Showtime is probably out of boxing

Haymon got HBO and showtime out of boxing

All down hill for HBO once he got his hooks in kery davis

 

It is very hard to make money in boxing these days. Everybody that laces up gloves is convinced that they should get millions, and not every fighter, or fight, is worth all that much.
When you are trying to do local shows- which are the backbone of boxing- and all the 4 round guys want $2000 or more but they can't/won't sell tickets...it kills shows and puts promoters out of business. It works the same if you are putting on shows in local halls or on Showtime; you have to know what a fight is worth.

 

it doesnt help when certain top level promoters willingly overpay for venues and purses because of alternate motives

 

Showtime Yes, HBO No...

It Waa "All Down Hill for HBO" Once They Decided to Compete AGAINST Haymon, Floyd and Haymon's Catalogue of Fighters...Basically, HBO Got THEMSELVES Out of Boxing...



REED

 

When REED was Doing Clubshow Matchmaking in Texas, House Fighters Took the SHORT End of the Stick, Contractually Speaking, Knowing They'd Do MORE Than Alright in Ticket Sales...

Some Guys LITERALLY Signed $1 Fight Contracts, Because the Commission WOULDN'T Allow $0 Contracts...



REED

 

I always hated his voice

 

the whole scenario with davis, xavier james, golden boy and haymon was suspicious at best. and lead to the ultimate downfall

 

I think you guys really tend to overestimate the importance of boxing. With Neil, I think you like to pretend that Haymon is more powerful in the world than he really is.

I assure you that the MAIN reason HBO dumped boxing was to put all their resources into streaming, because Netflix changed the game in 2013 when they started producing original content. Before that, HBO was king in the original content space.

You think it's some type of coincidence that only 4-5 years later, and boxing was dumped? Lol. It's no coincidence.

I'm not saying Haymon played NO PART. I'm sure it was a contributing factor. But no offense, you guys are dreaming if you think it's the main reason.

Netflix killed HBO Boxing. Not Al Haymon. Yall are overrating boxing's influence.

I guaran-fucking-tee you that had Netflix remained a DVD service, and the streaming wars never existed, there would still be boxing on HBO.

 

Boxing was most relevant to HBO in the 80s and 90s, because in those two decades, boxing was their main production focus. They weren't producing many of their hit documentaries until the 90s-ish I believe, so for a long time, boxing was truly their bread and butter in terms of original content.

That all changed circa late 90s when they created Oz, then it REALLY exploded when they created The Sopranos. At that point, the shift had already started, and their focuses became less about boxing and licensing movies from Studios, and more about producing original content.

When another company (Netflix) threatened that, of course they were bound to dump productions (boxing) they deemed as less important.

It's not about Al Haymon. Al Haymon, sorry to say, is a fucking nobody to a conglomerate, and their ultimate plans.

 

Still, it is undeniable that HBO boxing was shit once Top Rank and Haymon were gone. They had nothing to show. I remember the last year or two of matchups was pure crap.

 

Like I said, I'm not claiming it wasn't a contributing factor.

I just think HBO had bigger focuses.

 

You might be taking a limited perspective. Boxing is continually evolving. I'm sure that there were individuals with a myopic view who felt the same way when radio broadcasters in boxing were replaced by television, or when boxing magazines transitioned to online boxing websites. I'm sure once Showtime is gone something bigger and better will come along to fill that void.

 

Back in my late teens, before I had proper jobs, I worked for a company where my boss's retired dad helped out. We had a slow gig, mostly answering calls and assisting senior citizens with computer problems a mix of customer service and tech support. Now, here's the funny part. Even back then I was a big boxing fan. I remember shooting the shit with my coworker, who happened to be my boss's dad, about boxing and the Showtime crew. He mentioned he liked the Showtime crew but couldn't stand one good-looking guy in particular. I couldn't figure out who he meant, maybe Al Bernstein or someone else. It was just one of those amusing moments because I never really thought of those guys as "good looking." Maybe Marvin?

 

Had to be steve albert. Certainly would not have been pacheco.

 

Yup

 

Hehe, like the old proverb says, in the land of the blind, the one eyed is king

 

It’s really shutting down soon. Very sad news.
Showtime Boxing to shut down by end of 2023

 

Read between the lines of Espinosa's quote. I've been telling you guys from the longest that Haymon and his stable had little to do with HBO leaving boxing.

 

HBO higher ups got fed up blowing their budget on shitty fights Kery Davis approved for Haymon. how many times did andre berto fight some no hoper for a 7 figure HBO Payday?

you think if they used their budget more responsibly, put on better fights that got higher ratings and more subscribers that they would have exited the game at the same point? unlikely

 

Peacock is now streaming fights.

 

Good to know. Right now I only have Peacock because they have the Premier League, but nice to see they've added boxing.

 

Some bullshit UK promotion called boxxer snagged a NBC deal

Great for us stateside viewers who get to check out 4 to 8 hours of awful 10 rounder domestic level trash before the mediocre main event

 

Take me back to the 90s, please.

 

Plus the sideline in YouTube material and guys doing their own channels and own interviews. I don't need various subscriptions to see guys training or doing interviews.

The entire HBO experience peaked over here around 2008. Prior to that they dictated everything. What Lou DiBigBalls said was Law.

Now nobody gives a fuck about Lou DiBella or HBO, or Sky, and haven't for years.

 

You can also add to the fact that fighters are extremely inactive now and asking for silly money. I’m all for fighters getting paid. But you got guys asking for 15-20 million to fight non-elite fighters. Look how many fights haven’t gotten made and fights today that still don’t get made. Even someone like myself who loves the sport has really fallen out when it comes to it.

It’s not nostalgia either. We just aren’t getting the fights we want.

 

I don't think boxing moved the subscriber needle enough in their minds, regardless of the quality of fights.

Us boxing fans, even when you add in casuals, comprised a VERY small percentage of the market.

At the time boxing was canceled, I think the network had determined that the vast vast majority of their subs were their for the original content, and it had been that way for a long time.

I don't think anything could have saved boxing on HBO. For the 100th time, HBO Boxing was doomed as soon as Netflix started cranking out hit originals.

 

I agree with Bernard all those suckers crying about showtime leaving boxing. Pathetic real men embrace changes. No they welcome it. God I love this guy. My favorite black boxer after Tyson.

 

That's all fine and dandy but you would think HBO would want to keep boxing since Netflix doesn't offer any type of live streaming of any sports. Totally different arenas. Are you saying Netflix kicked their assess and they had to trim the fat. And the weakest link was HBO boxing? Do you know how many years I paid for HBO just for the boxing? As I'm sure many of you did too. You say we are overrating the importance of boxing and I say you're selling it short.