The Beeb have started...

[bennie]

From the Evening Standard: The BBC may deal a knockout blow to televised coverage of amateur boxing following the debacle of this year's senior finals at Wembley.
Mike Lewis, the BBC's head of boxing strategy, told Standard Sport: "We were very unhappy with the promotion of the event. There was no crowd and no atmosphere.
"The organisation also left a lot to be desired and we're having a rethink about what we do in the amateur game."
Terrestrial television coverage of amateur boxing is considered vital for the future of a sport that is flourishing at the grass roots but has been left exposed by comparative failure at the elite level.
Lewis added: "It is especially disappointing that we only got one boxer through to the Olympic Games in Athens.
"Without being too critical, the ABAE (Amateur Boxing Association of England) are typical of how a lot of sports used to be run in the UK.
"But life has moved on and they need to adopt a more professional attitude to promoting and running their sport.
"If the ABAE cannot provide a product that is decent for television then we will have to think hard about the situation."
allegedly, Britain's leading professional promoter, personally helps support several amateur boxing clubs.
He said: "There are some really good people in the amateur game, but some of the others just aren't getting it right.
"The problem is politics, internal bickering. It has been that way for goodness knows how long and it's about time some heads were bashed together so that something can be done about the sport.
"The truth is that boxing is such a good sport. The training and discipline required cannot be matched by any other sport.
"The better the amateur game is run, the better it is for everyone."

[steve richards]

[quote="bennie"]From the Evening Standard: The BBC may deal a knockout blow to televised coverage of amateur boxing following the debacle of this year's senior finals at Wembley.
Mike Lewis, the BBC's head of boxing strategy, told Standard Sport: "We were very unhappy with the promotion of the event. There was no crowd and no atmosphere.
"The organisation also left a lot to be desired and we're having a rethink about what we do in the amateur game."
Terrestrial television coverage of amateur boxing is considered vital for the future of a sport that is flourishing at the grass roots but has been left exposed by comparative failure at the elite level.
Lewis added: "It is especially disappointing that we only got one boxer through to the Olympic Games in Athens.
"Without being too critical, the ABAE (Amateur Boxing Association of England) are typical of how a lot of sports used to be run in the UK.
"But life has moved on and they need to adopt a more professional attitude to promoting and running their sport.
"If the ABAE cannot provide a product that is decent for television then we will have to think hard about the situation."
allegedly, Britain's leading professional promoter, personally helps support several amateur boxing clubs.
He said: "There are some really good people in the amateur game, but some of the others just aren't getting it right.
"The problem is politics, internal bickering. It has been that way for goodness knows how long and it's about time some heads were bashed together so that something can be done about the sport.
"The truth is that boxing is such a good sport. The training and discipline required cannot be matched by any other sport.
"The better the amateur game is run, the better it is for everyone."[/qu

The warren quote makes me laugh, internal bickering, banging heads together, The amature game is getting worse because people are turning pro earlier like the prodical son Mitchell, if the bbc promoted the events better (say what you like about warren but he's a good promoter) get a bit of interest with tv adverts etc you could sell out.

[bennie]

I actually thought the ABA finals were of high standard this year. Some cracking bouts.

[steve richards]

They were but i think the bbc are loosing interest in the boxing, if you dont get grass roots coverage the sport will suffer.

[dondada]

Totally agree with the man from the Beeb. There was a lack of promotion, most of the few who turned up were on freebies, and despite an explicit request from the BBC to get things started after the interval promptly, everyone - fighters, TV, audience - were kept waiting until the officials decided to waddle back to their seats.

Warren is right. There are some great people in the game. But it's dying on its arse because of the self-serving and moronic element who enjoy their 'status'. Perhaps I'm being too harsh. May be they are just massively incompetent.

Watch them piss away the money they get from Sport England...whatever the sum is.

And we get so few medallists, so something is wrong there too.

[Southpaw Stylist]

£13m was the sum apparently.

[dondada]

Yeah, I was told that but I couldn't quite believe it.

Brendan Ingle put an argument to me recently. With all the quality fighters that have been through the British amateur ranks, shouldn't we have won more medals?

This was just before he said he should be made the British Amateur game's top trainer.

Any views?

[jamesmcdonnell]

Having spoken with Ian Irwin the head olympic coach, it seems clear to me that the amount of money which goes into amateur boxing in this country is miniscule compared to other sports in this country.

The lottery funding next year will be next to nothing due to the poor performance in the olympic year so it's going to get worse before it gets better.

I think the problem is that amateur boxing, unlike athletics is which is still amateur compared to most major sports, doesn't have the expertise in the field of promotions that is neccesary

Most of the people involved are grass-roots people who are not used to making money out of the game.

Perhaps they should get the people involved in the professional game involved in some way, provided they would be willing to help out.

I think olympic boxing in general is a lot less interesting than it used to be, and there isn't much enthusiasm or knowledge of it in this country.

[bennie]

Yeah, I was told that but I couldn't quite believe it.

Brendan Ingle put an argument to me recently. With all the quality fighters that have been through the British amateur ranks, shouldn't we have won more medals?

This was just before he said he should be made the British Amateur game's top trainer.

Any views?

Amateur boxing seems to have been dying a slow death since an alarming drop in boys taking up the sport came to light in the mid-80's. This coincided with the compulsory introduction of headguards, and the game has struggled ever since, bar one or two bright spots.
But Brendan's right in that we should still have won far more medals. It's crazy we've never won a world championship gold, for example. The England squad training system that came into effect after the 1968 Olympics, taking boys away from their coaches to train weekends at Crystal Palace - and, worse, making them fight in internationals without their trainers - bore few results in the 70's and 80's. I don't know what international set up is now. All I do know is, the amateur game is badly organised.
It's worrying.

[Southpaw Stylist]

Trust me, the coaches are a disgrace, and they have that ignorant attitude of our way or no way.

[Wales]

Allow them (top ams) to train in the same gym as the pro's.... sorry thought i'd put my five penny worth in.

[Ulysses]

I actually thought the ABA finals were of high standard this year. Some cracking bouts.

Not quite sure what you were watching, buddy. This years finals were some of the poorest in a long time.
Alot of the top boxers were concentrating on Olympic qualification.

[KOJOE90]

I actually thought the ABA finals were of high standard this year. Some cracking bouts.

Not quite sure what you were watching, buddy. This years finals were some of the poorest in a long time.
Alot of the top boxers were concentrating on Olympic qualification.

To be honest I wasn't over impressed with the ABA's this years, no fighter really made me sit up and take notice anyway.

As I said at the time I thought the BBC coverage was very poor, about an hour long, late at night and more time allocated to interviews and ringside chats that the Boxing action itself.

[neil r]

allegedly, Britain's leading professional promoter, personally helps support several amateur boxing clubs.
He said: "There are some really good people in the amateur game, but some of the others just aren't getting it right.
"The problem is politics, internal bickering. It has been that way for goodness knows how long and it's about time some heads were bashed together so that something can be done about the sport.

quite right frank amatuer guys should wait till they turn pro so that promotoers like yourself can deny fans like us the chance to see genuine match ups we all want to happen but are denied through the the fact that "The problem is politics, internal bickering. It has been that way for goodness knows how long and it's about time some heads were bashed together so that something can be done about the sport."

re-arrange this sentence chaps....

KETTLE POT BLACK THE CALLING THE

[Bard of Boxrec]

allegedly, Britain's leading professional promoter, personally helps support several amateur boxing clubs.
He said: "There are some really good people in the amateur game, but some of the others just aren't getting it right.
"The problem is politics, internal bickering. It has been that way for goodness knows how long and it's about time some heads were bashed together so that something can be done about the sport.

quite right frank amatuer guys should wait till they turn pro so that promotoers like yourself can deny fans like us the chance to see genuine match ups we all want to happen but are denied through the the fact that "The problem is politics, internal bickering. It has been that way for goodness knows how long and it's about time some heads were bashed together so that something can be done about the sport."

re-arrange this sentence chaps....

KETTLE POT BLACK THE CALLING THE

POT THE BLACK, THE KETTLE CALLING? is it john virgo's tea break ?