ITV pulling the plug?

ITV told Frank Warren that unless they broke 5 million viewers on Saturday, they would look at pulling the plug on boxing. The viewing figures? 3.9 million. That's not bad considering that nobody is interested in boxing these days, but compare it to Benn and Hamed doing 8 million and Eubank doing 16 million every time then you get the picture... not that it's fair to compare, but there you go.

Warren's contract runs out in June, and I have it on good authority that he will be taking his stable to Setanta. You heard it here.

Bad news for Boxing ultimately and Setanta are gathering pace and getting into the big league with football too.

This is crap news it should go back on skysports then that would be better

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tysonbruno

This is crap news it should go back on skysports then that would be better

---

Only for people who can afford £40 a month ;)

True Big H thats a good point hope it stays on itv thing is 3.9million is really good in this day and age where theirs hundreds of channels

Dont blame ITV being pissed off with the Cardiff show.The 3 main fights were mis matches.


I think ITV should try and show a few big fights from the states as well as Warrens shows.

At the end of the day it would be a case of 'Serves you right' for Warren if they didn't renew the contract (They would if he was getting Benn v Eubank figures) for putting on such SH*T bouts - bar Lacy.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by porkypara

Dont blame ITV being pissed off with the Cardiff show.The 3 main fights were mis matches.


I think ITV should try and show a few big fights from the states as well as Warrens shows.

---

Ive wondered recently if that was what Warren was up to.... The fights with Manfredo & Taylor.
Maybe he's 'using' his fighters in a way that eventually improves relationships with US & UK networks and utimately US & UK Fighters.

If that wasn't the plan, it should be.

It's hardly surprising

Look at pandemonium caused by the prospect of Haye-Enzo...only to end up with a mismatch that was met with complete derision

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Fenster

It's hardly surprising

Look at pandemonium caused by the prospect of Haye-Enzo...only to end up with a mismatch that was met with complete derision

---

It was embarrassing enough that the commentator was even thinking of putting Gunn in the same catagory as Chuvalo :-X

I didn't mind seeing GOOD fights being shown on the BBC even if it was 24 hours later, they were quality fights, no adverts, no paying through the nose for sky and no PPV.

and yes people aren't that stupid they know a mismatch when they see it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Missy

I didn't mind seeing GOOD fights being shown on the BBC even if it was 24 hours later, they were quality fights, no adverts, no paying through the nose for sky and no PPV.

---

Cor yeah! Dela Hoya v Vargas, Lewis v Tyson, Reid v Otke...

Countless Esham Pickering fights ::**

Good stuff ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BIG H

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tysonbruno

This is crap news it should go back on skysports then that would be better

---

Only for people who can afford £40 a month ;)

---

My question is really that as I already buy Sky Sports anyway....I'd be gutted if it went to Setanta, cause I probably won't buy that on top of the packages I already have, so it'd be even less coverage of big time boxing that I'd be able to access. I also think it'd be bad news for boxing, as 3.9million is much more than any boxing on satellite channels get, and by moving to Setanta FW would reduce his audience, and we'd be unlikely to see the stadium fill as much as it did last week. Bad Move.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BIG H

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tysonbruno

This is crap news it should go back on skysports then that would be better

---

Only for people who can afford £40 a month ;)

---

Ive got no problem with that, I pay the £40 a month and its nothing really if youre getting at least one or two good fights a week, I'd even pay PPV for a lot of them. What really pisses me off is when we have no option at all to see a fight. Big fights for world titles go by all the time without being on TV at all, not even through a PPV.

They can pull it, I haven't seen one card on ITV that has come close to an above average friday fight night, with the exception of Calzaghe v Lacy but I didn't even see that... because I was there ;D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jimboogie

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Missy

I didn't mind seeing GOOD fights being shown on the BBC even if it was 24 hours later, they were quality fights, no adverts, no paying through the nose for sky and no PPV.

---

Cor yeah! Dela Hoya v Vargas, Lewis v Tyson, Reid v Otke...

Countless Esham Pickering fights ::**

Good stuff ;)

---

Haye v Thompson too, and they had Hatton v Urango on a week late, B-hop v Eastman, and the best part... NO DUKE F***ING MACKENZIE!
BBC's boxing coverage rivals sky's IMO.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by yoitsdan

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jimboogie

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Missy

I didn't mind seeing GOOD fights being shown on the BBC even if it was 24 hours later, they were quality fights, no adverts, no paying through the nose for sky and no PPV.

---

Cor yeah! Dela Hoya v Vargas, Lewis v Tyson, Reid v Otke...

Countless Esham Pickering fights ::**

Good stuff ;)

---

Haye v Thompson too, and they had Hatton v Urango on a week late, B-hop v Eastman, and the best part... NO DUKE F***ING MACKENZIE!
BBC's boxing coverage rivals sky's IMO.

---

Steve Bunce= Legend ;D

Yeah Buncey is THE MAN.

Steve Holdsworth on Eurosport is near the same bracket, too.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by WWatt

Yeah Buncey is THE MAN.

Steve Holdsworth on Eurosport is near the same bracket, too.

---

Who's the guy who was in Takaloo's corner over the weekend? The one with the proper squeeky cockney voice?

Im sure he used to be a pundit for the old early-mid 90's ITV boxing ???

Oh Jimmy McDonnell? That was in the old Screensport days on Eurosport, with David Brenner and Barry McGuigan.

I know little about UK television but it has always made me feel a bit guilty that you folks get the shaft when it comes to televised boxing.

I've always labeled Britain my country of choice should I need to flee the States for any reason, but this lack of boxing programs makes me weary of this long standing claim.


It also amazes me how well you guys keep up with the current events of boxing and how well you do in the prediction contest when you have such poor exposure to the sport. I know the UK fights throw me for a loop each week...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BoxingGorilla

I know little about UK television but it has always made me feel a bit guilty that you folks get the shaft when it comes to televised boxing.

I've always labeled Britain my country of choice should I need to flee the States for any reason, but this lack of boxing programs makes me weary of this long standing claim.


It also amazes me how well you guys keep up with the current events of boxing and how well you do in the prediction contest when you have such poor exposure to the sport. I know the UK fights throw me for a loop each week...

---

Actually I don't think it's half as bad as you think...if you have subscription television

All the UK Friday night fights from the prediction comp are live on TV...we also get the American ESPN Friday night fights delayed coverage during the week (if you can be bothered to look for them)

There's a dedicated sports channel that shows regular obscure European bills, as well as picking up repeats from the States

And we get plenty of big fights live from the States during the Summer (when the football/soccer seasons ended)...for instance, we're getting the Oscar-Mayweather fight free, plus we recently had the Barrera-Marquez card....

The internet is my source for boxing coverage, I can watch all the HBO and Showtime events and some ESPN, telefutura, and of course the german stuff too live. Sky's coverage is pretty ace though, and the domestic scene is great, brits tune in to Jamie Moore tonight v Seb Lujan, should be a cracker.

Actually I don't think it's half as bad as you think...if you have subscription television

All the UK Friday night fights from the prediction comp are live on TV...we also get the American ESPN Friday night fights delayed coverage during the week (if you can be bothered to look for them)

There's a dedicated sports channel that shows regular obscure European bills, as well as picking up repeats from the States

And we get plenty of big fights live from the States during the Summer (when the football/soccer seasons ended)...for instance, we're getting the Oscar-Mayweather fight free, plus we recently had the Barrera-Marquez card.... --Fen Fen

Well, that is pretty solid. I didn't know. That makes me happy :)

I can still claim the United Kingdom as my backup country.

if his contract runs out with them in june, it would explain why joe, enzo and kahn are all fighting again in june...

It will be a shame for the fans and the young fighters if ITV don;t renew tho, skysports for some can cost to much, ITV alows fighters to make a name for them seleves before fans have to falk out money for PPV or Skysports...

i hardly doubt many in the uk have stetanta (unless they show it free) and i doubt many if any would get it just 'coz calzaghe kahn and enzo are on it...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Preme

if his contract runs out with them in june, it would explain why joe, enzo and kahn are all fighting again in june...

It will be a shame for the fans and the young fighters if ITV don;t renew tho, skysports for some can cost to much, ITV alows fighters to make a name for them seleves before fans have to falk out money for PPV or Skysports...

i hardly doubt many in the uk have stetanta (unless they show it free) and i doubt many if any would get it just 'coz calzaghe kahn and enzo are on it...

---

i doubt JC will be fighting again in june bud. not with his shitty broken hand again.

Boxing coverage in the UK is terrible, I know any serious fan can buy Sky Sports and watch the best of the domestic stuff but the fact remains that for the average person, apart from the relatively recent ITV stuff they have got nothing for nearly ten years.

The BBC imo should really take thier obligations to cover all of British sport seriously and start competing to cover the major fights, not just domestically but overseas as well.

In my opinion it's fucking wrong that Snooker gets loads of coverage (I like snooker by the way - not knocking it ), Cricket get loads of coverage ( I fucking loathe this shitty excuse for a 'sport'), Golf, Tennis (Wimbledon at least), Football, Rugby, Formula One Racing, Horse Racing etc all get plenty of airtime but boxing, despite being a bigger sport than some of these gets practically nothing whatsoever. All the major athletics events are covered too.

With the Olympics being hosted by London in 2012 the BBC should be leading the way in promoting sport in this country. We need to have loads of boxing coverage, both pro and amatuer as all other sports get more than enough airtime.

If it goes to Sky Sports or Senetica (who ???) then boxing loses out in the long run.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bilbo

Boxing coverage in the UK is terrible, I know any serious fan can buy Sky Sports and watch the best of the domestic stuff but the fact remains that for the average person, apart from the relatively recent ITV stuff they have got nothing for nearly ten years.

The BBC imo should really take thier obligations to cover all of British sport seriously and start competing to cover the major fights, not just domestically but overseas as well.

In my opinion it's F****** wrong that Snooker gets loads of coverage (I like snooker by the way - not knocking it ), Cricket get loads of coverage ( I F****** loathe this shitty excuse for a 'sport'), Golf, Tennis (Wimbledon at least), Football, Rugby, Formula One Racing, Horse Racing etc all get plenty of airtime but boxing, despite being a bigger sport than some of these gets practically nothing whatsoever. All the major athletics events are covered too.

With the Olympics being hosted by London in 2012 the BBC should be leading the way in promoting sport in this country. We need to have loads of boxing coverage, both pro and amatuer as all other sports get more than enough airtime.

If it goes to Sky Sports or Senetica (who ???) then boxing loses out in the long run.

---

You know how it galls me to say this mate, but you're right on the money. Boxing will be the loser if it leaves ITV, and when I was a kid we couldn't get Sky, so I've only recently got back into the sport.

(Sarcasm 101) Surely the BBC did their share for boxing by covering Audley's early fights live after he won the gold medal? ;)

Setanta would be disastrous in my opinion, cause I won't buy it, and many people will stick with Sky cause they have the broadest range of sport on their channels, with Setanta definitely second best.

Haye v Thompson too, and they had Hatton v Urango on a week late, B-hop v Eastman, and the best part... NO DUKE F***ING MACKENZIE!
BBC's boxing coverage rivals sky's IMO.
[/quote]

Duke Mackenzie is a horrible commentator, as is the other guy. But they were both commentating for the Beeb first. No one rivals Sky as far as commentary goes, Ian Dark is by far the best and the rest on Sky are better than what BBC and ITV came up with