23.01.08 – By Christopher Roche, Brickcityboxing.com: Boxing Questions (and answers): 1) When will boxing address a main problem with the sport: lack of mainstream broadcast exposure?
How many of you have watched fights on youtube.com, because a great prospect you read about is never on television? Am I the only boxing fan who watches mainstream fighters on a network that broadcasts exclusively in another language, wondering why there is no reverse SAP button? How many of you search the Internet for links that promise to display simulcasts of fights from places like Ireland or Germany? What do you do when the link ultimately fails?
The above behavior is symptomatic of something that boxing people refer to as “the sickness”, but it is actually perfectly normal behavior for avid sports fans. Hungry fans devour content faster than Mike Tyson can blow through 100 million dollars. Unfortunately, boxing is not feeding the beast, at least not here in America.
Largely because of neglect, boxing is dead as a mainstream sport in America. More American households tune in to lightly ranked CNN on a nightly basis than they did to the international blockbuster event of Mayweather vs. Hatton. The Internet has become the last bastion for widespread coverage of the sweet-science, and without the net, boxing would get as much mention as bowling in our mainstream world.
When I was growing up, way back in the 1980’s, boxing was widely accepted as a mainstream sport. Network television carried weekly cards, and they were shown in the afternoon, which allowed children (like me at the time) to get in on the action. Today, big fights are only shown on subscription services such as Showtime and HBO or worse yet, pay per view. Most of the potential viewing public is excluded because of the “narrowcasting” of boxing’s limited distribution. Further, young fans are sparse because the fights often start at unfavorable hours. The demographic of boxing is not favorable for the long term, as the young fans are all but ignored. “Just for Men Hair Color” is the lead sponsor for ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights” series. Boxing is quickly becoming a sport for the gray-haired.
I believe that boxing could once again thrive, if it were given the proper showcase. If Professional Rodeo can garner afternoon audiences on American Broadcast TV, then certainly boxing can. It is time for boxing to step out of the shadows and reclaim its rightful place next to NFL Football and MLB Baseball as a mainstream American attraction. Promoters may need to take some risks, and absorb some financial losses upon their re-entry to free television, but hopefully, they can form a collaborative effort and spread the risk around, until the advertising and sponsorship dollars materialize. The long-term health of the sport is at stake.
Judging by this year’s plethora of pay per view events, 2008 is headed in the wrong direction already. I am afraid that as the boxing audience ages and more shows go to pay per view, the sport will lose more of its relevance, and the Golden Goose could die in America.
Fight I Would like to See and Why
“Pretty Boy” Floyd “a.k.a. Money” Mayweather vs. Paul “The Punisher” Williams (assuming Williams beats Carlos Quintana on Feb 9): The pound for pound king vs. the man I believe is the future pound for pound king is what we will get in this match-up. There was once a day when the best fought the best, but now, many potential match-ups seem to go through a risk matrix first. As a result, the top welterweights in the world are steering clear of Williams.
The fact that Mayweather made huge money in 2007 could help soften the financial hit he will take by fighting Williams. Mayweather will make less money to fight Williams than he would in a rematch with De La Hoya, for example, but the Williams bout is more relevant to the welterweight division.
Williams is not only a very talented fighter, his physical stature presents major match-up nightmares for his opponents. However, the most endearing aspect of Williams’ style is that he is an all-action crowd pleaser. Williams knows that he could use his height and range in a safety first style, but that is not in his makeup.
Having said all of that, I know that Mayweather does not “have” to fight anyone, as he has already proven himself worthy of the pound for pound title, and Williams, for all of his physical advantages, could still lose to Mayweather. However, I believe a Mayweather vs. Williams bout would be far more unpredictable and exciting than PBF vs. DLH II.
***As an aside, after writing this segment, I had the chance to speak with Williams on Tuesday, and he is one of the nicest athletes I have interviewed. He does not call people out. He just wants to get in the ring and show the world what he can do. I expect to release the Williams feature later this week, so please keep an eye out for it.
Quote of the Week
“We’re going to Wales in the morning on a (Boeing) 737.” -Don King, after the Jones vs. Trinidad fight. (quote appeared on Yahoo! Sports).
Did anyone see a boxing promoter with wild hair walking around the center of Cardiff this week? If so, then maybe Jones vs. Calzaghe will actually happen.
I guess King sprung for a charter, because commercial airlines do not make the trans-Atlantic run in a 737.
Injustice of the Week
The injustice of the week is Trinidad vs. Jones was a pay per view event, and the ticket prices at MSG were outrageous. On general principle, I did not purchase the PPV, but I did venture over to a friend’s house to watch. While I spent the $50 on food and beverages, I still had my principles in tact.
If boxing had a healthy broadcast strategy, Jones and Trinidad could have been staged on free television. In my neighborhood, where Spanish is spoken as often as English, restaurants (not bars) were offering the fight for a $5 or $10 cover charge, so it is obvious that not everyone has $50 to burn on a fight that amounted to an exhibition.
When I made the ten-block walk home, after the fight, people in the streets were talking about “Tito” Trinidad. Trinidad still has widespread appeal, at least in my hometown, and judging from the chants for Roy Jones at MSG, he also has a nice following. It is a shame that both fighters’ fans were asked to fork over $50 to see a match that should have taken place long ago. In 2008, Trinidad vs. Jones was an exhibition, and it should have been on free TV.
Non-Boxing Thoughts
The New York Giants made an amazing playoff run, and they have been rewarded with a trip to the Super Bowl. I am a third generation Giants fan, and their upcoming Super Bowl appearance places a cherry on top of a great NFL season.
Unfortunately, the Giants have to play the Patriots, and I have to relive the Boston vs. New York rivalry again. After countless Yankee vs. Red Sox post season clashes, I have grown weary of the same storyline, and when the Giants defeat the Patriots and ruin their bid for a perfect season, I will have to hear the same excuses as when the Yankees used to demolish the Red Sox year after year.
Yes, the worm has turned in baseball, but the Super Bowl will be a different story.
Giants 31. Patriots 28.
Reader Submissions
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*This column was originally inspired by the premier novel of the twentieth century, Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. Hemingway spoke highly of the sport of boxing, and he participated as both a fighter and a referee. Every other week this column will humbly pay homage to the man who helped glorify the fight game back in its early stages. With a little hard work, the Sun Will Rise Again for Boxing, as together we can restore the sport to the top, one fan at a time. Thank You for reading the column.