Why Promoters May Have To Start Making Fan Friendly Fights

Fans may soon have something to smile about

Did you see Andre Ward last Saturday night? The guy looked good, didn't he? Unfortunately for HBO, the numbers for boxing haven't been great this year. Indeed, HBO hasn't given the world much boxing at all. Oh, and that Pacquiao-Bradley fight? The internet is abuzz wondering just how poorly it will do. Canelo-Khan is interesting, but no one's going nuts for it as far as I know. And what happens if Canelo wins, then decides he'd rather not bother with GGG? How long do you expect HIM to continue being boxing's top draw?

It's been said a million times - boxing is in a bad place right now. The truth, though, is that the sport may - MAY - be hitting bottom. And, believe it or not, that just might actually be a good thing. Interest in the sport has been in a real rut lately  and it's doubtful things will improve this Friday when Adrien Broner faces an opponent most casual fans have never heard of. Again, though, this may all prove to be a positive thing.

Why?

Because promoters are in the business of making money. And even the most patient network isn't going to produce events no one watches over and over again, ad infinitum,(especially if hedge fund money runs out). Boxing may not be at the point where even die hard fans are changing the channel just yet - but let's face it - it's getting awfully close to that point. And when that happens, you will probably be less apt to hear that fans "have to understand the business." The business will then do what businesses are supposed to - create quality product.

We're told over and over and over again that boxing is a business. That mantra has acted as a cloak for promoters for a while now.  Ironically, however, the business aspect of the sport may finally turn on them. And then things will start looking up. A gleam of hope may not be right around the corner  (Haymon can still pay for any crap he wants to put on the air, after all), but it may be on the horizon nonetheless.

Is Adrien Broner Becoming An Afterthought?

Broner needs to take a better path

First things first - I have no idea whether or not Adrien Broner is guilty of beating the hell out of some poor guy outside a bowling alley. What I do know, however, is that Broner's dysfunctional bad boy persona is catching up to him in that it's now clearly overshadowing any talent he shows in the ring. People used to be infuriated by Broner's arrogance. Now he's arguably laughed at more than scorned.

That's telling.

Of course, Broner might be taken more seriously if he fought people other than the likes of Ashley Theophane. That's no knock on Theophane, by the way. At this point I wouldn't be stunned if he pulled off the upset against Broner this weekend, making himself well deserving of any accolades he receives. The truth, however, is that Theophane isn't the known commodity Broner is, and there's a lot of dangerous opposition out there Broner could face right now.

At this point, I'm not even sure the Theophane fight is a case of classic Al Haymon matchmaking or if Haymon and company actually need to see if Broner can perform at the top level at this point in his career. It's not that Broner doesn't have talent. We all know he does. It's that everyone rightfully questions whether or not he takes that talent seriously enough.

Muhammad Ali had the biggest mouth in the world - but he'll always be known first and foremost for his ring accomplishments. Broner, on the other hand, is know known first and foremost for his antics. And not without good reason. If the man doesn't start proving himself in the ring, he'll simply vanish into the ether - if he hasn't begun to already.

Is Boxing About To Become Even MORE Marginalized?

Go figure

I'm a boxing fan to the death. Make no mistake about it. To me, boxing is the single greatest sport on earth - hands down. With that in mind, it's going through some hard times right now, some really hard times. That doesn't mean I believe the sport is going to fall off the face of the earth. Indeed, I feel the sweet science will eventually have its day in the sun again.

With all that in mind, however, I'm starting to wonder if things will get worse before they get better. An analyst I admire the other day essentially stated that some of us knock the sport of boxing too much. Frankly, there's a lot to bitch about. A whole lot. The past few months have been nothing short of a dead zone for televised boxing. That's simply inexcusable.

What's more, it seems like HBO level fights may now appear on pay per view. Mature, reasoned people can give me all the mature, reasoned explanations for this they want - but the fact remains the fans aren't getting what they want. HBO isn't the only issue, however. Oscar De La Hoya speaks of marinating a Canelo-GGG fight as if it were a chicken dinner. What's more, Al Haymon has largely pressed down on the brake pedal when it comes to airing fights on more or less free television - a year or so after he gobbled up a ton air time.

What's this leave fans with? The possibility of all kinds of pay per view events except the ones that they really want. And possibly a lot less boxing on television, to boot. Sure, Showtime has a decent lineup at the moment - but who's to say the network will stay interested in boxing? No one, that's who.

To sum it all up:

Pointless pay per view events may be promoted while legitimate pay per view events indefinitely marinate. Meanwhile, fewer fights may appear on regular television and pay cable. In other words, fans may well be given far less in the near future while being charged hard earned money for even that little bit. Does anyone think this sort of thing, if it happens, will bode well for the sport?

Let's hope a new page is turned sooner rather than later.

Thurman-Porter Set To Have A Very Healthy Live Audience

But will people tune in from home?

One of the things that has plagued televised boxing lately is the fact that the crowds look to be thinner than fashion week. Seriously. At times the whole thing is just embarrassing. How are casual fans expected to get excited over the sport when a live network telecast looks like a rained out Yankee Stadium? Fortunately, the crowd looks to be very healthy for the very decent Keith Thurman-Shawn Porter welterweight throwdown next month at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut.

Talking on the phone with the casino box office, I learned that over 90% of the tickets for the 10,000 seat arena have been moved. Indeed, I was told only 645 seats were still available and those were all in the upper level. What's more, I was told that the popularity of the event indicates that there may well be a sellout come the 12th. That's good news for boxing, for at least part of the entire card that evening is going to be aired on CBS television.

Yes, people will tune in, or, more likely, stumble upon, network broadcast boxing and find a full house. Provided the crowd is into the festivities, the whole thing can become contagious. That's what Al Haymon, the man behind Thurman-Porter, is clearly hoping for. Truth be told, boxing could take a lesson from the UFC, which broadcasts every card as if it were the final two minutes of a very close Super Bowl matchup.

And while it's true the UFC can come across as sophomoric in its presentation at times, it's numbers don't lie. Boxing may still be the more lucrative and popular sport worldwide, but the UFC is red hot on American airwaves. If it could present the excitement of a UFC broadcast without the over the top, carnival-like atmosphere - a tough task to accomplish, to be sure - the sweet science may once again draw in those long sought after casual fans.

Things are looking good for the Thurman-Porter card. Now all we need is for the card itself to deliver. And for those cameras to show the packed house.

An Objective Look At Oscar De La Hoya, Promoter

This situation may well require a serious look

Oscar De La Hoya was some kind of fighter, let me tell you. Here was a guy who was not only talented and brave - he was game, as well. And by game, I mean willing to fight anyone. Anyone. This here was the real deal, folks. Win. Lose. Didn't matter. Oscar kept plugging along. Oh, and he usually won.

Even when he was past his prime, the guy was great. It still puzzles me why the man stopped jabbing away during his superfight against Floyd Mayweather, a fight De La Hoya was clearly winning in my eyes. Indeed, one could only imagine how things would have turned out had the Golden Boy been in his prime. As far as that final crushing loss to Manny Pacquiao goes, it was simply a bridge too far. Oscar knew it himself and wisely hung up the gloves afterwards. No shame. No damage to his sterling reputation.

Unfortunately, addiction consumed post-ring Oscar and his promotional business, it seems, faltered on account of it. Still, Oscar fought his demons and once again firmly took control of his company, Golden Boy Promotions. Everyone was happy for the guy - and with good reason. What's more, this improved version of Oscar said he wanted to see the best fight the best. As a promoter, he could have said no better words.

Thing is, now fans are starting to wonder. Canelo Alvarez, Oscar's star fighter, is not seeming at first glance like Oscar did in his prime right now. For one thing, Canelo - or his team - are insisting on a catch weight before Canelo faces the fearsome Gennady Golovkin for middleweight supremacy. What's more, that same team seems to be wanting to push back the mandatory matchup with GGG.

The problem here is that Oscar is one of the leading forces behind team Canelo - if not THE leading force. Oscar likes to say a fight with GGG needs to "marinate," but people are wondering if "marinate" means wait until GGG's boyish hair shows signs of gray. That may be unfair of people to consider, but it's what they're wondering nonetheless.

Indeed, fans are feeling something odd is afoot and that's too bad. Oscar, after all, has come a long way to rebuilding his hard earned and stellar reputation. It's also worth keeping in mind that neither Oscar nor Canelo have shown so much as an ounce of fear at the prospect of Canelo fighting GGG. So it may indeed be all about making as much money as possible on a very big matchup, as far as these men are concerned.

Still, fight fans want to see good fights. Unlike the power players that call the shots, they see boxing as a sport first, a business second. Oscar, at least at the moment, doesn't seem to see things the way fans do. His whole approach to Canelo-GGG seems a bit to coy, a bit too smooth, a bit, let's face it, too contemporary. And, in case you haven't guessed it, contemporary boxing practices are far from lauded.

With all that in mind, however, it seems Oscar may ("may" being the operative word here) have been hosed - perhaps not even intentionally - by Richard Schaefer, a Golden Boy honcho who might (again, be mindful of the operative word here - "might") have helped fight guru Al Haymon more than he did Oscar himself. In other words, Oscar's company may now be on shaky ground if its star, Canelo, loses badly.

Like it or not, boxing IS still a business and, yeah, Oscar is a businessman - one with responsibilities and mouths to feed. Then again, it's only fair to claim that boxing is a sport first and a business second. What's more, no one is forced into the promotion game. On top of that, it's Oscar who has been claiming he want to make the best fights.

Indeed, the whole thing might be considered a confusing mess. Even Schaefer might not be a snarling villain in all this. After all, he may well have only been trying to steer a company whose leader was on an extended bender through treacherous waters. It's easy to point fingers at guys like Schaefer without putting ourselves in his shoes at the time first.

The point here is that there's lots to consider when it comes to complex matters. And, yeah, believe it or not, the fight game is a complex matter. Ultimately, however, fans have a right to see the best fight the best. When that doesn't happen, the sport, and especially those power players who run it, fail in their obligations.