Jump to content

Are PPV's hurting boxing?


The_budweiser
 Share

Recommended Posts

[h=1]Five Reasons Why PPVs are Hurting Boxing[/h]For many years now there have been complaints regarding those boxing Pay-Per-Views, and a variety of reasons of dissatisfaction has been thrown around. Prizefighting was the real deal at one time, which saw the best facing the best – and for free on mainstream television or cable! Things are different now. The order might change, but here are five reasons that boxing might be taking a hit (pardon the pun) due to those

 

Page not found - - Boxing News - Ring News24

 

Barbara Pinnella

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: Are PPV's hurting boxing?

 

--- Catchweights are just another form of matchups, any of which could be good, bad, or great all dependent of the fighters.

 

What has happened with ppvs is huge money started being generated with Tyson that subsequent telegenic boxing stars used as their platform to fortunes all the way up to today. That lead to promoters in cooperation with commishes and ABC orgs to artificially create or attempt to create the next big star, Canelo and Victor Ortiz falling into those categories as one example. Otherwise, the rest of the fighters get ignored and usually work other jobs as supplementary income. A good journeyman like Eric Molina might make some decent coin without a regular job, generally making more than Rigormortis who is about a telegenic and desirable for a fan to watch as watching him sit on the pot.

 

So, boxing simply has dropped the ball in the development of it's top talents for the most part if we include all those solid fighters just short of a belt. The fans have been sensing it for a long downward trend in boxing, but as long as the bigger suits make their money on PPVs and wagers, and the small time promoters and boxers make to with peanuts in their local market, boxing will continue to dwindle because it's making a transition closer to WWE, not boxing if they get rid of those talking media idiots and get themselves some real actors for the commentary.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: Are PPV's hurting boxing?

 

I don't really mind PPV's to be honest.

 

I think the price for what they offer is ridiculous. I'd buy a hell of a lot more PPV's if they were value for money.

 

I bought Klitschko-Joshua but I wasn't happy with the undercard and because of that I didn't the next PPV that featured Kell Brook.

 

Parker-Fury is currently £10 but I don't like it when if you don't pre-order by a certain date they add 50% onto the price - from 18 September, that increases to £15.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: Are PPV's hurting boxing?

 

My main problem with PPV cards is the way in which they stifle, and in some cases retard, the growth of the sport into the mainstream. The loss of boxing to platforms like HBO and SKY has had its own impact on lowering viewership and, partly as a result, participation, but it really hurts the sport that not only our showcase events but also the routine fights of fighters with sufficient star power are far less likely to attract casual fans and potential future viewers/participants by putting a paywall up. I understand why it happens - the purses that fighters have come to expect and the short term monetary gain promoters are looking at - but the short term interests of some have now long been a hindrance to the health and vibrancy of the sport. I don't want to say that there's no place for PPV at all - but it would be far better for boxing if it were a much more limited one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: Are PPV's hurting boxing?

 

This happen in Mexico, in the early 90's they stop providing boxing cards on free tv and start outing everything on ppv and the boxing on tv almost die.. until 2005 when they return it to national / free tv when it returns to be popular.

 

The problem in mexico is that most of the people doesn't have the money to spend in a ppv event.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: Are PPV's hurting boxing?

 

I think the PPVs are justifiable considering that boxers are putting their health and lives on the line for the audiences entertainment. What I don't agree with is the astronomical prices they can sometimes charge like they did for the pacquiao - mayweather fight or the McGregor - mayweather one (in the US not U.K.). As long as they price them adaquitly I have no problem in paying that money. Especially if it has a decent undercard with some promising, upcoming fighters!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: Are PPV's hurting boxing?

 

If priced properly and reserved for super fights/super cards I have no problem...I'll throw £5 at an obscure show that I want to watch with little thought, and paid for the recent Kanat Islam card (Fite TV) and the recent Pinoy Pride (TFC TV) and felt both of those were value on paper, and turned out to be worth while purchases after the fact. £15 for the Fury card would have been a piss take though, and that horrible mess of a price plan may well have killed off the hope of youtube becoming a boxing PPV format. Had they priced that at £5 people would have bought in.

 

PPV per se isn't a problem, just the illogical though process behind it most of the time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Re: Are PPV's hurting boxing?

 

If priced properly and reserved for super fights/super cards I have no problem...I'll throw £5 at an obscure show that I want to watch with little thought, and paid for the recent Kanat Islam card (Fite TV) and the recent Pinoy Pride (TFC TV) and felt both of those were value on paper, and turned out to be worth while purchases after the fact. £15 for the Fury card would have been a piss take though, and that horrible mess of a price plan may well have killed off the hope of youtube becoming a boxing PPV format. Had they priced that at £5 people would have bought in.

 

PPV per se isn't a problem, just the illogical though process behind it most of the time.

 

Can't really argue with all that.

 

What has happened over the years is the fact that they are making average cards "stacked" with promoters named fighters, upcoming talent etc as PPV events, rather than ONLY making the real BIG fights PPV.

 

Anyway back to the point.....PPVs are here to stay, and its just part and parcel of moving with the times. But I think they would generate many more viewers and ultimately profit if they brought the costs down.

 

And I think this stems from boxers of relative inexperience, being touted as hot prospects and being showcased on TV from their very first fights, demanding a purse that then requires the PPV revenue to pay them.

 

It's good that we get boxing from multiple sources, in the UK we have Sky, BoxNation, BT, Channel 5 and Channel 4 occasionally showing cards, ITV (PPV) and even comedy channel Dave getting in on the action.

 

The downside to all this televised cards is there is now overexposure of fighters.

 

Gone are the days where you have never heard of a boxer until they are 12 fights in and still undfeated and they may just about make it onto the televised fights of an average card being shown on tv.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...