BoxRec

LONDON (Dec. 2, 2009) British and Commonwealth Middleweight champion Darren Barker showed he has the potential to become a major sporting star on Saturday night when 625,000 viewers tuned into ITV4’s BIG FIGHT LIVE to watch him fulfil his life time ambition of being crowned the new British Middleweight Champion.

Promoter Mick Hennessy said “These are fantastic viewing figures, boxing has been a huge success on ITV4 over the last 15 months, we have peaked over 600,000 quite a few times now and if ITV used the full power of their network to cross promote these top class fighters it is obvious their viewing figures would go through the roof”

“Darren Barker is already by far the best middleweight in Europe and we are going to launch him on the world scene next year so he can fulfil another dream, to become a marquee world champion”.

What channel will your fights be on next year?

Sounds like a "fairwell ITV boxing" speech from Mick.

Those are pretty good figures, considering the advertising.... not even Emerson knew it was on!

It was not a good card so I doubt many would turn back on for the next one!

what are itv4 doing?? these are great figures. who actually watches itv4 for anything other then boxing?? i can't believe they are not airing boxing next year. it is a disgrace! friday fight night don't get them figures i dont think

The viewing figures are even more impressive considering that the BIG FIGHT LIVE went up against:

• X FACTOR
• Strictly Come Dancing
• I’m a Celebrity, Get me out of here
• Casualty

On Saturday Night.........

leforge wrote:It was not a good card so I doubt many would turn back on for the next one!

what are you on about ofcourse they would!! they were some good little scraps! and barker who has a decent following in london did the buisness. it was a decent little show by hennessey. nothing special but he has put on some great domestic fights on itv this year. so your telling me if itv4 decided to show boxing next year that 600 thousand people wouldn't tune in to watch john murray vs mezzache for the ebu title?? ofcourse they would!

stujones wrote:Sounds like a "fairwell ITV boxing" speech from Mick.

Those are pretty good figures, considering the advertising.... not even Emerson knew it was on!

True dat.

HS Press wrote:The viewing figures are even more impressive considering that the BIG FIGHT LIVE went up against:

• X FACTOR
• Strictly Come Dancing
• I’m a Celebrity, Get me out of here
• Casualty

On Saturday Night.........

yeh good point

Blimey HS Press actually responds!

leforge wrote:Blimey HS Press actually responds!

Do you have to try hard to be a bell end or does it come naturally?

Chambers what your problem? HS press usually just dumps press release after press release on this forum!

Chambers less of the personal insults as well.

MrBoxingUK2 wrote:who actually watches itv4 for anything other then boxing??

Thats a good point there- so many channels nowadays, I lose track of how many there are. Boxing must be ITV 4's biggest show, by far and away.

hes good but painfully boring to watch

i enjoyed the fight wish it was against elcock but it was not ment to be

hennessy is my fave promoter and hope he lands a good channel for his fighters

It was a very good show, great atmosphere,

It's over with ITV end of.
This is Mick using the figures out in the public forum to generate interest in his boxers.
I sincerely hope it works.
We need all of our top flight Promotors able to show their fighters on TV.

Chambers2 wrote:

leforge wrote:Blimey HS Press actually responds!

Do you have to try hard to be a bell end or does it come naturally?

Give HS a break Leforge. They are the only boxing promoters in the UK who have at least tried to keep boxing alive on freeview television.

funso banjo baby wrote:hes good but painfully boring to watch

Barker is painfully boring to watch?! Barker has fast hands and a good workrate. I think it's fair to say we haven't seen him in that many exciting fights, but I think that is more down to the ability of the opposition then Barker's style of boxing.
I was hoping McDermott might push him a bit, but Macca didn't really rise to the occasion.

scrap iron wrote:

funso banjo baby wrote:hes good but painfully boring to watch

Barker is painfully boring to watch?! Barker has fast hands and a good workrate. I think it's fair to say we haven't seen him in that many exciting fights, but I think that is more down to the ability of the opposition then Barker's style of boxing.
I was hoping McDermott might push him a bit, but Macca didn't really rise to the occasion.

i would have to agree, barker would be exciting if he was pushed by somebody but he hasnt been

Barker hopefully will fight Murray early next year that be a better match than Butler style wise.

HS Press wrote:The viewing figures are even more impressive considering that the BIG FIGHT LIVE went up against:

• X FACTOR
• Strictly Come Dancing
• I’m a Celebrity, Get me out of here
• Casualty

On Saturday Night.........

X Factor is aimed at teenage girls
Strictly Come Dancing is aimed at teenage girls
I'm a Celebrity, Get me out of here is again aimed at teenage girls
Casualty? Don't know anyone who actually watches that these days

Nothing else worth watching really for testosterone fuelled young men on that night was there so I'm not surprised that the boxing did well.

leforge wrote:Barker hopefully will fight Murray early next year that be a better match than Butler style wise.

think barker does murray. murray didn't look great last week. should be a good match up tho. how the ebu rank barker as 4th is diabolical!!!!!!!! he should be mandatory for macklins title not pirog!

HS Press wrote:The viewing figures are even more impressive considering that the BIG FIGHT LIVE went up against:

• X FACTOR
• Strictly Come Dancing
• I’m a Celebrity, Get me out of here
• Casualty

On Saturday Night.........

What a sorry picture this paints of the UK, when the s*it above is considered primetime television for the nation (not the boxing obviously)

Why watch other people live their lives on a reality show, when you can go out and live your own?