Good day boxing followers and devoted haters. Right here’s one other week’s price of my bulbous sack, bulging with gooey, salty reality, in your face. Get pleasure from. This week, we now have feedback/questions concerning boxing’s future, Sebastian Fundora, Pitbull-Valenzuela, and the phrase on Osleys Iglesias.
Boxing’s (Shaky) Future
Suckers are born on a regular basis for certain. At this level within the recreation, I’m starting to really feel like a sucker for nonetheless following boxing. It’s like asking concerning the whereabouts of that ex girlfriend who cheated on you.
Let’s be trustworthy Paul, the top is close to and we now have nothing to indicate for it. I generally discover it fascinating the way you provide you with shit to write down about. The reality is that there isn’t shit to write down about. The game has been working on fumes for nearly a decade. Boxing has been working at a loss for fairly someday.
I guess if we employed a forensic accountant to take a look at the books of all boxing associated occasions from the previous decade, I’m certain they’ll be a adverse steadiness someplace within the extra of a billion {dollars}.
The demand for the massive fights merely isn’t there. As a lot as we wish to see Canelo v Benavidez, Crawford v Ennis, Tank v Loma. These fights aren’t crossover fights to fulfill the purses calls for of the fighters and generate income. Personally, I don’t suppose we’ll ever see a crossover battle in our lifetime.
How is that this sport going to outlive with out client calls for that extends past the hardcore followers?
– Na’-il Rahman
Hey Na’-il.
Every little thing you say is true. Boxing’s enterprise mannequin shouldn’t be sustainable and there’s no effort by any of the promoters to shift to a brand new mannequin.
There are a number of exhausting truths that no one desires to deal with and that’s why issues received’t get higher any time quickly. The fan base is shrinking (particularly within the US), there’s virtually no effort to develop the bottom, optimistic revenue margin is untenable, and the product is mostly weak.
Boxing is lucky to have discovered a number of cash marks during the last decade or so to create bubbles. PBC, DAZN, and now the Saudis have injected tons of cash into the game to attempt to flip boxing right into a for-profit-business. PBC and DAZN saved the game afloat with their investments, however they each have needed to cut back and be extra frugal with their cash. The Saudis simply acquired into the boxing enterprise, however they’ll discover out as properly that boxing, as it really works proper now, is a cash pit. I don’t care how wealthy you’re, sooner or later you get sick of working within the pink.
Saturday’s Saudi present in Los Angeles has reportedly been a little bit of an eye-opener for the Saudis as, even with a fairly sound card, an Eminem live performance, massive ticket reductions, and a luxurious care giveaway, they’re nonetheless having issues promoting tickets. In line with what I’ve heard, they’ve needed to resort to some chicanery in shifting tickets round to create the impression of demand. We may very properly hear that BMO Stadium was offered out on August 3, however a number of these tickets could have been purchased up by the occasion organizers, themselves.
Boxing exhibits can nonetheless succeed financially, however the success lately is nearly at all times because of issue past the standard of the particular fights. High quality fights are not sufficient to promote a card as a result of, sadly, there simply aren’t sufficient followers to understand whether or not a matchup is nice or not. If anybody questions that, they simply have to take a look at the Crawford-Spence battle final 12 months, which was universally interesting to hardcore boxing followers and had generated a “don’t pirate this present” buzz. The occasion nonetheless solely topped out at 650K buys. And, whereas 650k is taken into account excellent lately, the numbers weren’t so spectacular for a long-awaited showdown that many hardcore followers considered THE battle to make in all of boxing.
What this sport wants is an efficient financial collapse to facilitate a wholesome rebuild. Sadly, simply as we appear headed in that path, some new cash mark comes alongside to place some cash in pockets and briefly delay the inevitable.
As to your final query. Properly, they’re simply going to maintain doing what they’ve already been doing– go the hat to the followers for just about all the things, aggressively milking the loyalists till they get sick of it and stroll away. Nice marketing strategy!
3 Questions
Hey Paul,
3 fast questions
1. Why would not Sebastian Fundora get extra credit score for his win over Tim Tszyu? He fought his ass off with a badly damaged nostril from early on of their battle and prevailed. That lower was dangerous on Tszyu little question however Fundora needed to dig deep to get that win.
2. I feel Pitbull Cruz higher watch out in opposition to Jose Valenuela. That child is the dimensions of Rollo Romero however can battle. Pitbull appears just a little undersized for that division.
3. What’s your tackle SMW Osleys Iglesias? I feel Benavidez and Morrell should take care of him down the street he appears to be that good.
– John
Hey John.
I’ll deal with these so as.
1. It’s simply a lot simpler to deal with Tszyu due to the blood and the truth that the gash was attributable to an unintentional foul, somewhat than Fundora’s damage, which was attributable to a punch. Plus, Tszyu has change into a fan favourite and a media darling. So, it’s under no circumstances surprising to see him get the good thing about any doubt.
2. Agreed. I commute on Cruz. Typically, I really feel that he’s underrated and generally I see him as wildly overrated. In Valenzuela, he’s combating somebody who can field just a little, in addition to punch. I see that Valenzuela is a few +330 betting underdog proper now. I’d leap at these odds as a result of I feel “Rayo” has a extremely good likelihood of pulling off the upset.
3. Iglesias is an actual expertise. He’s not as fluid or as technically gifted as Morrell, however he’s acquired very heavy fingers and an actual warrior’s mindset. He’ll be harmful for certain.
Received a query (or hate mail) for Magno’s Bulging Mail Sack? One of the best of the perfect will get included within the weekly mailbag section proper right here at FightHype. Ship your stuff right here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com.
