State of the sport
IMO, Boxing has seen a quasi breakthrough year so far. The sport sort of limped into 2008 with the MMA grabbing market shares and landing a prime time cable TV gig that has eluded boxing for years.
Last year at this time cries of the sports death were coming from the internet and other news outlets. Boxing Fans hung in there though and saw one of the best months in the sport, March 2008. However, I see slippage in April that reminds me of the problems that have plagued the sport in recent years. Case in point, one and done fight nights. How can you possibly show one fight and call it a night of boxing? HBO does this routinely and Showtime is not immune to it either. The latter got lucky with Vazquez-Marquez III but more often than not, you don’t build or re-build a fan base on one fight telecasts! The Calzaghe-Hopkins fight was huge but not an entertaining fight and HBO chose to show that one solo. Now, I understand airing these fights costs money but don’t you have to spend money to make money? I am particularly disappointed in the "Homecoming" sparring session this weekend at Home Depot in Carson California.
The idea of Oscar DeLaHoya fighting here locally one last time is a nice one and I don’t mind so much that he fighting an underdog with almost no chance. I mind that the under card features bad fights and nobodies’. You charge $300+ for floor seats and then thrill us with Wes Ferguson? BTW, I thought he was promoted by Pretty Boy? Anyway, he got knocked out by Edner Cherry his last fight and now we get to see this below average fighter for our $300. I doubt highly that Oscar’s fight will be anything close to exciting so why even bother? I understand that is was a blow when the Peterson Bro’s signed with Top Rank as they were scheduled to fight on this card but there simply has to be someone out there that is an electric prospect you can show us before your tune-up right? Someone? Not Freddy Curiel, not Wes, not Yan and not anyone else that is below 15 wins on their ledger. What happened to Jorge Linares on this card? I feel like bait and switch as he was rumored to be on this card until a week ago and now I see he will fight in Mexico? Yeah, that is where this fantastic young prospect belongs. He isn’t even Mexican!!! Come on guys, this is not rocket science. You have to give the boxing fans what they want to see and they will follow the sport. Why isn’t a boxer hosting SNL? Why isn’t a boxer crossing over to movies and television (and don’t say Floyd)? Why, the sport does not market and promote its’ fighters here. Everyone is too busy posturing, debating and negotiating and it seems no one is looking out for the people who make this sport, the fans. When I say everyone, I mean the promoters, networks and fighters themselves.As a nation of boxing fans, I say we make our voices heard. No more BS undercards for big time fights. No more one fight and done on networks, minimum 2 live. If you want to see how it is done properly, watch Friday Night Fights on ESPN2. You have 3-5 live fights, studio updates on recent and future fights with a host (BK is the man) and a fighter live in the studio most weeks and you get Joe and Teddy at ringside a veritable one stop shopping trip for boxing fans. The way it should be. One day maybe…
You got my Vote!!
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