How can boxing fans take back the sport from the promoters?
Or maybe the question should be: "CAN the boxing fans take back the sport from the promoters?"
Honestly, aren't we all sick of the same old tired story? Champ 1 defends against bums in one organization.......... Champ 2 defends against other bums in another organization........... people want Champ 1 and Champ 2 to meet............ Promoter 1 and Promoter 2 begin their frustrating, greedy posturing.............. Champ 1 and Champ 2 insist they want to meet in the ring............. time goes by and nothing happens.............. fight is finally signed a year or two later than it should have............... the hype builds to unimaginable heights (PBF-DLH anyone?)................ fight eventually comes off, usually not living up to the hype.
Sometimes it's by controversial decision, and it's back to Square 1 all over again.
You'd think there'd be a way for us fans to make a change in the way the sport is run these days.
Re: How can boxing fans take back the sport from the promoters?
Quote:
Originally Posted by TitoFan
Or maybe the question should be: "CAN the boxing fans take back the sport from the promoters?"
Honestly, aren't we all sick of the same old tired story? Champ 1 defends against bums in one organization.......... Champ 2 defends against other bums in another organization........... people want Champ 1 and Champ 2 to meet............ Promoter 1 and Promoter 2 begin their frustrating, greedy posturing.............. Champ 1 and Champ 2 insist they want to meet in the ring............. time goes by and nothing happens.............. fight is finally signed a year or two later than it should have............... the hype builds to unimaginable heights (PBF-DLH anyone?)................ fight eventually comes off, usually not living up to the hype.
Sometimes it's by controversial decision, and it's back to Square 1 all over again.
You'd think there'd be a way for us fans to make a change in the way the sport is run these days.
simple...don't go to the fights you think are sub-par.......and don't buy the PPV's unless there is a stellar card all around.....demand the best to fight the best....don't support them unless they follow through with this....I won't pay for a fight unless I believe it to be worthy...ODLH-PBF is but Oleg-Peter isn't...or any fight from here on in that involves Joe C and Kessler isn't his opponent....
Re: How can boxing fans take back the sport from the promoters?
Simple in theory. But fact is, people are so starved for good boxing (ala boxing's Golden Age in the 70's and 80's) that they'll watch just about anything. No.... there should be something else us boxing fans can do to take the sport back from the greedy, blood-sucking promoters that control it now.
Re: How can boxing fans take back the sport from the promoters?
Quote:
Originally Posted by TitoFan
Simple in theory. But fact is, people are so starved for good boxing (ala boxing's Golden Age in the 70's and 80's) that they'll watch just about anything.
I agree with this statement.
Also, it's hard individually for us to take a stand. If we all lived in a single area it would be easy to boycott, but when we are spread out so thin over the entire globe it's hard to stand as one.
Here I sit on the east coast of the United States twidling my thumbs and wondering if CutMeMick out on the west coast is breaking the boycott and watching the fight without me.
Re: How can boxing fans take back the sport from the promoters?
Dont think it can be done right now.
First off there isnt a really amazingly compelling fighter out there who can write their own ticket under the age of 30.So the promoters still hold a position of"I can make you,or I can break you"
Secondly there isnt a unniversaly recognized title,that could force challenges and force promoters to make deals with the fighters.Rather then one promoter,just working it out with another behind closed doors. As long as the WBC is riding in Don Kings hip pocket,dont expect that to change any time soon
Re: How can boxing fans take back the sport from the promoters?
Its a BUSINESS...promoters are all trying to set up megafights for their fighters.This is the reason why you dont always see the champs battling it out.As for fights not living up to the hype...its simple...dont buy into it.
Re: How can boxing fans take back the sport from the promoters?
Of the many posts on Promoters, this one exposes the greatest problem: we fans fail to account the shady birth of boxing.
One article I read worded it perfectly
"We simply have no conception of the atmosphere of turn-of-the-century prize fighting – the low dives where the fights took place, the stench of unwashed bodies, the danger of toughs and knuckleduster wielders, pickpockets, drunks. Was it worth your life to attend a fight – you never got the seat your ticket called for an of course."
I agree with history that one person in particular changed all this. Another promoter, but one who expanded the fanbase beyond crooks underworld heathens.
Tex RIckard.
Gambler, Gold chaser and friend of the Wild West cowboy legend Wyatt Earp.
Street savvy and business minded. ..brought boxing to the newly renovated Madison Square Garden.
Then add on technology aka radio...Tex broadcasts the first match.
IMO..Tex took an underworld sport where throwing fights and inhouse mismatches were common place into a legitimate sport.
And IMO the 1st promoter to rub shoulders with politicians ... by promoting a charity boxing match in the Garden for one Anne Morgan, the sister of J.P. Morgan.
Perfect fight was the smooth style of Benny Leonard against Richie Mitchell. literally taking away the fight game from the shadowy world giving birth to boxing fans!
Jack Dempsey took Tex's promoting to another level.
End result from time to time the shadowy world of promoters try to revive their fixed fight game.
Fortunately we have a few true athletes that go against the grain and choose to fight for their fans.
At least. IMO:box3:
Re: How can boxing fans take back the sport from the promoters?
First thought is ppv of course. But I can sit out a ppv even on a decent main event and as long as they can pass blatant mismatches and 'mega fights' well beyond the expiration date off for 80-100 bucks it won't make a dent. After Mayweather v Manny I was really surprised at the "buying" of it by casual fans while we knew both were off and event lost luster. Frankly I felt like I was in on some inside joke :-X. To me those are the focus problem and what steals from some under the radar talents and otherwise quality matches. Yes..the Caneloism. I don't want just huge names in huge fights. Prospects in competitive on paper face offs early are often equally enjoyable. It simply comes down to match ups for me. We all know if you watch this sport long enough it's odd how we just know we're about to be screwed before the first drink is even poured but save for the judges, we can still call BS on the bad while digging for the good.
What exactly is the criteria for a promoters license btw ???
Re: How can boxing fans take back the sport from the promoters?
The internet may be the catalyst for change. Which is why governments keep trying to structure, control, bottle and slap a label on it.
Don't like a fight. Don't buy the tickets/ PPV. Watch a feed, and then try to catch it online instead of the hbo/sho subscriptions. The important thing is to kill their numbers. This has to be done in stages I believe. Nothing can be done about the casuals accept to balance the hype against the fighters with realistic down play. That voice can also be spread via internet. I use to hate those unofficial sports blogger editorial news outlets like bleacher report, but i think they can be used as a useful tool with the right writers at the helm.
Collectively our voices represent the boxing authority, but noone really sees it because we tell it to each other. We don't get many casuals in here because we tell the truth. Notice how all the flame fanners and a$$ kissers articles are the ones that get the hits, so they (reporters/writers) in turn write fanboy pieces to get more hits. I saw this first hand when i wrote for a hockey blog and would stare blankly in disbelief like "why the hell is no one else highlighting the obvious problems this team is having?" its because casuals love to remain hopeful, buy the hype and believe they are about to be part of something historic. I built a loyal following and kind caused a turn in that other writers in a rush to get hits started badmouthing the team in an effort to go against the grain..and duplicate my truthful articles with simple tirades.
Going back to the stages thing. The objective right now is not to go from what we have... to directly confronting the promoters. Highlight the good undercard fights, the new players in a division, the amazing feats... That middle step were shooting for breaking the bundle. Where promoters bundle sh*t fights with good fights to sell all. We want a pay by fight system. We pay for the ones worth the money and don't pay for the ones that aren't. The internet and piracy is already responsible for breaking that BS in the music business... which is why you can by a song you like for 1.99 and scrap the rest of the sh*tty album by not paying for it. Just my 2 cents, of course.
Re: How can boxing fans take back the sport from the promoters?
Don't pay for it!
Put on a shit show, I'll stream it. It's that simple.
Re: How can boxing fans take back the sport from the promoters?
Not sure that's possible or necessary, for a crude analogy it would be like asking the John's to take prostitutes back from the pimps. Boxing was never not advantageous to the promoters and vested interests, but I don't think that and shit fights are mutually exclusive. I don't know enough of the facts, but it strikes me you could easily argue that people who just stream everything are a chunk of the problem?
I definitely feel like bringer better fights to cable is a big step, heard the other day that Spence vs Bundu had 6 or 7 million viewers at one point. For a fairly insignificant fight, that's good news. Lot more than the PPVS Floyd and Manny sold, for instance.
Re: How can boxing fans take back the sport from the promoters?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Dia bando
Promoter's in cases ruined boxing of late but HBO Showtime Sky all are to blame as well.
The fighters are tied to watertight contracts by the above,! we have to face it it's extremely rare the best of the best face each other.
I wouldn't say that was the case with all boxers and all promoters. I dont think its as rare as you say. We do have quite a few fights in various divisions where the fight the fans want to see. Look at Frampton's last matchups.
No messing around with this guy either
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHAmWMXcZlM&t=2m52s
Re: How can boxing fans take back the sport from the promoters?
I see I'm in the minority here.
@J_Undisputed. Internet IMO waters boxing down all the more.
Sites like Boxrec has a great database that verifies it.
Boxrec one night of boxing. .and it will list 10-20 fight cards globally on any given night.
The internet could broadcast some, but rights would still be argued by whom? The promoters of those cards.
Ever use allthebestfight.com? Good stuff, but a lot of fights they say....can't play do to rights of promoters.
@Spicoli PPV IMO doesn't help\hurt boxing. As what % of boxers headline these?
Of thousands of boxers active only a few hundred are known globally, disagree?
And out of those hundreds, how many today headline PPV? I guess oh, 20 fighters during any era? And the undercard fighters have little impact.
Radio under TeX Rickard & Closed Circuit under Don King introduced fans that boxing never had.
Previous to TeX only men in America knew of boxing. With radio, kids family assembled by that talk box and listened to a new sport. Promoters didn't even think like that back then.....TeX was on some deep shit.
He got something involved called sponsors. The men's shaving product called Gillette....were of the first..
Gillette's Friday night boxing...easy to get the best fights....because there was no competition.
Whereas internet is just another means for promoters...leaving fans to waddle through the mess of promoters that's no more united with the world wide web.
Without a governing body, boxing will always be this way. Not a fact, just IMO.:cool:
Re: How can boxing fans take back the sport from the promoters?
Promoter wise there are good and bad, as always historically, the problem is that boxing is not an attractive professional sport. Its not attractive because young lads get signed up with nothing like the guaranteed earnings they could get in other sports, its all hit and miss on ticket sales, media popularity, promoters ability(ha ha) etc. With other sports from golf to soccer to football to basketball its different, that's why kids are not choosing boxing.
Having stated the problem, I'm buggered if I know what the answer is.
Re: How can boxing fans take back the sport from the promoters?
Valid points.
Especially for team sports.
Be it soccer in the U.K, basketball in the states, the home city has an unspoken allegiance to their (home) team whereas boxing the fighter has to build a fanbase.
I remember listening to Aaoron Pryor talking about most fighting 10 or more fights before they could see 10+ thousand dollars, while Ray Leonard out the gate was making hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I still think Showtime's SMW Tourney set the blueprint for minimizing promoters shenanigans.
There has to be a template or structure of some kind that promoters can't alter let alone dictate.
Heck I'd be down for a schedule. Just as every February there is a Superbowl, I'd life love to see boxing do that.
If a star player is injured, the NBA NFL don't postpone shat!!
WBC WBA IBF...if fans agreed should be demanded to have a scheduled. Fighter injured? OK drop the belt, step aside.
No promoter or boxer should be allowed to dictate, request or demand just as an agent for a football player can't demand cleats or grass over turf.
I think politician Senator John McCain was America's closest ally to reigning in boxing corruption.
Re: How can boxing fans take back the sport from the promoters?
Dont think a few real fans will ever be able to influence every direction the sport has taken for cash, when more numbers of casuals buy into all the hype.
Re: How can boxing fans take back the sport from the promoters?
For reasons mentioned in some the previous post is precisely why I'm not holding my breath for a Spence/Crawford matchup. That'll happen at least 2 Presidential terms from now.
