Last week I wrote about some of the issues that have led to the current conditions in the boxing marketplace. A lot has been spoken about this subject in light of the recent alliance that was formed between Turki Alalshikh, Dana White and Nick Khan, and what it means for the future of the industry.
Here's a link to that column:
https://snac.com/blogs/k-9-kims-corner/how-did-we-get-here
Now, this isn't an endorsement or condemnation of TKO Boxing. The reality is that it's too early to forecast anything, there are still too many unknowns regarding this venture. But I wanted to continue the discussion on what I think has caused boxing to be in the position it's in (at least in America).
As I like to say, it's never just one thing, but a little bit of everything.
There was a time when boxing was a mainstream sport, up there with the likes of baseball (formerly our national pastime) and football (now our national passion). But now it's largely -- at least in America -- a niche sport which is extremely lucrative for the top 1-percent involved.
So how did we get to this point? Well, here are some things that I think were a part of this descent...
- The reliance on casino venues. Yeah, now this is one of the bigger issues in my view. There used to be a time when major metropolitan cities all across the United States regularly hosted big fights. From Chicago, to Philadelphia and Boston, among others, were solid boxing markets. While Los Angeles and certainly New York, were the big hubs.
MGM Grand
It created natural activity for boxers in those regions, local newspapers and media outlets almost had no choice but to cover the sport (or at least those particular cards) and fans were cultivated in those areas.
Well, as casino's popped up in locales such as Las Vegas and then Atlantic City, and they started enticing promoters with site fees, free room and comped meals, more and more events were shipped off to these venues. To be fair, it's hard to blame promoters for taking such deals given that their financial risk was now mitigated, and hey, this is a business. The bottom line, matters.
But over time, what you've seen is that even the likes of L.A. and 'the Big Apple' don't even host as many major fight cards as they once did. While the aforementioned cities are no longer really boxing towns. And with that you have seen gyms close up, and media coverage in those areas became greatly diminished throughout the years.
Matchroom Boxing
It's been shown in recent years that boxers who are showcased in their hometowns can become attractions. Terence Crawford in Omaha, Nebraska, and Jaron Ennis in Philadelphia are examples) But too often, boxers are shipped off to stale casino environments with no chance of an actual fan-base ever being built.
- OK, here's another one that has bugged me for awhile. There used to be a time when super fights like Sugar Ray Leonard-Thomas Hearns would air a couple of weeks after they took place, not just on HBO, but on ABC. Yeah, true story.
In fact, that's how I got to first view that fight as a child in Valencia, California. That's really how I saw many of the major bouts of the 80's because the reality is that not only were my Korean parents not going to get this new thing called 'cable TV' they really weren't going to pay even more for an HBO subscription. (I mean, paying for television? That's a crazy idea.)
Sports Illustrated
Here was ABC's rebroadcast of that iconic duel, with both boxers in-studio with Howard Cossell:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56z4zl5z-OQ1
But even HBO fights, and later Showtime, would be replayed on the over-the-air networks. So just think about how many more viewers they got over time compared to when one of the premium cable networks only had the rights for the rebroadcasts?
I was told many years ago that they wanted exclusivity. Well, they certainly got it, alright. But at what cost to the game?
This problem no longer really exists since both of HBO and Showtime have shuttered their boxing programs, and lets be honest, many of the pay-per-view fights are now uploaded on YouTube the day after they occur. In fact, Turki Alalshikh does it on his own YouTube channel.
-- Finally, not having the likes of ABC, CBS and NBC in the boxing game has been discussed ad nauseam the past few decades. But what really irks me is the lack of franchises like USA's Tuesday Night, ShoBox, 'Solo Boxeo' on Telefutura or ESPN's 'Friday Night Fights'.
Yeah, the bouts weren't always great, but they provided an outlet for young talent to develop, and they were an avenue for the smaller promoters to be able to push their boxers on a national stage. It also allowed established boxers to stay more active in-between their bigger, more lucrative assignments on the premium cable outlets.
USA
Generally, these cards were fun, and every once-in-awhile you'd get a good fight. But make no doubt about it, these series helped move along many careers, especially those who were not attached to a major promoter.
3KR
This week on 'the 3 Knockdown Rule', Mario Lopez and I reviewed the past week in boxing, and a preview of Sebastian Fundora-Chordale Booker:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83J_SMHmaKQ&t=1s
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