Hi there boxing followers and devoted haters. Right here’s one other week’s value of my bulbous sack, bulging with gooey, salty fact, in your face. Get pleasure from. This week, we now have feedback/questions concerning boxing’s future, Sebastian Fundora, Pitbull-Valenzuela, and the phrase on Osleys Iglesias.
Boxing’s (Shaky) Future
Suckers are born on a regular basis for certain. At this level within the recreation, I’m starting to really feel like a sucker for nonetheless following boxing. It’s like asking concerning the whereabouts of that ex girlfriend who cheated on you.
Let’s be sincere Paul, the tip is close to and we now have nothing to indicate for it. I generally discover it fascinating the way you provide you with shit to jot down about. The reality is that there isn’t shit to jot down about. The game has been operating on fumes for nearly a decade. Boxing has been working at a loss for fairly someday.
I guess if we employed a forensic accountant to have a look at the books of all boxing associated occasions from the previous decade, I’m certain they’ll be a adverse stability someplace within the extra of a billion {dollars}.
The demand for the large fights merely isn’t there. As a lot as we need to see Canelo v Benavidez, Crawford v Ennis, Tank v Loma. These fights aren’t crossover fights to fulfill the purses calls for of the fighters and generate income. Personally, I don’t assume we’ll ever see a crossover struggle in our lifetime.
How is that this sport going to outlive with out shopper calls for that extends past the hardcore followers?
– Na’-il Rahman
Hey Na’-il.
All the pieces you say is true. Boxing’s enterprise mannequin just isn’t sustainable and there’s no effort by any of the promoters to shift to a brand new mannequin.
There are a variety of exhausting truths that no person needs to deal with and that’s why issues gained’t get higher any time quickly. The fan base is shrinking (particularly within the US), there’s nearly no effort to develop the bottom, constructive revenue margin is untenable, and the product is mostly weak.
Boxing is lucky to have discovered a number of cash marks during the last decade or so to create bubbles. PBC, DAZN, and now the Saudis have injected tons of cash into the game to try to flip boxing right into a for-profit-business. PBC and DAZN saved the game afloat with their investments, however they each have needed to reduce and be extra frugal with their cash. The Saudis simply obtained into the boxing enterprise, however they’ll discover out as properly that boxing, as it really works proper now, is a cash pit. I don’t care how wealthy you’re, in some unspecified time in the future you get sick of working within the pink.
Saturday’s Saudi present in Los Angeles has reportedly been a little bit of an eye-opener for the Saudis as, even with a reasonably sound card, an Eminem live performance, massive ticket reductions, and a luxurious care giveaway, they’re nonetheless having issues promoting tickets. In keeping with what I’ve heard, they’ve needed to resort to some chicanery in shifting tickets round to create the impression of demand. We might very properly hear that BMO Stadium was bought out on August 3, however a variety of these tickets might have been purchased up by the occasion organizers, themselves.
Boxing exhibits can nonetheless succeed financially, however the success as of late is nearly all the time attributable to issue past the standard of the particular fights. High quality fights are not sufficient to promote a card as a result of, sadly, there simply aren’t sufficient followers to understand whether or not a matchup is sweet or not. If anybody questions that, they simply have to have a look at the Crawford-Spence struggle final yr, which was universally interesting to hardcore boxing followers and had generated a “don’t pirate this present” buzz. The occasion nonetheless solely topped out at 650K buys. And, whereas 650k is taken into account superb as of late, the numbers weren’t so spectacular for a long-awaited showdown that many hardcore followers thought to be THE struggle to make in all of boxing.
What this sport wants is an effective financial collapse to facilitate a wholesome rebuild. Sadly, simply as we appear headed in that route, some new cash mark comes alongside to place some cash in pockets and quickly delay the inevitable.
As in your final query. Nicely, they’re simply going to maintain doing what they’ve already been doing– cross the hat to the followers for just about the whole lot, aggressively milking the loyalists till they get sick of it and stroll away. Nice marketing strategy!
3 Questions
Hey Paul,
3 fast questions
1. Why would not Sebastian Fundora get extra credit score for his win over Tim Tszyu? He fought his ass off with a badly damaged nostril from early on of their struggle and prevailed. That lower was unhealthy on Tszyu little question however Fundora needed to dig deep to get that win.
2. I believe Pitbull Cruz higher watch out in opposition to Jose Valenuela. That child is the dimensions of Rollo Romero however can struggle. Pitbull appears slightly undersized for that division.
3. What’s your tackle SMW Osleys Iglesias? I believe Benavidez and Morrell must cope with him down the street he appears to be that good.
– John
Hey John.
I’ll deal with these so as.
1. It’s simply a lot simpler to deal with Tszyu due to the blood and the truth that the gash was attributable to an unintentional foul, reasonably than Fundora’s damage, which was attributable to a punch. Plus, Tszyu has change into a fan favourite and a media darling. So, it’s under no circumstances stunning to see him get the advantage of any doubt.
2. Agreed. I commute on Cruz. Generally, I really feel that he’s underrated and generally I see him as wildly overrated. In Valenzuela, he’s preventing somebody who can field slightly, in addition to punch. I see that Valenzuela is a few +330 betting underdog proper now. I’d soar at these odds as a result of I believe “Rayo” has a extremely good likelihood of pulling off the upset.
3. Iglesias is an actual expertise. He’s not as fluid or as technically gifted as Morrell, however he’s obtained very heavy fingers and an actual warrior’s mindset. He’ll be harmful for certain.
Bought a query (or hate mail) for Magno’s Bulging Mail Sack? The perfect of the most effective will get included within the weekly mailbag phase proper right here at FightHype. Ship your stuff right here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com.