What are your criticisms of the boxing programming at HBO/Showtime?

[El Kabong]

HBO/Showtime/ESPN...all of them need to understand there are certain things true fans know

#1 STYLES MAKE FIGHTS...let's try to plan good solid style matchups: Gatti-Ward, Corrales-Castillo, Berto-Ortiz....GOOD, Bernard Hopkins vs anyone, Byrd vs Williamson, Williams vs Cintron BAD...(however B-Hop will be redeemed further down the list)

#2 Undercard matches matter and should therefore be as exciting if not more exciting than the Main Event. UFC is currently kicking your asses on this front.

#3 If you can't get a good style match up at the very least make the fight worth something, a title shot, a record...SOMETHING. This is where B-Hop fits in, he's old, he's cagey, he's a wiley veteran that's forgotten more about boxing than his opponents will ever learn.

#4 Especially ESPN DON'T BASH THE SPORT...commentators are too quick to be negative about boxing, even the guys who say they love it, they love to knit pick at petty little shit and let it ruin a night of boxing. Just because something happened that irritates you or you don't agree with doesn't mean you need to say "This is what's killing boxing" or some such hyperbole.

#5 Use competent judges and referees....NO MORE LAURENCE COLE!!! I don't care whose dick he sucked in Texas to where he does all the God damned fights there he is HORRIBLE. And no more sorry ass judges...actually if a judge turns in a bad card I would like to see them be forced to defend it in a post fight press conference...it's time we cleaned the sport up!

#6 Just because a fight happens outside of the US doesn't mean its total crap...perhaps there was a day where that was true, but now the US and the Western Hemisphere doesn't hold sway over the whole of boxing like it used to...you'll have to travel, you'll have to run tape delay or fix your programming schedule to account for this....tough shit, it's the way of the world.

[Rantcatrat]

HBO/Showtime/ESPN...all of them need to understand there are certain things true fans know

#1 STYLES MAKE FIGHTS...let's try to plan good solid style matchups: Gatti-Ward, Corrales-Castillo, Berto-Ortiz....GOOD, Bernard Hopkins vs anyone, Byrd vs Williamson, Williams vs Cintron BAD...(however B-Hop will be redeemed further down the list)

#2 Undercard matches matter and should therefore be as exciting if not more exciting than the Main Event. UFC is currently kicking your asses on this front.

#3 If you can't get a good style match up at the very least make the fight worth something, a title shot, a record...SOMETHING. This is where B-Hop fits in, he's old, he's cagey, he's a wiley veteran that's forgotten more about boxing than his opponents will ever learn.

#4 Especially ESPN DON'T BASH THE SPORT...commentators are too quick to be negative about boxing, even the guys who say they love it, they love to knit pick at petty little shit and let it ruin a night of boxing. Just because something happened that irritates you or you don't agree with doesn't mean you need to say "This is what's killing boxing" or some such hyperbole.

#5 Use competent judges and referees....NO MORE LAURENCE COLE!!! I don't care whose dick he sucked in Texas to where he does all the God damned fights there he is HORRIBLE. And no more sorry ass judges...actually if a judge turns in a bad card I would like to see them be forced to defend it in a post fight press conference...it's time we cleaned the sport up!

#6 Just because a fight happens outside of the US doesn't mean its total crap...perhaps there was a day where that was true, but now the US and the Western Hemisphere doesn't hold sway over the whole of boxing like it used to...you'll have to travel, you'll have to run tape delay or fix your programming schedule to account for this....tough shit, it's the way of the world.

Lyle - how much influence do the tv stations have over refs/judges? Is it more the Commission? I'm not sure, just asking.

[Rantcatrat]

The emphasis of the post is how would you improve their boxing content?

[El Kabong]

Lyle - how much influence do the tv stations have over refs/judges? Is it more the Commission? I'm not sure, just asking.

Well I am of the opinion that the promoters and Athletic Comissions have the most sway, but I do think HBO & Showtime could turn the screws on them...after all, where is boxing without the medium of television

[FinitoElDinamita]

Showtime on-demand sucks. That's my only complaint.



Ken hershman must run Hbo like he did showtime. Purchase fights instead of fighters and I think they are on the right path in 2012..

Im more of a Showtime guy though.

[Rantcatrat]

Showtime on-demand sucks. That's my only complaint.



Ken hershman must run Hbo like he did showtime. Purchase fights instead of fighters and I think they are on the right path in 2012..

Im more of a Showtime guy though.

Good line.

[captainanddew]

stop overpaying for fights!!!! HBO has been horrible at that. Guys like Bradley and Berto get paid too much. Neither guy can make money without tv because they aren't live draws.

Showtime would pay about 1/2 as much as HBO does and yet HBO pays way too much.

IF you are pricing fights then why doesn't HBO think about how much Showtime will pay for a fight-and then add a 100,000.

Not pay a fighter 1,000,000 for a fight where Showtime would pay 400,000-500,000. IT IS PURE LUNACY.

You can easily do this as well. The purses for the showtime fights are published by the commissions in many states (I believe). Keep a log of all of those and then you can accurately guess how much Showtime will pay.

[Gandalf]

I think HBO need to get rid of Manny Steward and Jim Lampley. They are well past their sell by date. Meanwhile Larry Merchant needs a 50 year contract extension. He is hardcore.

[Rantcatrat]

stop overpaying for fights!!!! HBO has been horrible at that. Guys like Bradley and Berto get paid too much. Neither guy can make money without tv because they aren't live draws.

Showtime would pay about 1/2 as much as HBO does and yet HBO pays way too much.

IF you are pricing fights then why doesn't HBO think about how much Showtime will pay for a fight-and then add a 100,000.

Not pay a fighter 1,000,000 for a fight where Showtime would pay 400,000-500,000. IT IS PURE LUNACY.

You can easily do this as well. The purses for the showtime fights are published by the commissions in many states (I believe). Keep a log of all of those and then you can accurately guess how much Showtime will pay.

Right, don't pay a lot of $ to a fighter unless he is facing a real challenge, which is to say, pay for the fight, not the fighter. Is there any reason why this wouldn't work?