BoxRec

Terry D wrote:

Max Molyneux wrote:

Terry D wrote:"We will fight them from the bleachers!"

According to Max M the USA is a fading boxing force on the global scene, not on the evidence of them deciding when our fights take place.

I meant that they didn't have as many good boxers as they used to. My point was nothing to do with the business side.

Can't remember If Calzaghe/Kessler did well In HBO's ratings anyway.

It did shit.

Then why did they Insist on a 1am start then?

It's not like they have to stay up late to watch these fights, It's only the afternoon over there when we have ours at 10pm.

Maybe Frank does It on purpose to boast about how big the fights are when he really doesn't need to make the fights late. People take notice If they think Americans are Interested.

Alot, not all Americans seem to think the world revolves around them, some of the current scene posters and on other forums seem to think they matter so much.

Chambers2 wrote:

whicker wrote:I assume that Setanta will stay on air after 3am? Given that the nominal bell time is 2am, there could well be delays, and of course the fight might last the distance.

This could really be a screw up if they have to go off air.

Annoying, really, that such a good fight seems to be becoming bogged down with crazy ticket prices, and now a daft start time.

You moan like a biatch, be grateful they're fighting

Is this a joke, Chambers? The paying public should be grateful to fork out a fortune AND put up with a start time for Americans?

Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote:

Chambers2 wrote:

whicker wrote:I assume that Setanta will stay on air after 3am? Given that the nominal bell time is 2am, there could well be delays, and of course the fight might last the distance.

This could really be a screw up if they have to go off air.

Annoying, really, that such a good fight seems to be becoming bogged down with crazy ticket prices, and now a daft start time.

You moan like a biatch, be grateful they're fighting

Is this a joke, Chambers? The paying public should be grateful to fork out a fortune AND put up with a start time for Americans?

I didn't think we were going to get to see the fight at all, I'm just grateful its not another Hatton-Witter debacle. I see the start time as a small sacrifice that we have to make in order to get to see the fight, I'd much rather watch Haye-Enzo at 2am that Enzo-Azzaoui at 9pm

Chambers2 wrote:

Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote:

Chambers2 wrote: You moan like a biatch, be grateful they're fighting

Is this a joke, Chambers? The paying public should be grateful to fork out a fortune AND put up with a start time for Americans?

I didn't think we were going to get to see the fight at all, I'm just grateful its not another Hatton-Witter debacle. I see the start time as a small sacrifice that we have to make in order to get to see the fight, I'd much rather watch Haye-Enzo at 2am that Enzo-Azzaoui at 9pm

Yeah, you're right there, of course. Just really annoys me that every British fight fan has to dance to a Yankee tune.

Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote:

Chambers2 wrote:

Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote: Is this a joke, Chambers? The paying public should be grateful to fork out a fortune AND put up with a start time for Americans?

I didn't think we were going to get to see the fight at all, I'm just grateful its not another Hatton-Witter debacle. I see the start time as a small sacrifice that we have to make in order to get to see the fight, I'd much rather watch Haye-Enzo at 2am that Enzo-Azzaoui at 9pm

Yeah, you're right there, of course. Just really annoys me that every British fight fan has to dance to a Yankee tune.

Yeah tbh it annoys me as well, but I don't know if the fight would have taken place without the US money. Its not an idealstic situation having a 2am start, but what is in this world?

Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote:

Chambers2 wrote:

Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote: Is this a joke, Chambers? The paying public should be grateful to fork out a fortune AND put up with a start time for Americans?

I didn't think we were going to get to see the fight at all, I'm just grateful its not another Hatton-Witter debacle. I see the start time as a small sacrifice that we have to make in order to get to see the fight, I'd much rather watch Haye-Enzo at 2am that Enzo-Azzaoui at 9pm

Yeah, you're right there, of course. Just really annoys me that every British fight fan has to dance to a Yankee tune.

There's plenty of other domestic dust-ups that we get to watch, it's just this fight happens to interest america, or at least, showtime are assuming it will.

I'm not so bothered about this at all, I quite enjoy 2 am fights, it's a big fight feeling for me.

whicker wrote:Why can't the Americans watch it at 4pm (or whatever) their time? I've never understood why it always HAS to be evening shows.

Because nobody will buy it if it is PPV.

Can't imagine that this will be PPV though.

The viewing figures would be shit otherwise, and i presume it affects the advertising model.

jamesmcdonnell wrote:

whicker wrote:Why can't the Americans watch it at 4pm (or whatever) their time? I've never understood why it always HAS to be evening shows.

Because nobody will buy it if it is PPV.

Can't imagine that this will be PPV though.

The viewing figures would be shit otherwise, and i presume it affects the advertising model.

Well, there you go then. It is important to us, but not to them. Yet we still kowtow. And re Chambers point about it not happening without US money - if that is the case, fair enough. But, as aforementioned, this didn't seem to be the case.

its time we aligned ourselves more closely with Universum and the germany/russia axis of superpower....kill off the US stranglehold on world boxing and decent kick off times for fights...hurrah

i for one am distinctly bored watching Hopkins....de la hoya....mayweather....and james toney at 3 am in the morn

Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote: . And re Chambers point about it not happening without US money - if that is the case, fair enough. But, as aforementioned, this didn't seem to be the case.

I don't know if it was the case or not, but the US wonga must have surely helped. I'm with James I quite like the 2am starts, although the 4am starts are abit of a bastard

funso banjo baby wrote:its time we aligned ourselves more closely with Universum and the germany/russia axis of superpower....kill off the US stranglehold on world boxing and decent kick off times for fights...hurrah

i for one am distinctly bored watching Hopkins....de la hoya....mayweather....and james toney at 3 am in the morn

Hopkins is the pugilistic equivalent of Horlicks. He'd send me to sleep if he was on at 6pm!

jamesmcdonnell wrote:

whicker wrote:Why can't the Americans watch it at 4pm (or whatever) their time? I've never understood why it always HAS to be evening shows.

Because nobody will buy it if it is PPV.

Can't imagine that this will be PPV though.
.

From British Boxing dot net "Delivering the best boxing has to offer on a regular basis, free to our subscribers is my number one priority," said Ken Hershman, senior vice president and general manager, Sports & Event Programming, SHOWTIME. "Thanks to allegedly and European television network Setanta Sports for helping SHOWTIME deliver this marquee fight live to a US audience."

So, its not a US per view, but they wanted a good fight as part of their Saturday evening showtime show.


A shame really , that many casual brits will lose out. Setanta is popular, and a Saturday evening show of this quality would have been good viewing, for the casual Saturday stay-at-home viewer, children etc.

Now the 2am start will lessen the casual audience, effectivly keeping boxing out of the general public viewings.

Committed fans, for sure, will watch it.

Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote:

jamesmcdonnell wrote:

whicker wrote:Why can't the Americans watch it at 4pm (or whatever) their time? I've never understood why it always HAS to be evening shows.

Because nobody will buy it if it is PPV.

Can't imagine that this will be PPV though.

The viewing figures would be shit otherwise, and i presume it affects the advertising model.

Well, there you go then. It is important to us, but not to them. Yet we still kowtow. And re Chambers point about it not happening without US money - if that is the case, fair enough. But, as aforementioned, this didn't seem to be the case.

I'm playing devils advocate here Ian, as I'm sure you know.

The positive aspect is however that Haye and Macca will get some US exposure, in fact, it NOT being PPV is a good thing, given that it will go out free to air on prime time.

I know it is irksome of course, that many UK viewers will not see it because of the start time, but it's nothing new that the almighty dollar has run boxing, and if anything in recent times, I think that European promoters have challenged the US dominance of the sport. Calzaghe Kessler being a prime example.

However, the US TV market is vast in comparison to the UK market, and the European market is too fragmented, with only a few countries really being significant, (England, Germany, France, Denmark, are there any others I'm missing) and therefore with boxing now essentially, like other sports, dominated by TV money, any fighters being groomed for success on the world stage, are going to have to make inroads into the US market at some stage.

I agree to an extent with what you say Ian, but I am perhaps a little more of a phlegmatic pragmatist to your sanguine curmudgeon Ian me old china.

Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote:

funso banjo baby wrote:its time we aligned ourselves more closely with Universum and the germany/russia axis of superpower....kill off the US stranglehold on world boxing and decent kick off times for fights...hurrah

i for one am distinctly bored watching Hopkins....de la hoya....mayweather....and james toney at 3 am in the morn

Hopkins is the pugilistic equivalent of Horlicks. He'd send me to sleep if he was on at 6pm!

I agree, though I find him even more potent, a bit like night nurse. He's certainly consistent though, he's never failed to bore me to tears.

Although people always rave about his 'old schoolness' I find him ugly, ungainly and spoiling in his fights.

As a young boy I learned America ruled the Western World - American money and American help won WW2 - Whatever happened in America would happen here eventually - American entertainment became our entertainment, music, films etc - America dominated in boxing also - How many counties can claim to have trillions, be it dollars, pounds or Euros, America can - America because of its wealth has huge budgets that no other country can match - If all American money was withdrawn from Britain our economy would collapse - What country did we turn to for advice and help when Britain was in dire straits back in the 70s - We had already dipped into the International monetry fund but we still couldnt balance the books - We are a part of Europe yet our closest allie is still America - Like it or lump it, we need American money and if it helps us to get big fights put on then, thats the way it is.

In my last post I made it sound as if we were surving on just American money alone which isnt exactly true - Many counties are investing in British business and some are getting richer by being on British soil - British Gas is owned by the French and so is the AA - Eon owns the National power grid and is German - Skanska (Swedish I think) are building NHS hospitals and leasing them off to the NHS - The Australians (Westfield) are building huge shopping malls in our city centres, housing all the high street stores and shops - The Japs of course have huge car factories here - The list is endless, soon there wont be very much left that is British.

Max Molyneux wrote:

Terry D wrote:

Max Molyneux wrote: I meant that they didn't have as many good boxers as they used to. My point was nothing to do with the business side.

Can't remember If Calzaghe/Kessler did well In HBO's ratings anyway.

It did shit.

Then why did they Insist on a 1am start then?

Because there fcuking crystal ball wasnt working that day?

Also, it should be noted Joe - Kessler exceeded HBO's expectations. It was never expected to be a huge ratings winner.

Paul Smith-Cello Renda for the vacant English middleweight title is on this bill. That's a decent-looking fight, albeit one that Smith will probably win within three rounds.

Tony Bellew is also fighting.

Good to see the undercard is taking shape. Also, what time do trains START running in the morning? I could be possible to actually spend the whole night at the venue, thus saving the cost of a hotel.

will tony bellew reach the cruiser or HW limit

hes a banger

whicker wrote:Good to see the undercard is taking shape. Also, what time do trains START running in the morning? I could be possible to actually spend the whole night at the venue, thus saving the cost of a hotel.

Just after 7AM I think on Sunday mornings.

With the extra Showtime income agreed after the announcing of the fight, does that mean there will now be a top notch undercard or will the jowly one pocket the extra change and still give us the usual underwhelming undercard?

I for 1 am glad if this bout is getting screened live to the states for a 9pm start on the east coast - few mates around few beers should be a cracking atmosphere too with the croud bevied up

I don't know why they require that the British fights be seen live in the evening in North America, so that you guys need to stay up all night.

Saturday afternoon is an ideal time for a lot of people to watch boxing, since a lot of people go out on Saturday night. Or why not show the fights on delay for a few hours over here, what difference does it really make?

When Klitschko fights in Germany televised by HBO, the fights are on TV in the afternoon over here in North America, then rebroadcast in the evening. Povetkin's HBO fight next week will be shown on a five hour delay.

Tunney wrote:I don't know why they require that the British fights be seen live in the evening in North America, so that you guys need to stay up all night.

Saturday afternoon is an ideal time for a lot of people to watch boxing, since a lot of people go out on Saturday night. Or why not show the fights on delay for a few hours over here, what difference does it really make?

When Klitschko fights in Germany televised by HBO, the fights are on TV in the afternoon over here in North America, then rebroadcast in the evening. Povetkin's HBO fight next week will be shown on a five hour delay.

Considered and interesting post, Tunney! Gives a bit of perspective, indeed. Wonder how much extra money the promotion has got from being on live rather than delayed...Showtime were quite prepared to show it on delay.