BOXING REVIVED or DOOMED

[aquariusone]

As I sat through 12 rounds of dull and uneventful match up between a heavyweight giant - Klitschko - and a tiny "heavyweight" Jennings, I could not help but wonder what next Saturday's fight would do...

[steveOtoo]

I think PBF is too interested in preserving his 0. He's not going to risk it.

[Highwayman]

Boxing will never die in my corner!New blood will replace the old.There will always be
some corruption, bad judging and badly fought fights but boxing will move on its not only
a sport its a business always has been.

[aquariusone]

I agree with you both...to a certain extent.

However, with the magnitude of this event; the insane amount of money these two are bound to earn for 36 minutes or less; the phenomenal focus this has garnered not only with fans but also the general public - in the world; anything short of "spectacular show" is bound to have serious consequences. No one wants to be taken for a fool. LAS VEGAS next week will be the centre of the sports entertainment world - if you can afford to get there.

Thus, I am inclined to think that if these two have any sense of responsibility or accountability for the magnitude of their role in this event, they have to come out and fight - like Gatti/Ward; Ali/Frazier; Hearns/Hagler; etc. They have to earn the respect of those clinging to their boxing shorts!

[steveOtoo]

I agree with you both...to a certain extent.

However, with the magnitude of this event; the insane amount of money these two are bound to earn for 36 minutes or less; the phenomenal focus this has garnered not only with fans but also the general public - in the world; anything short of "spectacular show" is bound to have serious consequences. No one wants to be taken for a fool. LAS VEGAS next week will be the centre of the sports entertainment world - if you can afford to get there.

Thus, I am inclined to think that if these two have any sense of responsibility or accountability for the magnitude of their role in this event, they have to come out and fight - like Gatti/Ward; Ali/Frazier; Hearns/Hagler; etc. They have to earn the respect of those clinging to their boxing shorts!Hope your right or this is going to set things back for a while....................

[The Cobra]

That`s a couple of us aqua that have hopes on some kind of revival.....although i really don`t see anything of any magnitude on the horizon.

[aquariusone]

There is a change in Mayweather's behavior for this fight, as I have alluded elsewhere here. No brash talks. No egotistical outburst (except for his uncle and father). Not just me but a few sports writers have noticed that this is not the same guy who has been known to have battered 5 different women, jailed for one conviction. No temper tantrums. NOTHING! He has been carrying on with a "gentlemanly" posture.

So I think there is hope that a more serious Mayweather is prepared to show his "true grit" - that he can win a war and truly crown himself "The Best Ever".

That is what I am hoping for. Meet Pacquiao head on....like Vin Diesel and Jason Statham in Furious Seven. Let the sparks fly and let the fireworks be inside the ring; not just above and overhead the MGM Grand.

[TLG]

Boxing is a curious thing and means different things to different fans ..
there is one type of fan that expects , for his own entertainment, that fighters go in the ring, square up and punch each other out
in a rock'em sock'em contest. Then there are others who want to see a well fought, smart, choreography of execution and excellence.

Anyone who was ever entered a ring, for even one round , goes in with a plan, and top priority of that plan is to NOT GET HIT or to avoid
the strick ,,,

Given the experience and mastery of these two great fighter, I can guarantee you this will NOT be a display of a rock'em sock'em contest

To answer the question of what kind of fight this will be ,, Given that on one side if the ring there's one of the most prolific punchers the
sport has ever seen and on the other side there's one of the best defensive counter puncher the sport has ever seen ,,, I say we're in for a
treat ,, we're in for a beautiful display of offense, defense, counter, duck, dodge and repeat ,,,,,

The first 6 rounds will dictate Manny's fate ,,, each and every round after that diminishes his chances of victory ,,,, Floyd is a master of
defence and Oscar and Bernard will attest to that , and if anyone can prolong a fight into the later rounds , Floyd tops the list.

Look for Floyd to win this fight by decision.

[The Cobra]

Boxing is a curious thing and means different things to different fans ..
there is one type of fan that expects , for his own entertainment, that fighters go in the ring, square up and punch each other out
in a rock'em sock'em contest. Then there are others who want to see a well fought, smart, choreography of execution and excellence.

Anyone who was ever entered a ring, for even one round , goes in with a plan, and top priority of that plan is to NOT GET HIT or to avoid
the strick ,,,

Given the experience and mastery of these two great fighter, I can guarantee you this will NOT be a display of a rock'em sock'em contest

To answer the question of what kind of fight this will be ,, Given that on one side if the ring there's one of the most prolific punchers the
sport has ever seen and on the other side there's one of the best defensive counter puncher the sport has ever seen ,,, I say we're in for a
treat ,, we're in for a beautiful display of offense, defense, counter, duck, dodge and repeat ,,,,,

The first 6 rounds will dictate Manny's fate ,,, each and every round after that diminishes his chances of victory ,,,, Floyd is a master of
defence and Oscar and Bernard will attest to that , and if anyone can prolong a fight into the later rounds , Floyd tops the list.

Look for Floyd to win this fight by decision.



I`ll just be happy if both of them aren`t so senile they forget where they`re supposed to fight, which nite or how to get there.


Kidding aside.......I`m looking at it about the same as you bud except I don`t see a whole lot of excitement fight wise. the crowd will create much more excitement than anything in the ring.

PBF by decision

[Highwayman]

There is a change in Mayweather's behavior for this fight, as I have alluded elsewhere here. No brash talks. No egotistical outburst (except for his uncle and father). Not just me but a few sports writers have noticed that this is not the same guy who has been known to have battered 5 different women, jailed for one conviction. No temper tantrums. NOTHING! He has been carrying on with a "gentlemanly" posture.

So I think there is hope that a more serious Mayweather is prepared to show his "true grit" - that he can win a war and truly crown himself "The Best Ever".

That is what I am hoping for. Meet Pacquiao head on....like Vin Diesel and Jason Statham in Furious Seven. Let the sparks fly and let the fireworks be inside the ring; not just above and overhead the MGM Grand.

I think you can call it scared to death!Floyd can no longer avoid!Technically PBF should win the fight
he`s the bigger man has less fights never ko`ed but PBF has a glass jaw and weak hands a glass jaw
that has never been tested but he hasnt fought the Pacman!

[aquariusone]

I think you can call it scared to death! Floyd can no longer avoid!Technically PBF should win the fight
he`s the bigger man has less fights never ko`ed but PBF has a glass jaw and weak hands a glass jaw
that has never been tested but he hasnt fought the Pacman!

I am glad you said it. Although speculative, and no one really knows what is inside that mind, your second statement is true: he has not been hit hard and often enough to lose! The dramatic change in behavior for this fight is intriguing and it opens up all kinds of explanations (speculations).


Boxing is a curious thing and means different things to different fans ..
there is one type of fan that expects , for his own entertainment, that fighters go in the ring, square up and punch each other out
in a rock'em sock'em contest. Then there are others who want to see a well fought, smart, choreography of execution and excellence.

Anyone who was ever entered a ring, for even one round , goes in with a plan, and top priority of that plan is to NOT GET HIT or to avoid
the strick ,,,

Given the experience and mastery of these two great fighter, I can guarantee you this will NOT be a display of a rock'em sock'em contest

To answer the question of what kind of fight this will be ,, Given that on one side if the ring there's one of the most prolific punchers the
sport has ever seen and on the other side there's one of the best defensive counter puncher the sport has ever seen ,,, I say we're in for a
treat ,, we're in for a beautiful display of offense, defense, counter, duck, dodge and repeat ,,,,,

The first 6 rounds will dictate Manny's fate ,,, each and every round after that diminishes his chances of victory ,,,, Floyd is a master of
defence and Oscar and Bernard will attest to that , and if anyone can prolong a fight into the later rounds , Floyd tops the list.

Look for Floyd to win this fight by decision.

You cover above from the perspective of a true boxing fan. However, out of the anticipated more than 3.5 million PPVers, I suspect that there would be less than 500,000, maybe even smaller number who could be "true boxing afficionados".

Many who do not follow boxing at all will be watching because they have heard of Pacquiao (as a statesman-politician, charitable personality) fighting against an "notorious" infamous bad dude personality. True or not, it is the good guy/bad guy perspective that is driving a massive number, who would never tune in to boxing, to watch it.

(And that explains Cobra's statement: "many rooting for Pacquiao (good) but subconsciously accepting that Mayweather (bad) could be the eventual winner."

My hope, for the good of boxing, is that all would be fair and square about this match. That the nefarious gangster/mafioso activities (buying off judges, referee, etc.) would have nothing to do with the outcome.But where ever millions of dollars could be easily made, evil and the dark side of humanity lurks.

[rudee]

Boxing will never die.. we are animals... just a higher form, (which is arguable sometimes)..
Hence we love any kind of violence or hurt... same reason everyone wants to see the aftermath
of a car accident...
This is the same reason UFC got so popular... two people beating the crap out of each other.
PLUS,,, way too much money to be made in boxing... legal and illegal.
Look at all the saps paying thousands for ringside for this big fight..
Plus the blue collar workers forking out $100 for ppv...
This keeps boxing going.
The great Circus Barker said... "there's a sucker born every minute!" Hit the nail on the head!

[The Cobra]

You`re right rudee, boxing won`t dry up and die mainly because there is too much money to be made. I think many of us were insinuating was that boxing doesn`t have the big names anymore after this fight to attract world wide attention like it once did.

[rudee]

Exactly right amigo Cobra! That is where fighters like Crawford, GGG, Danny Boy and a few others,
have the boxing prestige on their shoulders.
Manny, Floyd, Ward, ect. ect. are pretty much have beens grasping for that last $$$.
I sure as hell will not pay to see them.
I am super excited about Crawford. Haven't seen a young fighter like him in a long time.
Hopefully more of him on the horizon.
Us Mexicanos need another Julio Caesar Chavez or a Salvador Sanchez.

[TLG]

Actually every fighter becomes a have been one day
And ,, it's before they become have beens, they make a few bucks

[aquariusone]

The whole thread is about an extraordinary opportunity where boxing could conceivable be introduced to millions of "first-time" (boxing sport) viewers.

For most of us, regardless of the outcome of this Saturday's match, it will have no bearing on our level of interest in the sport.

For the millions watching this spectacle for the first time, should all the hoopla dissipate after the bell sounds in the 1st round, because the two supposed to be the best P4P boxers of this decade decide to "hide and seek" instead of boxing, then this grand opportunity to attract future viewers would be wasted.

Sure we have some very good and exciting prospects in the lower divisions today but none of them at this point in time command any attention world-wide. Their popularity is extremely limited and local. There are some very good boxers in UK, Europe, and Asia, but then again, they, too, are only known locally.

Therefore, I stand by the concept that Mayweather and Pacquiao could create a momentum of interest-worldwide-by how they perform this Saturday. It is boom or bust!

[TLG]

The biggest problem I see with boxing is the model by which it is being run.
And the problem makers are HBO and Showtime, because they choose to
broadcast the fights through Pay Per View. Which is good business for them
but bad for the sport.

Let's take a look at the numbers, it has been announced that they are going
to sell 5 Million PPV's for the fight. If we look at the demographics of the broadcast
The USA, Canada and Mexico population 500 Million ,,, England and Europe 740 Million
The Philippines 100 Million ,,, Not Including South America 400 Million and Russia 150 Million
(who also have fighters and a fighting audience). We'll concentrate on 1 Billion potential viewers.
and lets average 4 persons per household,, that's 250 Million potential homes.

Of those, 5 Million sells by PPV equates to roughly 2% and if we include South America and
Russia,, the fight will be made available to roughly less than 1% of the potential viewers.
And that right there is Bad Business.

Compare those numbers to other sporting events like Football, Basketball, Baseball, Hockey ...
The Superbowl was viewed by 100 Million viewers divided by 4 persons per household was
sold to 25 Million houses or 25% of the 400 Million North American viewers. And generates
Billions of dollars in profits. Further to that, the model is preceded by, high school and college
programs which produce the the professional field product. And why is it like that? Because
it's free to viewers. And that is GOOD BUSINESS.

By it's model, boxing is left far far behind, it's left in dark, dingy, stinky, sweat smelling
boxing clubs, run by ex boxers living in their past glory days. And by stingy greedy broadcasting
executives.

For boxing to succeed, it needs to be introduced from the bottom up ,, including high
school, college, national and inter national programs and finally better supported olympic
programs. Only then will we be introduced to boxing talent.

And lastly ,, get rid of PPV events, and get the matches to the masses.

As an example,, one area where we are seeing much success right now
is in soccer. North American soccer is relatively new to viewers and in a
very short time soccer, has already spawned real teams with legitimate
players playing in filled arenas with screaming fans. And it's getting bigger.

Oh yeah,,, and it's free.

[The Cobra]

The biggest problem I see with boxing is the model by which it is being run.
And the problem makers are HBO and Showtime, because they choose to
broadcast the fights through Pay Per View. Which is good business for them
but bad for the sport.

Let's take a look at the numbers, it has been announced that they are going
to sell 5 Million PPV's for the fight. If we look at the demographics of the broadcast
The USA, Canada and Mexico population 500 Million ,,, England and Europe 740 Million
The Philippines 100 Million ,,, Not Including South America 400 Million and Russia 150 Million
(who also have fighters and a fighting audience). We'll concentrate on 1 Billion potential viewers.
and lets average 4 persons per household,, that's 250 Million potential homes.

Of those, 5 Million sells by PPV equates to roughly 2% and if we include South America and
Russia,, the fight will be made available to roughly less than 1% of the potential viewers.
And that right there is Bad Business.

Compare those numbers to other sporting events like Football, Basketball, Baseball, Hockey ...
The Superbowl was viewed by 100 Million viewers divided by 4 persons per household was
sold to 25 Million houses or 25% of the 400 Million North American viewers. And generates
Billions of dollars in profits. Further to that, the model is preceded by, high school and college
programs which produce the the professional field product. And why is it like that? Because
it's free to viewers. And that is GOOD BUSINESS.

By it's model, boxing is left far far behind, it's left in dark, dingy, stinky, sweat smelling
boxing clubs, run by ex boxers living in their past glory days. And by stingy greedy broadcasting
executives.

For boxing to succeed, it needs to be introduced from the bottom up ,, including high
school, college, national and inter national programs and finally better supported olympic
programs. Only then will we be introduced to boxing talent.

And lastly ,, get rid of PPV events, and get the matches to the masses.

As an example,, one area where we are seeing much success right now
is in soccer. North American soccer is relatively new to viewers and in a
very short time soccer, has already spawned real teams with legitimate
players playing in filled arenas with screaming fans. And it's getting bigger.

Oh yeah,,, and it's free.



well said TLG................very well said.

[aquariusone]

You have me agreeing with you Monsieur TLG!

(It's always nice to know that someone takes the initiative to digest, digress, and evaluate a topic to provide a meaningful and an excellent food for thought!)