I just got done watching Ray Mercer's fight with Bert Cooper from back in 1990. Now, I know this wasn't a masterpiece when it comes to the sweet science, but here's why I started the thread. The fight was televised on CBS and it got me to thinking about the decline and fall of boxing on network TV. It made me long for the days of watching ABC, NBC and CBS for the sometimes great fights they provided (I remember watching Virgil Hill fight on ABC when I was growing up. Not the best choice, I know, but it's who I'm old enough to remember). My question to you guys is this. Why do you think networks went away from broadcasting boxing and what, if anything, might bring networks back to boxing? If this thread subject was talked about recently, I'm sorry. It just came to my mind while I was watching it was all.
Check my training log for a GEM from ABC's Wide World of Sports. I'm not sure it was as much the networks as the advent of PPV, and realizing how much more money can be made that way. However, right now the biggest money in Boxing lies exactly in between. Pay cable. The suits at HBO are THE most important people in Boxing. Fact.
Yeah, the advent of PPV and making people pay for fights is where the networks starting losing it. Am reading the training log now. I'm on page 1 of 103.
JMyersDTN, you sir are a stud. You were all over wanting to know the results last Sat.! thats too cool. Not exactly Bert Cooper, but espn2 had Junior Jones vs John Michael Johnson replay from 94 tonight and I just about shit myself. I'd forgotten about JMJ and JJ is sadly a footnote to most ppl. But damn do I miss the days when Junior and Mckinney fought with the best of em!
There aren't too many sports that have elite programming on free to air networks. Boxing is simply one of many that have a new home. Network TV is a thing of the past anyway.
Junior Jones beat the absolute living hell out of Michael Johnson that night....before doing the best Derrick Jefferson impersonation possible.
You didn't have to go back that far. Just meant today's entry. But I'm told it's a good read. Kofi's arguably one of the coolest guys I've ever met. Got me started at TR, and put me with Mike. YouTube - Kofi Jantuah KO Marco Antonio Rubio
In 1980 there were over 70 fights shown on network television both on the weekend afternoons and in primteime (ABS-29, CBS-28, and NBC-14). A half a decade later that number declined by less than half (ABC-14, NBC-10, CBS-9), so forgive me if I don't quite buy the "PPV took over" explanations given because there certainly wasn't 30+ boxing pay-per-views a year during that half a decade. Cable television made up some of the difference, as you saw more fights on HBO that would previously had been a prime time network television showing, but still, from memory, HBO wasn't showing but a few boxing shows a year. Some new promoters like Harold Smith did come in and increased the boxers' purses during that time frame, so it did become more expensive for the networks to pay the money for the broadcasting rights to the fights when their budgets were usually not much more than a few hundred grand for them (exceptions were made for higher paying fights, but most fights cost them between $100,000 to $200,000 each). HBO benefited there some (as they did with previous closed cicuited fights, which became almost non-existent with maybe one or two a year), but again, they weren't nearly make up the difference. If you ask me, I think the most significant impact on why we saw such a reduction in network television dates during that five year time frame, was because of the negative publicity the sport brought on itself with the scandals, ring deaths, and things of that nature. Hey, does anybody remember in 1983 how ABC's somewhat regular Saturday boxing afternoons turned into Howard Cosell's semi-weekly rant against that very sport, when he used his 'Sportsbeat' show as an outlet to bash boxing and used to bring doctors on regularily to show how damaging the sport was and how it should be outlawed. Remeber that? Or how about when Don King was on trial for his crookedness during the mid 80's and how the network television stations (at least one or two of them) refused to do business with him for some time. Remember this comment in the mid 80's? "King, as far as we're concerned, doesn't exist." - Alex Wallau Anyways.
That fight was on ESPN Classic Fights last night before the Wednesday Night Fights. Damned fine scrap it was. Johnson looked so good early I thought it was destined to be a blow out. Jones clearly wasn't having it though. Did Johnson ever learn to tie up his opponant when hurt? That might have done him some good in that fight. Might have. S.
unfortunately that was the best fight on the televised card. MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Bernard Hopkins W Oscar De La Hoya KO 9 12 Juan Manuel Marquez W Orlando Salido UD 12 12 Kofi Jantuah W Marco Antonio Rubio KO 1 12 Kelly Pavlik W Carlton Holland KO 2 8 Almazbek Raiymkulov W Jose Luis Soto Karass TKO 2 8 Carney Bowman W Cardell James TKO 2 4 Aaron Garcia W Geraldo Robles UD 4 4 haha...I had no idea Pavlik was on the card.
