How much do you spend on boxing?

[Onix]

So every year I look at my budget at home to see where I might make some adjustments or cut expenses and every year I look at the cable bill and cringe. I enjoy the series on Showtime and HBO but by far the reason that I have those channels and cable in general is because of boxing.

So Im wondering who else looks at the cost of having boxing as a hobby? For me, I spend about $150/month on cable which if I didnt like boxing I would completely cut. Plus I would say about 15 PPV's per year at an average of $60/event, in total that's $2,700 per year or $225/month which is usually what my cable bill is every month when I add in PPV costs.

Damn thats the first time I have done the math that way and this is an expensive hobby! What are you you guys spending and what are you doing to cut costs? I had originally thought of just watching replays or yourtube but there is nothing like wathching a fight live.

Thoughts?

[IamInuit]

Honestly I have not purchased a PPV in ten years. Had issues at first because of bandwidth caps but I have been watching fights online for years. I have Hbo also on my Satt. Recently bought a 47 inch LG and an Hdmi card for the desk top. Heaven.

[johnsebastianmiran]

Unfortunately I cringe just as much and I have HBO and Showtime for the same reason. The movies have been the same since the stone age but thank goodness thy rerun the bouts the next morning when they have many bouts on at the same time so I go to my recordings after a good night's sleep.

[Spicoli]

1001...grey hairs! Hours? Who really knows

Early on I bought every single ppv card not to mention purchased/traded too many tapes and dvds to count. That adds up FAST. Now I do maybe...maybe 2 ppvs a years (strictly on undercard that we wont see on replay). About $100 on cable a month and only keep 'package' channels to see Telemundo, Epix etc.

[Mars_ax]

So every year I look at my budget at home to see where I might make some adjustments or cut expenses and every year I look at the cable bill and cringe. I enjoy the series on Showtime and HBO but by far the reason that I have those channels and cable in general is because of boxing.

So Im wondering who else looks at the cost of having boxing as a hobby? For me, I spend about $150/month on cable which if I didnt like boxing I would completely cut. Plus I would say about 15 PPV's per year at an average of $60/event, in total that's $2,700 per year or $225/month which is usually what my cable bill is every month when I add in PPV costs.

Damn thats the first time I have done the math that way and this is an expensive hobby! What are you you guys spending and what are you doing to cut costs? I had originally thought of just watching replays or yourtube but there is nothing like wathching a fight live.

Thoughts?

I don't spend all that much on boxing, because I seldom buy a PPV or attend live boxing matches. HBO and Showtime are part of my Cable TV subscription and cost me about $40 of the $130 a month I pay overall for Cable. (Direct TV)
What boxing I can't get on HBO & Showtime, like PPV's et al, I get on a stream, streams aren't perfect but it beats paying for fights that aren't worth the $70 they charge most of the time.

So I guess you could say I spend $20 to $30 a month on 'boxing'.

[fan johnny]

I'm a cheap ass b'. I pay as little as possible. have internet @$50 mo. But made the trip to Vegas on the 15th, cost me ~$70 for gas, $150 for the hotel, $250 food. Tickets was comp. papa turned 98'. There's nothing like a big crowd vs watching a big fight at home although it's much easier from the comfort of home. I Spent about $1,000 for the same trip two weeks earlier but it was for my wife charity event, and another $300 just a week before for a company trip and the wife also tagged along. so I was squeaking by for the fight weekend otherwise, I would have spent more. Bought one PPV this year. I can usually wait for the vid but often go live stream. I watch a lot of fights on dailymotion or where ever I can get an HD vid. I still love watching old classics when I have time. I want to get myself a sling box setup and a tablet but the wife and kids always soak up my budget.

[Youngblood]

I bought one PPV, Cotto vs Marg 1. And was so gotdamn sad watchin that on HD it was hard to find the reason again after ...but I might have. And then, I found out about Marg and the loaded gloves, and I watched that shit show all unfold. And then I watched the boxing commission allow him to get back in there and start cashing big checks again. And I will never give another penny. And Im kind of stubborn like that so will prob stick to it.

Most of my training costs have been covered over the years. My equipment paid for. Travel., Pretty much been a free ride other then what I gave back in sweat. So boxing hasn't cost me much, but it sure did give me a lot. So, overall, in spite of the sleazy business end of boxing, Im pretty grateful and cool with it all.

[Dropanuke]

I remember buying Tyson Lewis is on in 02. But rarely buy them as why should I?
I want to watch boxing and thanks to the net I can still watch via a stream!
If I steam it and still hear mayweather say "I made £150mil"
Then I know I win!

[oakleyno1]

back when I was rolling in it (by my very poor standards) I had boxnation, spent about 25 quid a month on dvds from a supplier and would buy various boxing equipment, gloves etc sporadically. Buy hatton ppvs

Now I just try to watch as much as possible, GO CHANNEL 5! or pop round me nans when froch is on sky,. Luckily her and my grandad are big fans too!

Streaming is a life saver!

[erics44]

a share of my sky tv subscription £45 per month in total and its fair to credit £10 of that to boxing

boxnation £10 a month

Gym Membership £55 per month

Salford Lads Club (least once a week) £4 per month

Irlam ABC (least once a week) £14 per month

Other gym appearences £5 a month

equipment £10 a month average probably

all works out at about £110 a month

which is the same as £1,320 a year

[erics44]

could I include the beer i buy and the money i spend on sepcial efforts on big boxing nights?

[greynotsoold]

For many years I bought cable just to watch the fights (USA, ESPN, HBO Showtime, then) and every pay-per-view. And for every fight I had people over, and that cost money, too. And I taped every fight for a very long time. And I was a member of the Forum Ringsider Club for years and before that I sat ringside for the fights at the Forum for quite some time (though, to be honest, a business associate comped that).
Then you get into the gym in my garage, which I updated as fast as Ringside came out with new product. And all my friends had gyms in their garages, which I paid for. Over the years I've supplied handwraps for maybe 150 kids, not to mention picking them up and driving them to the gym. In the old days you used to have to buy video of fights (no youtube!!) and I've had many stolen from me. (boxers are ok; MMA guys cannot be trusted) At one point, around 2002, I had over $2000 invested just in fight tapes in my possession.
I've made numerous trips to Texas to watch particular fighters work out. I once made the mistake of driving an all original 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang, all original, top to bottom, to a gym in Riverside. Don't know what it cost me to replace the parts stolen off of it...
It adds up.

[Master]

I have virgin cable so get Eurosport and ESPN on it as part of the package and pay extra for Box Nation. So I spend £30 per month or £360 a year which I can live with. I do not get PPV – forget that since - Tyson v Lewis maybe it was it was against Danny Williams fight. I was an avid recorder of boxing since 1986-2010 I had 500 VHS tapes now I record on DVD but only good contests.

[Onix]

Again looking at it as an annual expense has really got me thinking about making changes and at least getting rid of cable and just getting an occasional PPV, but then I start hearing about all the matches that are set to happen and I change my mind.

this January we have a huge triple header which includes Mikey Garcia VS Orlando Salido, that fight in itself make it hard for me to cut the cable but on the same card Triple g is coming back! They sure know how to plave them, January is probably a big month for alot of people to reconsider their expenses and when they throw on a card like this it makes it very hard to let go.

[beenKOed]

Too much! I'm glad to see boxing on CBS and NBC. We can thank FOX and the UFC for getting them interested again.
I been thinking more and more about streaming which is probably what I'll do.
Interesting and informative thread.