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HBO Negotiating
With UFC!
Will Boxing Be
Phased Out?
Written By William
Trillo
Allow me to qualify this article
by saying I am the biggest and most diehard boxing
fan you know. Over a period 8 hours, two separate,
yet extremely similar issues have been put in front
of me, and as much as I hate to say it....
Showtime announced via press
release today that it had signed a deal
with promoter Gary Shaw to air Mixed Martial Arts on
the network, a move industry insiders said could
mean a movement away from boxing.
But what could have a much
greater impact on boxing was not announced, but is
going on behind the scenes, and
Pound4Pound/Boxing2006 has learned some very eye
opening and exclusive news.
HBO and the
king of MMA, The UFC, have been
talking for three months now to bring the sport to
the cable giant. It is believed that the move to air
UFC is driven by HBO's parent company, Time Warner.
If UFC comes to HBO and is successful, industry
sources told Boxing.2006 that martial arts -- which
is hugely popular with the prized 18-35 demographic
-- might in a year or so cause boxing to be either
cut back on the air, or phased out.
Well for starters we are nearing
the end of 2006 and let's face it, this year has
been less than a stellar one for both networks. I
hate to say it, but it looks like the networks are
down on boxing and now they are fishing. Fighters
fail to make weight in Championship bouts and waste
the suits' marketing money. The heavyweight division
has been lackluster for years now and with no "Tysons"
to make them money the penguins are set to look
elsewhere, fact is they already are! There are very
few real stars, and outside of Oscar De La Hoya, who
in boxing has the appeal to draw 1 million $$ PPV
buyers? No one! Mr. P4P Floyd is recent proof of
that. Trust me, the suits at Showtime don't give a
lick whether it makes its money from MMA or boxing.
Showtime cut loose an
extraordinary talent in Jay Larkin. What does that
tell you about their commitment to boxing. They are
trying to show boxing on a shoestring and hope the
MMA will help tighten things up.
So what of the 'Heart and Soul"
of boxing then? That being HBO. Could they actually
be losing money on their pride and joy? Why else
would the suits at Time Warner be courting the
UFC?
Could the writing be on the wall? If today's news in
any indication I must sadly admit that the answer
could be a resounding yes!
Now before ya'll go running
saying "Trillo has turned his back on boxing", let
me tell you that is the furthest thing from the
truth. First of all, have you ever seen a MMA or UFC
report on this site? NO! Trust me, you won't anytime
soon. If you want the latest UFC report you will
have to go to that money hoarding fight site who are
only there for the coin and have little or no
interest in you or that sport, if they did they
would have already told you what we are telling you
now.
No, this is a call to arms
boxing. It's really time to clean up your act.
How many more times are fans
going to stand for fighters throwing away their
belts because they are too busy too make weight. How
many more times will fans pay 50 bucks to see the
self proclaimed best fighter in the World run around
in circles for 12 rounds and then tell you he just
painted a masterpiece. How many more times do we
have to watch John Ruiz fight for yet another title
eliminator hoping above all hope he won't win
because another Valuev/Ruiz battle will make us slit
our own throats?
Here's what you do boxing
honchos... Unify the heavyweight belts now, it's the
only battles in that division anyone wants to see.
Come down hard on anyone who doesn't make weight for
their Championship bout, I am talking huge million
dollar fines and 2 year suspensions. Go back to same
day weigh-ins and let Welterweights fight as
Welterweights, not under nourished
lightweights. Every fight is not a PPV extravaganza.
No one should ever have to pay to see Roy Jones
fight again. Evander Holyfield vs. Fres Oquendo is
......ugh....do I need to say more?
Today's findings that both
boxing cable networks are ready to make a move makes
one thing perfectly clear, the manly art of self
defense has taken a beating this year, and with
that, the Networks have been hit hard in their
wallets. The suits don't care how they make their
money, and if boxing isn't going to fill their
pockets anymore you can rest assured they will look
elsewhere. In fact they already are.
Consider yourselves warned!
Questions or Comments? Please Contact Will "The Thrill" Trillo |
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