Showtime boxing KO'd

[Kirkland Laing]

Long term it's probably a good thing if Showtime drop it. It could lead to a rationalisation between the main players.

Look at how it looks for guys like Haymon and Arum right now. Haymon I have no idea how he's still going. He's managed to lose hundreds of millions of dollars for his investors since he started PBC. Maybe the whole thing folds now or staggers on much reduced. Arum could be on the outs with ESPN. They've both watched UFC blow past them and build a solid product because they can make the best guys fight each other whenever they want. Haymon here has an issue because he's effectively managing a lot of these fighters too and thus the big paydays. But if he's going to survive he's going to have to UFCise the product. If things get so bad that it finally makes the top few promoters get together and launch some kind of streaming thing that would be great for boxing long term.

You're always going to have regional promoters and shows. But to build nationally known fighters you're going to have to have guys who have the funds to run a big promotional company. And those funds depend on TV/ streaming/etc money. If boxing manages to be unprofitable at current pay rates for outfits like DAZN they'll drop it. DAZN might not exist soon. The guy who owns it has lost about six billion dollars since he set it up. The whole industry is in a state of flux. If somebody or a combination of somebodies most likely want to put up the funds to try and UFC the whole thing it's going to have to start with lower purses and big outlets like Paramount and ESPN (Disney) pulling out can only speed that up.

It's going to take whoever is still standing to get together and drop the sanctioning bodies. But have just enough money to offer to keep fighters away from second tier promoters who will then move in to try and work with the alphabet guys. Maybe the Muhammad Ali Act kicks in. Maybe promoters working together is seen as keeping purses down. Existing boxers have contracts with managers and the managers would be on the outs in this kind of scenario. UFC fighters don't have them. Not sure how UFC get away with that but in boxing likely you'd get endless Muhammad Ali Act lawsuits if somebody tried something like this.

Things look to be be fucked up for a while. The entire entertainment/movie/streaming/TV industry is in a state of flux right now. Lots of things that were solid profit earners are no longer making money. Disney are looking at selling off ABC. But honestly the less money that's in boxing for a while might help it long term. Or maybe I'm wrong and it might end up at a significantly lower level than it is now with UFC and boxing fights between youtubers and social media people making more money.

[TitoFan]

Ahh... yes... UFC. That obnoxious uncle that manages to embarrass everyone at family Christmas parties, yet everyone wants to keep on inviting.

For the record, I've never been a UFC fan, and reckon I never will. I'm fundamentally against any sport where it's ok to pummel your unconscious opponent as he's lying flat on his back... or at least until the ref jumps in, which is usually a few punches too late. I also don't like wrestling. I respect the sport, but don't like to watch it. So the grappling part of UFC does nothing to spark my interest.

But yeah... UFC is here to stay, and has been for a long time. Something about a high-walled octagon and no-holds-barred fight in front of a bloodthirsty crowd seems to have a "gladiator-ish" appeal to it. I've always preferred boxing, even if it IS weighed down by all the factors already mentioned in previous posts and other threads.

Since I don't watch UFC, I have no idea whether or not it suffers from the same malady of corrupt/ inept judging that boxing does. I imagine there are no "Canelos" in UFC (coddled, cherry-picking, trinket-chasing, clause-demanding divas)... which is one big plus for them. The day that happens, we'll know UFC is ruined as well.

Boxing, as has been said many times before, has survived a lot of negatives. It's one of the oldest sports around. Us hardcore fans hang on to our fandom through good times and bad. But again... it's like watching the Titanic race toward the iceberg while not being able to do anything about it.

[Kirkland Laing]

Ahh... yes... UFC. That obnoxious uncle that manages to embarrass everyone at family Christmas parties, yet everyone wants to keep on inviting.

For the record, I've never been a UFC fan, and reckon I never will. I'm fundamentally against any sport where it's ok to pummel your unconscious opponent as he's lying flat on his back... or at least until the ref jumps in, which is usually a few punches too late. I also don't like wrestling. I respect the sport, but don't like to watch it. So the grappling part of UFC does nothing to spark my interest.

But yeah... UFC is here to stay, and has been for a long time. Something about a high-walled octagon and no-holds-barred fight in front of a bloodthirsty crowd seems to have a "gladiator-ish" appeal to it. I've always preferred boxing, even if it IS weighed down by all the factors already mentioned in previous posts and other threads.

Since I don't watch UFC, I have no idea whether or not it suffers from the same malady of corrupt/ inept judging that boxing does. I imagine there are no "Canelos" in UFC (coddled, cherry-picking, trinket-chasing, clause-demanding divas)... which is one big plus for them. The day that happens, we'll know UFC is ruined as well.

Boxing, as has been said many times before, has survived a lot of negatives. It's one of the oldest sports around. Us hardcore fans hang on to our fandom through good times and bad. But again... it's like watching the Titanic race toward the iceberg while not being able to do anything about it.

If I had to make a bet on the future it's that the guys behind UFC eventually end up running a boxing version of UFC that dominates boxing to the same extent that UFC dominates pub car park-style combat sports.

Boxing will continue to dwindle for a decade or three but will still have regulatory issues (Muhammad Ali Act etc) making it difficult for somebody to try and UFCise it. The UFC will have the money, the industry knowledge and experience and the political/lobbying connections (and the money) to remove any roadblocks and let them launch a boxing version of UFC. It may not happen for a while though, you have parts of the world like Britain where you can fill stadiums and boxing shows sell lots of tickets and there'll always be some kind of PPV outlet for those big fights. Then you have Saudi and sportswashing. Maybe another Mike Tyson comes along and delays things. But it'll happen first in America like UFC did and then go global.

[TIC]

thank you showtime