Jones-Hopkins II does about 150K PPV buys
by Scott Christ on Apr 16, 2010 11:26 AM EDT
in Boxing News Analysis
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From Michael Rosenthal at The Ring:
[Richard] Schaefer said the pay-per-view tally for the Bernard Hopkins-Roy Jones Jr. fight on April 3 is at about 130,000 but is expected to approach 150,000 after all the figures are in.
Golden Boy set 300,000 as its goal. However, some experts wondered whether it would exceed 100,000, which Schaefer said was overly pessimistic.
"They ARE two big names," he said.
They WERE two big names, but OK, and that's some nice spin at the end of this.
- Report very low figure
- Explain that very low figure is half (150,000) what the goal was (300,000)
- Point out that people who said it might not go over 100,000 were "overly pessimistic," which I suppose has been proven to be relatively true
- End there
- Without pointing out that the "overly pessimistic" number is three times closer to the reality than the Golden Boy goal
This 150,000-buy show did worse than the massive flops of Calzaghe-Jones (220K) and Pavlik-Hopkins (180K) the last time either were on a major and properly-promoted PPV. Maybe you can adjust that and explain it away with the fact that HBO didn't promote this show, and did promote those two, but it probably should've told them all something when HBO bailed on promoting this stinkbomb to begin with. Nobody wanted to see this fight.
Perhaps I am "hating." Maybe I should let it go. But now we've got Hopkins going insane in the media again, claiming bias and this and that and everyone's against him, but the fact of the matter is he cannot sell a fight anymore, and never really could. Why would anyone want to promote an extremely stubborn negotiator who can't back it up at the bank? And to make it all worse, THIS fight sure as hell didn't help his image in any way.
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not bad considering the two bit production and advertising campaign. the final four competition as well.
bhop vs pavlik and jones vs. joe are much more of failures since hbo had its back.
"Newspapermen ask dumb questions. They look up at the sun and ask if it is shining."
-Sonny Liston
.
oh, I agree
Those are bigger failures, especially Calzaghe-Jones given that it had a “24/7,” which has over time now proven to be an asset. I was guessing right about this figure, with 250K as the absolute highest it could possibly shock us into selling. More than anything I have no idea where Golden Boy figured 300K was coming from. Bad fight between guys who don’t sell PPVs anymore, Final Four competition, and between Pacquiao-Clottey and Mosley-Mayweather in a poor economy. Who did they expect was buying? Hopkins’ legion of fans? The 800 people who bought March Badness?
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Apr 16, 2010 11:44 AM EDT up reply actions
Who did they expect was buying? Hopkins’ legion of fans? The 800 people who bought March Badness
And you!
I agree with both you guys though. 150K is more than I expected, and doesn’t come anywhere near the disaster of Calzaghe-Jones. That was a satisfying flop in some ways, since it was such a safe fight for Zaggy at that point. Might as well have gone for a trilogy with Mario Veit.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
Calzaghe never really took anything that wasn't 'safe' after Eubank...
I was a fan of Joe for a while. Then I realised that basically his whole career can be judged more easily and accurately based on who he didn’t fight rather than who he did.
Now, Tweek, boxing is a Man sport. There is nothing in the world more Man than boxing. It is Man at his most Man. So when you spar with Ned here, just dig deep into that most Man part of you. (Uncle Jimbo, South Park: Tweek vs Craig)
by Chaos100 on Apr 16, 2010 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Were Hopkins or Kessler safe fights? Also, Lacy was perceived to be a very dangerous fight, and Joe had had bad trouble with his hands in the weeks immediately before the fight. Although, without those few exceptions, I do mostly share your sentiments to be honest.
"The terror of the unforeseen is what the science of history hides, turning a disaster into an epic"
by Oli Goldstein on Apr 16, 2010 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Hopkins was an old man when Joe fought him.
The fight was seen as a pretty safe one for Calzaghe. He wanted to go pick the bones of an old man, and found out that Nard isn’t your typical old man.
Kessler was also seen as a pretty safe fight. Joe was heavy favourite in the betting. Again, the fight proved harder than expected, but let’s not pretend that this was Joe making great leaps toward posterity. This was the easiest credible fight Joe could have taken. He wasn’t exactly itching to fight the guys around his weight class that could have given him real problems.
Lacy for some reason was the betting favourite. I still don’t know how that happened, but I’m glad it did, because I won a shitload of money on that fight. I got on Calzaghe for one of my biggest bets ever at 11/8, and was very happy with it. There was no way in hell Lacy was going to beat Joe. There was never a time in his career when Lacy could have beaten any version of Joe Calzaghe post Eubank.
I was genuinely surprised that Lacy was favourite, especially when I saw his eyes at the weigh in… he looked pretty damn scared to me. Same for his entrance: he looked scared.
Also, let’s be right: who did Lacy ever beat that made him The Man? His best win in his entire career was an old, washed up, shot, finished Robin Reid. He {Lacy} was never in the same league as Joe, and I say that as someone who really doesn’t like Joe any more.
Now, Tweek, boxing is a Man sport. There is nothing in the world more Man than boxing. It is Man at his most Man. So when you spar with Ned here, just dig deep into that most Man part of you. (Uncle Jimbo, South Park: Tweek vs Craig)
Well, this is purposely anti-Calzaghe, too. Here’s another way to look at those fights:
1. Hopkins was the legitimate light heavyweight champion of the world. Calzaghe was the legitimate super middleweight champion of the world.
2. Kessler was the No. 2 ranked super middleweight in the world by anyone worth their salt when Calzaghe fought him. It was 1-2 at 168.
3. Jeff Lacy, extremely overrated and overhyped or not (and he was), was the favorite of not just bookies and those who love them, but almost every single boxing writer there was at the time. Both sides of the pond (America and the UK) had Lacy as the heavy betting favorite, plus 19 out of 27 staffers at BoxingScene.com picked Lacy, 11 of 13 at Doghouse Boxing picked Lacy, and 12 of 13 at The Sweet Science picked Lacy. He was an overwhelming favorite. Calzaghe made him look like a third-rate nobody who didn’t belong in any boxing ring, let alone Joe Calzaghe’s.
It is somewhat revisionist history to discredit those three fights, and while I agree that time will not be kind to the Lacy win (that’s already happened, in fact) and the Kessler win doesn’t look as great now as it did then, and that sure Hopkins was old, I don’t think you can quite class them as truly “safe” fights. Joe Calzaghe took a LOT of safe fights, but them weren’t it.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Apr 16, 2010 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Joe Calzaghe took a LOT of safe fights, but them weren’t it.
Exactly, don’t talk about Joe’s safety and say “Hopkins, Kessler, Lacy.” Talk about Evans Ashira, Mario Veit and Mger Mkrtchyan.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
Funnily enough, the Ashira win is one I give him a lot of credit for.
He broke his hand early in the fight, and apparently Enzo was telling him in the corner that he had a rematch clause, he should just pack it in, and Joe told him to fuck off. He then went on to win a shut-out with one hand. I’m not saying Evans Ashira is anything great, but to pitch a shut-out with one hand is still credible.
Now, Tweek, boxing is a Man sport. There is nothing in the world more Man than boxing. It is Man at his most Man. So when you spar with Ned here, just dig deep into that most Man part of you. (Uncle Jimbo, South Park: Tweek vs Craig)
We’re not talking about what he did in the ring. We’re talking about making the fight. Ashira was getting beat up by middleweights, stepped in to fight Joe in his very first 168 bout, and then shrank back down to junior middleweight to close out his career. It was not a remotely interesting match to make.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
by jrok on Apr 16, 2010 2:37 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I agree.
But by the same token, moving up to fight what he (and a lot of other people) considered to be the bones of Bernard Hopkins was also not ‘interesting’.
I’m just saying that (on a slightly unrelated point), I actually give him a lot of credit for the Ashira fight, in the ring.
Now, Tweek, boxing is a Man sport. There is nothing in the world more Man than boxing. It is Man at his most Man. So when you spar with Ned here, just dig deep into that most Man part of you. (Uncle Jimbo, South Park: Tweek vs Craig)
And the ghost of Old Roy Jones
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
Joe thought he was getting the ghost of Old Bernard Hopkins as well.
The fact he was wrong doesn’t mean that wasn’t his intention; to get some easy ‘names’ on his record before jacking it in.
Now, Tweek, boxing is a Man sport. There is nothing in the world more Man than boxing. It is Man at his most Man. So when you spar with Ned here, just dig deep into that most Man part of you. (Uncle Jimbo, South Park: Tweek vs Craig)
Thank you very much, saved me the trouble of writing that out!
"The terror of the unforeseen is what the science of history hides, turning a disaster into an epic"
by Oli Goldstein on Apr 16, 2010 2:24 PM EDT up reply actions
You know you wanted to really... ;)
Now, Tweek, boxing is a Man sport. There is nothing in the world more Man than boxing. It is Man at his most Man. So when you spar with Ned here, just dig deep into that most Man part of you. (Uncle Jimbo, South Park: Tweek vs Craig)
They were the best of a bad lot.
Whether or not they were actually difficult, Joe was taking on a man he thought was old and easy (Hopkins), a man he said beforehand wasn’t experienced or versatile enough to deal with him (Kessler) and a man who wasn’t just an incredible hype job (Lacy), he might actually be the biggest hype job in the history of the sport.
I never doubted Joe would beat Kessler, or Lacy, or Hopkins. I was pleasantly surprised to see Kessler put up a really good fight, and I still think Hopkins stole the fight from Joe.
I suppose what I’m saying isn’t that these weren’t good fighters (apart from Lacy), I’m saying that to Joe, they each represented the safest of his viable options.
Now, Tweek, boxing is a Man sport. There is nothing in the world more Man than boxing. It is Man at his most Man. So when you spar with Ned here, just dig deep into that most Man part of you. (Uncle Jimbo, South Park: Tweek vs Craig)
by Chaos100 on Apr 16, 2010 2:26 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
They were the best of a bad lot.
I agree.
I’m saying that to Joe, they each represented the safest of his viable options.
In a way, sure, but all the fights were legitimate. Calzaghe saying Kessler wasn’t good enough to beat him was, frankly, true, but it was still 1-2 at 168. All I ask is guys fight the best opponents they can, and at that moment, Kessler was the best fight for Calzaghe at 168, same with Lacy, and Hopkins was the best fight at 175. Joe may well have seen weaknesses he felt he could exploit in those opponents, and even figured them as “easy” viable targets, but everyone does that. Mayweather likely sees Mosley as an easy fight for him, but Mosley-Mayweather is the best fight Floyd could take once the Floyd-Manny negotiations crumbled.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Apr 16, 2010 2:30 PM EDT up reply actions
The man ducked the power punching Ottke…
"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."
Come on. Would you go fight Sven Ottke in Germany? Ottke didn’t deserve to fight Calzaghe.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Apr 17, 2010 12:46 AM EDT up reply actions
Ottke is fucking awesome…
What is wrong with you?
"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."
Really?
they each represented the safest of his viable options.
Who should he have been fighting instead of #2 ring-ranked Kessler? Or Ring’s Light Heavyweight champion?
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
He could have moved up and fought a hard hitting fighter at 175, for example.
He could have fought a lot of guys that would have presented him with difficulty. He chose the safest of his viable fights. That’s my only point.
He also could have fought Hopkins earlier. He didn’t.
He could have fought Roy Jones when Jones was still a monster. He didn’t. He waited until they were old, and until he felt it was ‘safe’ to fight them.
Now, Tweek, boxing is a Man sport. There is nothing in the world more Man than boxing. It is Man at his most Man. So when you spar with Ned here, just dig deep into that most Man part of you. (Uncle Jimbo, South Park: Tweek vs Craig)
Neither Jones nor Hopkins are known as the easiest guys to negotiate with. And like Don says below, some is will and some is luck. And as internationalized as the sport is, crossing the Atlantic has typically been an arduous affair for both sides. There is suspicion, money and ego all at work.
As for moving up in weight to find new challenges, ask Kelly Pavlik about that one. But seriously, I know what you’re saying. He “could’ve” gone up but decided to rule his division instead. But though boxing is full of waiting for the right moment to pick the cherry, I wouldn’t necessarily describe Hop as a “cherry.” Less then a year before he had beaten another very, very good southpaw at a 170 lb catchweight, and had absolutely schooled Tarver for the belt. If you’re saying that Zags was counting on the idea that Hops would turn old overnight, okay. But there wasn’t any real evidence he had… it was a risk.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
I think we're pretty much singing off the same hymn-sheet.
Just quibbling over small details.
I’m not going to try to ‘convert’ you. I think what I think, and I respect your opinion.
I also have to leave now, and go do some work.
Have fun. :)
Now, Tweek, boxing is a Man sport. There is nothing in the world more Man than boxing. It is Man at his most Man. So when you spar with Ned here, just dig deep into that most Man part of you. (Uncle Jimbo, South Park: Tweek vs Craig)
Calzaghe obsessed with his 0
I thought Calzaghe retired 6-7 fights too soon. The Hopkins fight was a draw and Calzaghe was lucky to get the nod. It is not often you see a fighter come to America, get knocked down and still end up getting the decision. Which is what happened with Calzgahe and I’m convinced he won the decision because Hopkins shot himself in the foot with the ‘never lose to a white guy’ statement.
Calzaghe could have made a helluva lot of dough if he moved to the States years ago, he was a come forward fighter, ‘busy’ and entertained with his non-stop punching, which is what ‘sells’ fights in Boxing. Moreover, he’s white and hence he’d have been a dream for HBO.
After the Hopkins fight he should have taken a rematch, had he won, he could have moved onto fight Pavlik, Dawson and Froch. These fights may have strengthend his legacy, Instead he decided to protect his undefeated record. He was badly advised and never understood an 0 on your record means nothing. Mayweather falls into the same category he’s also obsessed with the 0 on his resume.
It’s a shame we will never get to find out how good Calzaghe was.
Not in my top 50 great fighter of all time.
by clickonme321 on Apr 17, 2010 6:37 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I’m convinced he won the decision because Hopkins shot himself in the foot with the ‘never lose to a white guy’ statement.
Or maybe he just got beaten because he threw about 12 punches a round? Crazy idea I know…
I’m far from a Calzaghe fan but I have now subjected myself to that fight and I just don’t see that Hopkins has a particularly credible case for saying he deserves the win.
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Apr 18, 2010 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions
I thought he won.
Now, Tweek, boxing is a Man sport. There is nothing in the world more Man than boxing. It is Man at his most Man. So when you spar with Ned here, just dig deep into that most Man part of you. (Uncle Jimbo, South Park: Tweek vs Craig)
I'm stoked...
I am truly stoked that many of the recent PPV’s are taking a crap at the box-office. Why? To give the greedy bastard promoters something to think about. People are not gonna fork out good cabbage to see bull-manure in action……
I did do “Hops-Jones 2” on my sisters dollar, but I broke down with the 30 USA bones for “Holy-Botha.” No whining here……
I PASSED on “Packy-Clottey,” but taped the HBO replay……
I am also passing on “Mayrunner-Mosley” on May 1………. I sense a tactical snoozer……. YAWN!!
MR.BILL
Bill Petersen
MR.BILL
Raleigh, N.C.
There are pros and cons
If the PPV is no longer a viable model for medium-level fights, then there probably ends up being a lot of decent fights that don’t get made, simply because the networks don’t have the budgets to buy them.
I do think it would help if they seriously considered lowering the prices of the PPVs though.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Lowering
the prices is a great idea, and I think that some folks in the business world have found that offering a product for a fair price doesn’t mean a loss of money but instead = faithful customers.
by Don From Prov on Apr 16, 2010 4:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Seriously, the price you guys pay for PPVs is scandalous.
It costs 15 quid here (Britain) for a PPV, and we only have to pay for maybe three a year, maximum. What’s better is Sky brings over the Pac and Mayweather fights, as well as whatever guy takes their fancy as ‘the next big thing’ (apparently its Andre Berto for Sky at the moment).
"The terror of the unforeseen is what the science of history hides, turning a disaster into an epic"
by Oli Goldstein on Apr 16, 2010 4:22 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Not that I’m aware of, and even if you could they’d black out most stuff anyway.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Apr 16, 2010 4:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes
But it pretty much just shows soccer. It’s not the same as Sky Sports in the UK.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
It definitely doesn't show Friday Fight Night
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
There’s a guy who owns a bar around the corner from where I worked who was getting sued by Sky for showing sports without paying the bar fee. Then they went under about a month later. I wonder how much of those outstanding bills will vanish in the paperwork.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
Err not Sky
The other one. Watchamacallit.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
Does Setanta even exist anymore?
I thought they went under
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Anyway
the pub downstairs from me has it on Sky all the time. But like I said, it’s pretty much always soccer.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Then they went under about a month later.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
I thought you meant the bar
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
yeah, they went under because they were paying simply ridiculous prices for premiership football (soccer haha) and for calzaghe/haye/top rank fights..
I don’t think their viewership peaked past 1 million at any stage, and it wasn’t even expensive to pay for each month. Real shame to be honest, because they offered a heck of a lot of boxing that we simply don’t get any more.
"The terror of the unforeseen is what the science of history hides, turning a disaster into an epic"
by Oli Goldstein on Apr 16, 2010 6:22 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Does Setanta even exist anymore?
It died.
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Apr 17, 2010 8:50 AM EDT up reply actions
But it pretty much just shows soccer. It’s not the same as Sky Sports in the UK.
Sounds a whole lot like Sky in the UK to me! And I hate soccer! Grr!
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Apr 17, 2010 8:50 AM EDT up reply actions
But you ordered Holyfield/Botha?
Now, Tweek, boxing is a Man sport. There is nothing in the world more Man than boxing. It is Man at his most Man. So when you spar with Ned here, just dig deep into that most Man part of you. (Uncle Jimbo, South Park: Tweek vs Craig)
MRBILL is an old school Heavyweight addict.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
That doesn’t make Holyfield-Botha a good fight. They have Toughman contests all over the place. $7 entry and a two-Busch minimum, yeehaw.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Apr 16, 2010 4:00 PM EDT up reply actions
I didn’t say it was. I just know MRBILL’s tastes pretty well. He is always down for a heavyweight fight. He’d spring for Holmes-Foreman IF they could still weigh-in 250-260 pounds. He doesn’t want to no 300 lb whales going at it.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
I’m mostly just breaking balls. I support anyone supporting any fight, honestly. I think we all have the right to bitch about any card, but we wouldn’t if we didn’t care. And who am I kidding? If HBO didn’t have a good card that night, I’d have probably ordered. I did Evander-Valuev and Haye-Valuev, and it’s not like I thought those were gonna be good. I ordered Khan against what was allegedly Marco Antonio Barrera.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Apr 16, 2010 4:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Hell, yeah.........
I’m prolly the only dude out here who hasn’t whined as to how the two fights between “Hops & Jones” and “Holy & Botha” turned out………… As far as PPV, yes, they are too pricey and such, but I at least got what I figured would transpire………….
“Holy-Botha” pleased me in the action dept., but I was rooting for my boy Botha…….
I knew “Hops-Jones” would be a tactical match, and it was just that…. I figured Hops was too good for the shot Jones in ’10…….. He was……
MR.BILL
Bill Petersen
MR.BILL
Raleigh, N.C.
Holyfield-Botha was a far superior fight to Hopkins-Jones, at the end of the day
Not so good that I’d want to see a rematch though ;-)
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
That's cool............
Damn straight, man…………
“Holy-Botha” delivered the goods to me……… But I wanted my home-boy Botha to win……. He lives in Newport Beach, CA… My hometown is nearby Fountain Valley…….. Goddamn I miss the ole hood……….
Perhaps a rematch is not warranted.?.? I can see that too……….
OH! The PPV undercards’ have been sucking long weenie as of late…………. Where is Don King when you need him? King at least see’s the need for a good build-up to the main juncture………..
MR.BILL
Bill Petersen
MR.BILL
Raleigh, N.C.
One thing
Is that Holyfield-Botha had BY FAR the worst undercard I’ve ever seen for a PPV of any level. That was worse than a $5 internet PPV undercard.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Twenty years ago Don King saw the need for these things. The last time King put on a PPV card it was Jones-Trinidad, which had the regular junk undercard they all have now. King is arguably the worst promoter in America at this point.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Apr 16, 2010 9:21 PM EDT up reply actions
I like the 130,000
but will reach 150,000. Really??
I’d like it even more if promoters started taking true baths—bloodbaths maybe—on these sorry-ass PPV’s. Unfortunately, the numbers likely don’t add up to a viewer rebellion of any sort. I’m sure that second or third rate undercards will still rule the day when there is a potentially good main event, but one can only hope.
As far as Calzaghe (or Jones for that matter) and legacy goes: I’ve heard it argued about two thousand times now, and while the question of whether it’s completely fair or not is up for grabs, there is a perception and that’s the reality. The only thing a fighter can do is try to make sure he faces the best available (Ted Sares: The best fight the best) competition at a meaningful time. Did Calzaghe do that? Therein lies the argument that someone like Ali, whether by luck or will, won’t ever have to deal with on a large scale.
The only thing a fighter can do is try to make sure he faces the best available (Ted Sares: The best fight the best) competition at a meaningful time. Did Calzaghe do that? Therein lies the argument that someone like Ali, whether by luck or will, won’t ever have to deal with on a large scale.
I’ve always argued that Calzaghe wasted a snotload of time during his career, from a historical standpoint. But it is true that some of it is luck, some of it is will, some of it is ego, some of it is business, etc. This is part of what makes boxing so different from other kinds of sports.
In a way, you could even argue it isn’t really a “sport.” The best don’t always fight the best, the beast has no head, corruption is widespread and crookery is easier to pull off. The main thing that makes it different from figure skating is that you have the power to take it out of the judges hands.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
I tend to think of Wladimir Klitschko as one of the “unluckiest” guys currently in the sport, from a historical angle. He is obviously a very good and possibly a great fighter, but Boxing’s glamor division has seen better days. He is fighting top-ranked guys three times a year and outclassing them as badly or worse than Floyd is, who’s doing it part-time, and against some fairly cherry-picked opposition.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
Yes, Wlad
might end up with the equation, “Well, Steward improved him, but if he’d met a really good fighter, how would his psyche and chin hold up?” It won’t be his fault if that the question, but. ….
by Don From Prov on Apr 16, 2010 4:19 PM EDT up reply actions
In a real way, Haye is the best thing to happen to Wlad Klitschko in a long time. Valuev would have never, ever, ever fought him. Ever. And he probably won’t get the credit for blowing out Chagaev that he deserves. With Haye he has a young, fast, athletic Cruiserweight champion with a Heavyweight title and a large fan base. Haye could be his Holyfield.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
I think you're right.
If circumstances lead to Haye facing Vitali first and Haye won while looking good, or if he were to do some damage to Arreola in a lead-up fight (of course what Haye does after Wlad could mean just at much) it would leave Wlad an even better chance to look good.
Of course, he’d have to capitalize on the chance.
by Don From Prov on Apr 16, 2010 5:35 PM EDT up reply actions
So, final math...
… did Roy make a nickel for this fight? At all? It had to hit 300K for him to make any money at all, right?
Although detractors decry (MMA) as a brutal, bloody form of human cockfighting, aficionados know it is a brutal, bloody, totally fucking awesome form of human cockfighting. -The Onion
by The Kittitas Kid on Apr 16, 2010 3:22 PM EDT reply actions
Roy probably made a very little bit of money on the fight at 150,000 buys. And I mean VERY little.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Apr 16, 2010 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Probably
Revenues:
- $1M at the gate
- $7.5M in domestic PPV
- Probably another million or so in foreign PPV and TV rights
- Probably $500k – $1M in site fees
About $10 – 11M total
Expenses:
- $3.75M in PPV sharing
probably about a million in marketing
Probably about a half million to actually run the event, including undercards
About $5 – 5.5 million in expenses
So Roy probably ended up with somewhere between $1 – 2.5 million for the fight.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
to a poor ass mexican that sounds like a good pay day, but for someone of roy’s stature is that a significant amount, decent, or a shit payday?
Texans 19-0 in 2010-2011 season PERIOD
by battle axe of doom on Apr 16, 2010 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions
It's more than he deserves for that shit showing.
But not as much as he deserves for a career that has been, with all due acknowledgment of the last few years, a great one.
And definitely not as much as he should have got, considering the amount the fight actually made.
Whose fucking idea was it for Roy to accept that deal? The first 3.5 million to Hopkins? Whoever was negotiating for Roy really fucked up those negotiations.
Now, Tweek, boxing is a Man sport. There is nothing in the world more Man than boxing. It is Man at his most Man. So when you spar with Ned here, just dig deep into that most Man part of you. (Uncle Jimbo, South Park: Tweek vs Craig)
I’m guessing Roy and probably John Wirt negotiated that deal, but I may be wrong. They got manhandled at the table on that one. What an awful idea that was.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Apr 16, 2010 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Maybe I'm being overly sentimental.
But I feel Roy deserved so much better. This is potentially his last fight, and he got fucked so hard he’ll be walking with a limp for a few weeks. This is no way for it to end.
Now, Tweek, boxing is a Man sport. There is nothing in the world more Man than boxing. It is Man at his most Man. So when you spar with Ned here, just dig deep into that most Man part of you. (Uncle Jimbo, South Park: Tweek vs Craig)
Perhaps I am “hating.” Maybe I should let it go.
I sort of think you should. Just my opinion.
But now we’ve got Hopkins going insane in the media again, claiming bias and this and that and everyone’s against him, but the fact of the matter is he cannot sell a fight anymore, and never really could. Why would anyone want to promote an extremely stubborn negotiator who can’t back it up at the bank? And to make it all worse, THIS fight sure as hell didn’t help his image in any way.
Hop’s hardly the only guy to go “insane in the media.” Actually to be honest I always found it kind of strange that he got under your skin so much, considering how fighters and promoters are constantly shouting insane things everywhere they go, to anyone who will listen. If you filter out some of the stuff that Hop says that you don’t like, I think you would also find that he says a lot of good and perceptive stuff too. He’s a bright guy, knows a lot about boxing and its history, and even when he says something outrageous it is rare that he doesn’t at least partly believe what he’s saying, as opposed to some of the raging bullshit and scripted stuff you see floating around out there. Doesn’t mean he’s always right about things, but he mostly (mostly!) says exactly what’s on his mind.
I guess I really don’t get the hatred, though I don’t even think it’s really “hatred.” But something about him really just bugs the shit out of you.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
Tonight on ESPN crap # 2.....
Hey, is Tony Thompson really fighting Owen Beck on ESPN tonight or has that been cancelled like the normal routine for ESPN “Quality” fights???
Bill Petersen
MR.BILL
Raleigh, N.C.
MRBILL, I did not hear they were cancelled. I think it is on like Donkey Kong. Thompson TKO 8.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
I saw this skin flick.......
I watched a skin flick on Cinemax called “Kinky Kong.” Yeah, it was chessy, but the broads were good…… Total T & A stuff………. I like it…………..
MR.BILL
Bill Petersen
MR.BILL
Raleigh, N.C.
It's on
Plus Fernando Guerrero and Shawn Porter on Showtime
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
those aren't old heavyweights
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Apr 16, 2010 9:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Someday they will be
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Worst undercard?
The undercard to “Klit-Chambers” was utter bull-manure…….. Crimities, talk about set-ups………….. JESUS that was bad……….. Thank God I pirated that event……… WORD!
MR.BILL
Bill Petersen
MR.BILL
Raleigh, N.C.
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