These Panto match ups have to stop!

[powerpuncher]

It all goes back to paying for circus fights. I have zero problem with them. They are fine and attract certain positive attention to the sport. I just don't get why fans actually pay for this stuff. I mean honestly, some of you are willing to fork out money to watch these circus fights?

I just feel like if we accepted these sideshows for what they are and refused to actually pay extra money for them, then we would get more mainstream fights and the sport would be bigger.

Maybe the UK is different, but where I live in America, boxing isn't big whatsoever. I never run into people who actually watch boxing. Most people are shocked when I say boxing is my favorite sport. Most people's excuse for not watching is that it isn't accessible. That's because it's generally on HBO or Showtime or a PPV fight.

That's how a sport dies out. It becomes inaccessible because us as fans are willing to pay for a bad product. If nobody bought the hate and bellew fight, then they would understand that us fans won't buy into awful products. They keep selling it because we keep buying it.

[ono]

Great thread. Sad that people defend the circus. At the highest levels there should be the highest levels of competition.

I joined Gandalf in not even watching the circus for free. I watched the real fight.

The one where both men refused to fight - utter shite/snoozefest Thurman v Garcia and they were booed from midway non stop until the end.

Haye v Bellew entertained, had loads of Drama and the crowd loved it.

I know which one i'd rather watch miss match or not

Yes, you're the target audience. The drama, the trash talk. I'm not the target audience, I prefer the sport of sport. I know I'll always be in the minority. But someone should speak up for sport because we know the crowds will always speak with their money for empty bluster.

Boxing hipster in the house.

You can't separate the purity of the sport from the out of the ring sideshow that comes with it. And why would you want to anyway? How can you care who wins if you turn a complete blind eye to their out of the ring personalities? I'm totally at a loss to how somebody could prefer the utter shitfest and letdown of a fight which was Thurman - Garcia to what we saw earlier on in the night.

From a purity point of view, if you ignore the build up and out of the ring bullshit, Haye and Bellew was still a much more entertaining fight. It just was and any argument on the contrary is pure boxing elitism.

[ono]

It all goes back to paying for circus fights. I have zero problem with them. They are fine and attract certain positive attention to the sport. I just don't get why fans actually pay for this stuff. I mean honestly, some of you are willing to fork out money to watch these circus fights?

I just feel like if we accepted these sideshows for what they are and refused to actually pay extra money for them, then we would get more mainstream fights and the sport would be bigger.

Maybe the UK is different, but where I live in America, boxing isn't big whatsoever. I never run into people who actually watch boxing. Most people are shocked when I say boxing is my favorite sport. Most people's excuse for not watching is that it isn't accessible. That's because it's generally on HBO or Showtime or a PPV fight.

That's how a sport dies out. It becomes inaccessible because us as fans are willing to pay for a bad product. If nobody bought the hate and bellew fight, then they would understand that us fans won't buy into awful products. They keep selling it because we keep buying it.

People pay for it because they don't mind doing so. It's 20 quid at the end of the day. I think amongst the younger adult generation there's a tendency to group together with friends and all chip in a couple of quid. That's what I've always done with ppv boxing.

At the end of the day, PPV raises the importance of the event to the extent where a group of friends will decide to get together and make a proper night of it, and the money it generates also allows a promoter to usually get a few fairly high profile fighters on the card. PPV cards in Britain are usually fairly ok value content wise.

I'd prefer it was free, but it's not. And I don't think many will have felt short changed by midnight on Saturday.

[Beanz]

It all goes back to paying for circus fights. I have zero problem with them. They are fine and attract certain positive attention to the sport. I just don't get why fans actually pay for this stuff. I mean honestly, some of you are willing to fork out money to watch these circus fights?

I just feel like if we accepted these sideshows for what they are and refused to actually pay extra money for them, then we would get more mainstream fights and the sport would be bigger.

Maybe the UK is different, but where I live in America, boxing isn't big whatsoever. I never run into people who actually watch boxing. Most people are shocked when I say boxing is my favorite sport. Most people's excuse for not watching is that it isn't accessible. That's because it's generally on HBO or Showtime or a PPV fight.

That's how a sport dies out. It becomes inaccessible because us as fans are willing to pay for a bad product. If nobody bought the hate and bellew fight, then they would understand that us fans won't buy into awful products. They keep selling it because we keep buying it.

It is not the hardcore fans that make what people keep calling the 'circus fights' viable. The majority of those buying the fight are what people keep calling 'the casuals' . so if the hardcore fans refused to pay for the PPV 'circus fights' it would make no difference. Those who don't usually watch boxing will outnumber them. It's a bit like manufactured pop acts charting at number one. So people who can appreciate quality will not usually go out and buy those singles, but those not that into music, or young inexperienced buyers who have an initial shorter attention span will pay to download something that does not take any understanding of nuance or musicianship or novelty or irony or subtlety etc and therefore make shite boybands go straight to number one.


So basically Haye and Bellew are like an older and uglier version of a boy band for casual fans.


Boxing is not about to die out. They have been saying that it is about to keel over for years.

[ono]

So we should be like the casuals, umm, no. And we shouldn't talk to each other like them either.

Yes, the circus is great for the casuals. But to come here with the real fight fans and discuss it as if it is valid because people are talking about it. My God, you're becoming casuals yourself.

Everything has its place, yes. And our place should be above validating what isn't valid. If you want to scream and shout with all those that don't care about a real fight that's super. Where I am genuinely offended is when people who know better come here and talk as if publicity equals validity. It's offensive to all logic and truth.

Again, so elitist. It's like you don't want to admit enjoying it because lesser intelligent casuals also enjoy it. Boxing is boxing. That's as simple as it gets. It was simply a world champion stepping up a weight to fight a former world champion. You seem mad that people wanted to watch it.

There would have been more discussion on her regarding the Thurman - Garcia fight had it not been a shitfest. What is there really to talk about? Thurman wasn't a decisive winner but nobody is arsed about them doing it again. Just about sums it up. There isn't a positive thing to say about it.

[Beanz]

Great thread. Sad that people defend the circus. At the highest levels there should be the highest levels of competition.

I joined Gandalf in not even watching the circus for free. I watched the real fight.

The one where both men refused to fight - utter shite/snoozefest Thurman v Garcia and they were booed from midway non stop until the end.

Haye v Bellew entertained, had loads of Drama and the crowd loved it.

I know which one i'd rather watch miss match or not

Yes, you're the target audience. The drama, the trash talk. I'm not the target audience, I prefer the sport of sport. I know I'll always be in the minority. But someone should speak up for sport because we know the crowds will always speak with their money for empty bluster.

Boxing hipster in the house.

You can't separate the purity of the sport from the out of the ring sideshow that comes with it. And why would you want to anyway? How can you care who wins if you turn a complete blind eye to their out of the ring personalities? I'm totally at a loss to how somebody could prefer the utter shitfest and letdown of a fight which was Thurman - Garcia to what we saw earlier on in the night.

From a purity point of view, if you ignore the build up and out of the ring bullshit, Haye and Bellew was still a much more entertaining fight. It just was and any argument on the contrary is pure boxing elitism.

....and Ono knows one when he reads one. He had that beard even before Moses though it might catch on..

[Alpha]

I think these fights have their place & when we get upsets like we did it adds even more layers to the sport.

[Spicoli]

Without fights like Haye v Bellew, circus, pantomim, drama etc the sport doesn't attract new fans.
Look at Floyds last 6-7 fights.... the main man in the sport who single handedly gave UFC more viewers on a fucking plate through running round the ring pot shotting his opponents.
Technically brilliant yes
Entertaining no

I'll watch two obscure 50-50 journeymen in a war before I make ufc a priority OR tune in for Floyd boxing by the numbers for $65.95, but it's not like Dana White and one of his biggest stars think Floyd is not the main attraction with all the 'match' talk going on.

The great thing about the sport is the depth, global spread and individuals. Boxing fans have many many options and endless networks.

[erics44]

there's nothing wrong with the fights you mentioned

I found them all entertaining, the fights and the build up and anticipation

whats the problem?

[Master]

there's nothing wrong with the fights you mentioned

I found them all entertaining, the fights and the build up and anticipation

whats the problem?

The problem is you think anything is worthy of ppv.

Absolutely anything.

[Fenster]

Anything is worthy if you can sell it.

Fans that "know" what's good or bad for the sport are always the most naive. Always telling everyone what money this fighter should accept or that fighter shouldn't accept. Always know best about who should fight who - when, where, what weight, for how much. Why everything should be free.

They know something the cunts swanning around in the Bentley's don't ()

[Master]

Problem is they could sell anything and eric will buy it.

AJ v Eubank Jnr next?

[erics44]

there's nothing wrong with the fights you mentioned

I found them all entertaining, the fights and the build up and anticipation

whats the problem?

The problem is you think anything is worthy of ppv.

Absolutely anything.

I don't think anything is PPV worthy

I never bought Bellew Clev 2

although I cant think of any others recently I haven't bought

[Master]

there's nothing wrong with the fights you mentioned

I found them all entertaining, the fights and the build up and anticipation

whats the problem?

The problem is you think anything is worthy of ppv.

Absolutely anything.

I don't think anything is PPV worthy

I never bought Bellew Clev 2

although I cant think of any others recently I haven't bought

There you go. Anything!

[erics44]

there's nothing wrong with the fights you mentioned

I found them all entertaining, the fights and the build up and anticipation

whats the problem?

The problem is you think anything is worthy of ppv.

Absolutely anything.

I don't think anything is PPV worthy

I never bought Bellew Clev 2

although I cant think of any others recently I haven't bought

There you go. Anything!

thing is tho I'm a boxing fan and if I don't buy them I wouldn't get to see them live

so what do I achieve by not buying them