In 2008, nearly all of the old guard stars were crushed and more than likely retired: Roy Jones Jr. Felix Trinidad Oscar Dela Hoya Additionally, some stars simply chose to retire this year: Floyd Mayweather Jr. Joe Calzaghe Then you have the guys who won't be around for much longer: Shane Mosley Bernard Hopkins That leaves guys like Pacquiao, Hatton, Cotto, Pavlik, and a few others who are proven draws. Is this enough for our sport to survive?
I think it works more the opposite way: if the sport is big, it will create its own stars. ot even themost marketable athletes can make their sport a huge draw if the sport itself is not that. Boxing has been slowly sinking for quite a while and it will continue to do so despite of great fighters and fights
I think that's ignoring cross-over fans, fans who would not watch the sport if it were not for the stars/personalities. For instance, I know people who began watching MMA because of Brock Lesnar. These fans "crossed-over" from WWE/etc and are now considered MMA fans.
Building new stars is certainly a problem for boxing. Years ago, a lot of the up and coming fighters that became stars came through Tuesday Night Fights. Unfortunately, TNF is gone. What boxing needs to do is, strengthen their undercards. You have 2 million fans watching Oscar\Floyd, expose them to the best up and coming fighters you can find. And more importantly, make a big deal about it. How many PPV's have you watched where the undercard is just filler, time to waste before the Main Event comes on, and gets treated that way by the announcers? They need to make the undercard fights seem important again, and if they can't do that with meaningful fights like they used to, then at least push your prospects and give them the attention they deserve. Another thing they need to do is, show the results of the undercards. Even if there is only 1 or 2 fights being televised, what's stopping them from showing highlights from the non-televised fights? UFC does it all the time. Some of the best fights of the night are on the non-televised undercard. So what if the guy who won is 3-0? Give him the exposure while you have the opportunity. If you have to cut out some of those seemingly endless promo's between fights, do it. Nobody watches them anyway. Boxing is what it is. TNF is done. Saturday Afternoon boxing on national TV is done. So they need to take advantage when they can. Make the undercards meaningful, give bonuses for KO of the night, Fight of the night, etc, and that will generate interest and develop new stars. When the top 2 Boxing PPV's of 2008 included De La Hoya, Jones and Trinidad, that does not bode well for your future. It's time boxing makes a new future. TFK
It's not just "exposure", or maybe it's just a different kind of exposure that new stars, or emerging prospects aren't getting. Whether they're on television or not, the best way for new stars, or potential stars, to get exposure is by fighting established stars. But networks, promoters, fighters aren't exactly anxious to make those fights, because most don't represent huge $ for the people involved, and for the fighters, they're high risk/low reward. Unless a fighter has the right connections, and been carefully brought along and build up, like Jermain Taylor, it's hard to break through and even get a fight with someone like Bernard Hopkins.
Boxing is shooting itself in the foot by making fights with all these old timers. Joe Calzaghe? Roy? Oscar? Screw them all. Out with the old and in with the new. I'm ready to see some new life in boxing, I'm, sick and tired of all the PPV's featuring nearly retired fighters. They really need to spend time and money hyping up the prospects instead of wasting time with these old guys.
The promoters protect their fighters so much because of the undefeated mentality. In MMA, Randy Couture is a legend with 16 wins and 9 LOSSES. If boxers were more forgiven for their records, we may see more great fights and in turn better fighters. A 23-5 fighter is labeled a bum. I don't know how they will change that perception but it would help.
Don King was a genius at building stars on the undercards. No one does it anymore. And I'm with Z, I could care less about champions from the 90's fighting anymore. Pac should be fighting Juan Diaz, Timothy Bradley, and even Hatton. Pavlik should be fighting Abraham. Instead they fight the stars and champs of yesteryear.:doh:
Yep, that's another thing that kills me. Undefeated records don't mean much these days. Usually it means the guy hasn't fought anyone good. It's all about building that big undefeated record. Personally, most of the guys I really like have losses, and it's because they were man enough to fight good fighters. So much is wrong with boxing.
This is why the death of BAD, in it's original form, was such a problem for HBO and the sport. Now, the prospects are just as protected as the stars. Even that much-heralded triple-header with Gamboa, Angulo, Kirkland - supposedly a return to the glory days of BAD - were all set-ups.
other than top rank there have been no promoters able to build legitimate attractions the past decade.
Do they even try? Gary Shaw and Dan Goossen don't seem to. Golden Boy doesn't seem like they know how to. Don King's been nearing retirement the second half the past decade.
Boxing never gives shit back to their fans..... Hatton vs. Pacquiao.....should not be on PPV....should not be on HBO or Showtime...it should be NBC/ABC/CBS...on a Saturday night on prime time....a fight that would generate some interest back to boxing..or at least on the two guys fighting that night...... but NO...it will take place on PPV..with the same 500-600K buying BOXING FANS...and nobody will see Manny Pacquiao on prime time....no NEW fans will be made.....:doh::crying: throw in flashy Gamboa vs. some in the undercard......a banger/brawler like Litzau vs. another banger....and you can have a very successful night of boxing.........PRIME TIME...
We have good up and comers. Stars come out of nowhere. Nobody knew who israel vazquez was before he fought marquez, nobody knew who mosley was until he fough oscar. Manny came up when he beat Barrera. Don't underestimate the sport. We need the names, right, but we also need the underdogs that end up at the upper echeleon... and that we have plenty of, it's a matter of time and timing...
Well Calzaghe is a huge draw in the U.K (not here in the states). I was trying to include our friends across the Atlantic.
Thats true he is. On HBO he has record setting low numbers for ratings. As well as bombing a 24-7 PPV.
