This boxing world of ours, full of politics and sloppy promotion-as-news, wants a bull-load of gooey, salty reality shot into its ear hole– and I’m simply the toro to do it. So, step again and watch me wash away the boxing ignorance. This week, we now have feedback/questions relating to the odd split-event Beterbiev-Bivol/Shakur-Cordina present, Saudi boxing involvement, extra…
Shakur-Cordina, On PPV?
Hello Paul.
I needed to rub my eyes and clear my glasses after I noticed that Matchroom was planning on making Shakur Stevenson vs. Joe Cordina the principle occasion of a DAZN PPV that includes the remainder of the Beterbiev-Bivol undercard, with Beterbiev-Bivol airing on ESPN+. What are these individuals considering? What sort of psychological faulty sucker would purchase that present with out the one struggle (Beterbiev-Bivol) that may make it price shopping for? What a solution to start the Matchroom-Stevenson alliance! My guess is that they don’t even do five-digit gross sales within the US. What say you?
– Jerry from Chicago.
Hey Jerry.
It’s spectacularly silly. I get that Prime Rank has the rights to Beterbiev fights, however I might have assumed that Matchroom was vivid sufficient to provide you with some kind of broadcast association the place they might a minimum of broadcast Beterbiev-Bivol as a part of their DAZN PPV present. There’s completely no means Shakur-Cordina does nicely on pay-per-view. This really makes me wonder if Matchroom’s signing of Stevenson wasn’t funded by the Saudis, a minimum of partly. The primary struggle of their 2-fight deal might be an excessive cash loss for Matchroom. No firm working itself like an actual firm would voluntarily hemorrhage cash like this.
The split-event nonsense can be horrible for followers who wish to see the whole occasion. They’re going to should pay twice to see all the present. Nevertheless, I’ll concede that it may be good for individuals who simply wish to see the principle occasion and never all of the filler beneath it.
After The Gravy Practice…And A Thanks
As a Boxing fan for over 50 years, I’ve seen a number of issues come and go.
Sadly, the game is now at a possible low ebb.
Regardless of Saudi deep pockets giving us some matches we now have wished to see, I’m wondering what number of media corporations will proceed to take a position cash in a sport with a dwindling fan base and former champions, social media content material creators, superstar hacks and con males promoting PPV exhibitions as Boxing.
Your article at this time on the attainable finish of the Saudi gravy prepare is stellar and should studying for any critical fan. Will probably be attention-grabbing to see which different writers decide up on the concepts in your story and make them their very own.
Thanks.
Please preserve doing what you do.
– John
Hey John.
I actually respect your variety phrases. If I generally is a bit indulgent for a second, there’s no actual reward in me making an attempt to talk the reality as I see it in a means which will have some impression. Media colleagues don’t acknowledge my contributions and truly work to freeze me out of the discourse. Even those who like me and my work, won’t ever say so publicly. They ship me “attaboys” privately so their colleagues don’t see them doing it. There’s additionally no cash in doing what I do. All I’ve to go on is the faintest notion that my phrases are resonating someplace, which regularly crashes up with the truth that, in the event that they do resonate, they most likely might be stolen by media individuals with larger platforms. This has been occurring to me for 17 years now. So, when readers write to me and let me know that I’m a minimum of a bit bit good, nicely, it feels good.
As for the Saudi stuff…
There are such a lot of the reason why this take care of the satan might be dangerous for boxing in the long term.
One of many unmentioned risks in all of that is that the Saudis’ curiosity in just about the whole lot exterior of oil is unstable and determined by the whims of 1 man– Prince Mohammed bin Salman. We’ve seen large modifications in Saudi funding technique and their view on enterprise with outsiders, simply over the previous couple of years. So, what occurs if we flip the whole lot over to them, allow them to bankroll a lot of the high-end exercise and name so lots of the shots– after which they simply cease? The place do we discover the funding after we’ve lower ourselves off from the actual world (even additional)? How will we restart our enterprise mannequin after we abruptly have to begin working within the black once more? How will we construct stars after they’ve been sacrificed on the Saudis’ altar? The Saudis don’t have any actual dedication to this sport. Of their funding portfolio, boxing must be WAY down on the checklist. This Turki/Saudi stuff is only a knee-jerk cash seize with zero considered the longer term.
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