HBO's strange promo for Bute-Andrade II

by SC on Nov 27, 2009 4:07 PM EST in Etc. Comment 9 comments

Here is HBO's artsy promo for tomorrow night's Lucian Bute-Librado Andrade rematch. If you had never seen this fight, I'm wondering if you'd really "get" it, or care to figure out what's happening by going on the interwebs and looking up the first fight. Because in sequence of this promo we have:

1. Blue trunks beating up on Back trunks
2. Blue beating up on Black
3. Blue wins!
4. Black knocks down Blue? Did he sucker punch him after the fight?
5. Referee points at something
6. Blue is dazed
7. Black is excited
8. Black gets his mouthpiece, so does Blue
9. Blue batters Black some more

There's a hell of a story to tell and promote with Bute-Andrade II, and HBO seems to have tried to tell that story, but rather boldly failed.

Look, I get it. I know HBO likes to be very "cool" with their boxing stuff, and for the most part I love that. I appreciate that they don't cover boxing the way FOX covers sports by spelling everything out for me. But Bute-Andrade II is a fight almost entirely for the diehards, really, though it's one easy to sell with the drama of the first fight, especially if you exaggerate the whole thing the way it's been passed down through the tales of the fight online. This promo running on HBO doesn't make me want to see the rematch if I never saw the first fight, I don't think. But even a quick explanation of the first fight's controversy and drama might.

I watch this and I'm reminded of Jason Segel in Forgetting Sarah Marshall: "It's not really music. It's just tones. Dark, ominous tones."

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I actually laughed all the way through this!

This is one of the funniest promos I’ve seen. It’s exactly as you describe, although you leave out the artificial sounding thudding noises, that sound like they’re from a 90’s console boxing game.

If you didn’t already know who’d won the first one, you’d have next to no idea from watching this one.

The clip of Bute Zab-Judah-ing his way across the ring is a great moment… but it’s as you say;why include this after a clip of Bute celebrating? When taken in the context you mention (“Black knocks down Blue? Did he sucker punch him after the fight?”), that is comedy genius. I just couldn’t help laughing…

Anyone who didn’t know would not only be confused about what the hell was going on, they’d actually wonder if they were watching the promo for a rubber match, with the score 1-1…..

Boxing is the beginning of all sports. I'm willing to bet that the first sport was a man against another man in a fight. (Omar Epps)

by Chaos100 on Nov 27, 2009 4:29 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

eveythting about that promo sucked … even the ‘music’ i’ve seen way better work done by guys doing it for fun on youtube and the forums

by boxzilla on Nov 27, 2009 4:55 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

its totally beyond me -

but that ain’t too difficult as my missus regularly calls me a thick fuck.

however, if they wanna roll with the present boxing momentum, in the wake of manny/cotto, then this is NOT the way to go about it.

shud be a cracker though! ANDRADE by KO!!

rgds/cloughie

by cloughie on Nov 27, 2009 5:15 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I liked it. It looked like a high octane fight from the promo and could draw in the casual fan looking for a shootout.

Assuming I didn’t know anything about the first fight, the prospect of a fun fight would draw me in more than a storyline about a dubious count.

by cyke on Nov 27, 2009 6:01 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

What about it looked high octane? I’m genuinely curious.

Bad Left Hook
"Well Howie, I think I'm going to stay outside and outjab him." -- Tex Cobb telling Howard Cosell how he would approach Larry Holmes

by SC on Nov 27, 2009 6:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The punch exchange montages looked pretty intense and projected the rematch to offer something of a similar nature.

The sound effects were cheesy, but effective in showcasing the fight as something hard hitting.

by cyke on Nov 27, 2009 7:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

There is another promo out there for the Bute/Andrade fight that is better and much clearer. It is just odd to see so many Showtime rematches on HBO.

"Boxing is dirty," said Casamayor. " The day I’m not ready to be a dirty fighter is the day I don’t fight anymore because it will mean that I have no heart for it anymore."

by Zocalo on Nov 27, 2009 6:56 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

The promo that regularly is running between programming on HBO features this same clip, but with narration. Although the narration is not nearly as hilarious as yours.

by Tim Starks on Nov 27, 2009 9:01 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

OK, thank God. All it really needs is narration.

Bad Left Hook
"Well Howie, I think I'm going to stay outside and outjab him." -- Tex Cobb telling Howard Cosell how he would approach Larry Holmes

by SC on Nov 27, 2009 9:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

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