Or the Don King business. Never heard of WealthTV. Anyways... Don King: No 'Thrilla's' lately, starts partnership with WealthTV to increase interest in boxing Count promoter Don King is among those who haven’t been pleased with what they’ve seen in the last couple of major boxing events. The man who gave the world “The Thrilla in Manila†and “The Rumble in the Jungle†thinks the recent boxing promotions have been more like “The Sting in the Ring†for those who shelled out money for tickets and Pay-Per-View. “They’re all mismatches. It’s not like the Thrilla in Manila — something that’s a masterpiece,†King said. “These guys are fighting each other because it’s something that the executives from the networks will buy. They underestimate the public. They underestimate people’s ability to judge. You have to give the people what they want and they will respond.†King is hoping that the public response will be favorable to his latest venture, a partnership with WealthTV, that will begin with the broadcast of the WBA cruiserweight title fight between champion Guillermo Jones and Mike Marrone at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla., on Nov. 5. “What I’m doing here is yesterday, today and tomorrow. That’s the theme I started with,†King said at a press conference announcing the deal in Manhattan yesterday. “I got a company that’s never done a boxing match before. It gives me the opportunity to produce and put on boxing shows as I did in Manila and Africa, those legendary fights that have been put out there for time immemorial. “I’m doing that with WealthTV because I’m not being dictated on what I should do. We will rise and fall on the merits of what we’re doing and on the people involved. That is what it should always be. Let the people be the judge.†WealthTV is a seven-year-old lifestyle and entertainment network that is available to about 10 million homes, primarily through Verizon Fios and AT&T U-verse cable systems. Boxing fans who don’t have those systems can get it streamed live through the WealthTV website, on their iPads and other Internet-connected devices. Robert Herring, CEO of WealthTV and his son, Charles, the president of the network, said they’re just boxing fans who want to make good fights available to other boxing fans. “Our bottom line is we want to bring boxing back to the masses. We want to bring boxing back to the people,†Charles Herring said. “We don’t want this $59.95 stuff. Show me a great fight, a WBA championship fight, and don’t make me pay extra for it.†Their deal is exclusive to King and all of the fights that he promotes in the U.S. With an inventory of boxers such as Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Julio Cesar Chavez and Felix Trinidad, King was once one of the biggest barons of boxing Pay-Per-View in the early days. But as the talent pool in the heavyweight division has dried up, so has the popularity of the sport. There are only two proven Pay-Per-View boxing commodities in the sport — Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. King doesn’t promoter either. King has scaled back the number of fights that he has been promoting in the last two years — to the point where many thought he had gotten out of the sport all together. He doesn’t have the inventory of boxers that he once had and recently lost the star of his promotion company, former junior welterweight champion Devon Alexander, to Golden Boy Promotions. King thinks he can go back to his roots and revive interest in the sport and use Wealth TV as a vehicle. Only time will tell whether that is the case. Even though he doesn’t have any boxing stars to offer, King seemed reinvigorated by his latest venture with WealthTV on Tuesday. Believe or not, he wants to offer dancing and singing along with boxing matches. “WealthTV is me. So whatever you want to see, this is what it’s going to be,†King said. “It’s a party. It’s a festival. It’s excitement. We’re going to give everyone an opportunity in the land of opportunity. This is what makes it a festival and an extravaganza. It’s not just a boxing match because don’t nobody know none of the fighters.†Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/m...n_king_no_thrillas_lately_.html#ixzz1buYgs4zz
Isn't that contradictory? We don't want boxing stars, after all, is it not "Boxing Stars" that we have been having pushed down our throat these past few years?? Anyways, if it is a USA-ONLY affair then fuck it. Even the RTE {Irish TV} streams seemed to work abroad.
