bill was a piss take, why so many payed to see it beats me - Frank deserves to lose his contract dishing up rubbish fights but its us that suffer - We suffered watching poor fights, now we are going to suffer watching no fights - I know for a fact ITV were upset because Haye v Macca couldnt be made

Maybe before things can improve they will have to get worse/hit rock bottom first.

Then boxing can look at a 'brave new world' as the promoters (mainly Warren) are left with nowhere to go unless they serve up consistently competive fights.

We all know fighters/prospects have to be built up but a card of say 10 fights should have at least 6/7 evenly matched contests.

Someone like Don King is (was) probably the US equivalent of Warren and he managed to get by and still serve up decent contests.

Where will FW go? Back to SKY? Can't see it to be honest but I hope he does because if so I presume it would really be on SKY's terms and I would think that would mean a better standard of matchups.

Not surprised if they did pull out...but much prefer if they just renegotiated.

Ask for real fights..evenly matched affairs

The trade paper is even sick of these prospect v journeyman :(

The BBC got stung...Sky learnt their lesson...and ITV are at last getting wize(hopefully)

Maybe its time to give the smaller promoters a chance...let the hot young prospects earn their tag by proving it in the ring not the papers

Wasn't Hatton used as a bargaining chip in the ITV deal originally?

Of course Hatton dumped Warren right after the switch, leaving ITV twiddling their thumbs.

I don't blame ITV after Saturday's farce, even though it would be a killer if they did pull out.

As mentioned, Saturday's card was one of the most hyped in quite a while, but the matches were, at the end of the day, a joke for such a high profile event.

Boxing went out of the window on Saturday, ITV were just as well spending their money on some WWE Wrestling. Pre-determined outcomes with just the 'story' of the fight to be determined.

Boxing is being killed by events such as this. If ITV want ratings and success then they want to pressure Warren to get his head out of his own backside, stop playing Blair type politics and spin, and get some matchups sorted which people will want to watch.

Get Calzaghe versus Froch arranged and start hyping the hell out of it. Get Khan versus Murray arranged and point out it's his first big test, with it being a final eliminator for the British title. Get Maccarinelli fighting somebody with a pulse and hype it as somebody who might dare to punch Enzo back, how will he react?

At the end of the day Frank, stop hyping and start delivering because patience only runs so far.

tonyevs wrote:Not surprised if they did pull out...but much prefer if they just renegotiated.

Ask for real fights..evenly matched affairs

The trade paper is even sick of these prospect v journeyman :(

The BBC got stung...Sky learnt their lesson...and ITV are at last getting wize(hopefully)

Maybe its time to give the smaller promoters a chance...let the hot young prospects earn their tag by proving it in the ring not the papers

shame that the national papers are spineless old cnuts who daren't rock the boat, for the most.

Cannibal wrote:Wasn't Hatton used as a bargaining chip in the ITV deal originally?

Of course Hatton dumped Warren right after the switch, leaving ITV twiddling their thumbs.

I should imagine that Hatton was one of the major bargaining chips in the deal, it rather left Warren in Shtuck when Hatton jumped ship almost as soon as the ink was dry on his new exclusive contract.

The fact that ITV had an exclusive contract with Warren, was always a recipe for disaster, it almost guarantees that important domestic clashes will never happen because getting rival promoters and their fighters to agree terms is nigh on impossible in this country these days. Everyone wants options, rematch clauses and top dollar if they are going to be pitted against a rival promoters boy.

Anyone got a link to the article from the Express, or can anyone post it on here?

I'm wondering whether ITV are saying this to make Warren deliver, or if they're just fed up of him.

That said, Warren had his chance and he abused his position. Who was happy watching Sat's fights?

Ppl tune in to watch fights. Sport is about competition and there was nothing competitive.

Has Warren made a cock up of apocalyptic standards? Has he convinced Britain that boxing isn't worth seeing?

Ironically, this happens just as a fight with Inkin was going to happen. Fvcking wonderful.

I wonder how receptive Sky would be to having him back.

Contract expires in June - Warren promising big fight for July!

Comical

I really hope this doesn't make the end of ITV's association with boxing. This would be a really dreadful situation. Far better for ITV to negotiate a more sensible contract that is not exclusive to one promoter. There isn't any promoter in the country I would negotiate an exclusive contract with.

ITV should be showing only the best fights, the most important, and / or the most potentially exciting matchups.

The difficulty of course, is that some promoters may not wish to be involved in any deal which involves their rivals being given the opportunity to showcase their talent, and therefore you end up with a situation where it again becomes impossible to stage the big fights.

Why, oh why, oh why can promoters just not work with each other for a change? It would be so much better for our sport as a whole.

Imagine how many fights we would have been treated to by now if the likes of Warren, Hobson, Maloney and Hennessy were all working with one another. The mind boggles.

jamesmcdonnell wrote:I really hope this doesn't make the end of ITV's association with boxing. This would be a really dreadful situation. Far better for ITV to negotiate a more sensible contract that is not exclusive to one promoter. There isn't any promoter in the country I would negotiate an exclusive contract with.

ITV should be showing only the best fights, the most important, and / or the most potentially exciting matchups.

The difficulty of course, is that some promoters may not wish to be involved in any deal which involves their rivals being given the opportunity to showcase their talent, and therefore you end up with a situation where it again becomes impossible to stage the big fights.

Why, oh why, oh why can promoters just not work with each other for a change? It would be so much better for our sport as a whole.

Imagine how many fights we would have been treated to by now if the likes of Warren, Hobson, Maloney and Hennessy were all working with one another. The mind boggles.

Because, shock horror, one of their boys might lose.

jamesmcdonnell wrote:Why, oh why, oh why can promoters just not work with each other for a change? It would be so much better for our sport as a whole.

Imagine how many fights we would have been treated to by now if the likes of Warren, Hobson, Maloney and Hennessy were all working with one another. The mind boggles.

Exactly, watching promoters fight is poor entertainment. Let the fighters do the fighting.

hopefully itv will see the light, and offer a contract to hennessey or maloney etc

Does anyone think this may be posturing by ITV to appease advertisers who may have expressed concern over public opinion?

I mean, is it too much to a stretch of the imagination to suggest that ITV would of known in advance the opposition and would of okay'd it?

They could of said, at that point 'nah, that won't do, try again' but they didn't....and it's not like FW's promotions aren't a known quantity. Aside from working with ITV back in the day he's got a comprehensive back catalogue on SKY hasn't he?

No point moaning now.

I think ITV simply dribbled over Khan and Hatton and forgot the fine details. Remember that trip to Ricky's home, where Ricky looked like he was barely tolerating Rosenthal?