Boxing better to it's fans than we think?
So i was flipping through the channels last night and noticed a SHOBOX card on last night. I didn't watch it because there was only a few minutes left on the card, but it got me thinking. There was a thread on here earlier in the week asking if boxing was trying the patience of it's fans. I think we have it pretty good as boxing fans. It seems there is always options to watch boxing over the course of a month, year etc. We have multiple ShoBox cards, HBO BAD, ESPN FNF, and i know the spanish stations have boxing on almost weekly. While MMA fans to me don't seem to have as many options. It's very rare i see a regular MMA fight card on TV, not counting the UFC reality show thing.
I did some research and i think MMA has had roughly 20 PPV's this year, with maybe 4-5 more planned by the end of the year. While boxing has had maybe 8-9 so far this year that i can count, and 1-2 more by the end of the year (pac-JMM & Cotto-Margs) . So when you look at it that way maybe boxing is better to it's fans. We have less PPV's to pay for and we have so many options to watch boxing during the year. Sure we have are problems in boxing but we as hardcore fans know that there always seem to be great fight that are not PPV fights. I do like UFC's idea of showing the undercard fight free on TV, and boxing has slowly been getting into that as well. With so many options to watch boxing on TV, do you think we have it good as boxing fans?
Re: Boxing better to it's fans than we think?
Well, I started that other thread, MM. And you have a good point, as far as the many options... no disputing that. There's lots of free boxing on TV. Friday Night Fights, Boxing After Dark, several Hispanic boxing programs, etc. And the fact is that many of these fights are 10 times better than some of the recent PPV events. I think my point basically was (and is) that we all look forward to the occasional big event, PPV or not. And lately, we've come away disappointed. After a while, it starts to wear on the minds of boxing fans. Seems to me that there was a time in boxing when disappointment in main events was the exception, and not the rule. I should add, however, that a lot of it has to do with who's fighting. Mayweather is one example. No matter how talented he is, he still does not provide the kind of boxing event that many of us fans crave, regardless of whose fault it is. It's kind of a crap shoot, really. Sometimes out of the more obscure boxing card, come some of the better and most exciting fights.
Re: Boxing better to it's fans than we think?
I do agree, most PPV's are a crap shoot. It's sucks because it really shouldn't really be that way. That may be the reason we only have 10-12 boxing PPV's a year and not 25 or so like MMA. I think the promoters may know this and that's why they don't make as many PPV's as UFC. I do think we should probably only have 6-8 PPV's a year. Why the hell was Bhop-Dawson on PPV??? That's bad for boxing, no one wants to pay to watch Bhop fight because you never know with him.
Re: Boxing better to it's fans than we think?
Intelligent observation.
I agree with you that we boxing fans get A TON of free boxing to watch on TV. Where as MMA fans do not get much free mma, unless you have HDNET and/or enjoy watching lesser mma like Bellator. Almost all UFC cards are PPV. And they literally put on a PPV card every 3 weeks !
Also, the UFC PPV tonight lost its fucking headline bout starring GSP and they are still charging people the same price for it !
I think the UFC's greed will catch up to them sooner or later.
Re: Boxing better to it's fans than we think?
All boxing should be free on mainstream channels. We are used and abused by promoters and TV companies.
Re: Boxing better to it's fans than we think?
"Well we do ok," Mmasux. :)