It says a lot about a sport when the powers that be will try and lure you in with any gimmick that they deem appropriate. Much like GM and their now 60 day money back guarantee with regard to a purchase of one of their vehicles. If GM couldn't get it right the first time around then what makes them think that this maneuver will indeed turn the tide as to their fortunes ? It's bad enough that in excess of $50 billion of taxpayers’ monies has been spent to bail them out. And there’s still no actual sign that they’re on the way to turning things around.
And please don’t for one minute think that the Ford Motor Company is safe by any means. Its creditors may well have loaned it in excess of $30 billion as part of their cash infusion. But that venerable company is leveraged to unprecedented proportions. It’s now clinging by the seat of its pants as to its very financial health. The fact of the matter is the US automotive industry is all but dead. And though no one yet is prepared to admit it. Much of their problems stems from the intransigence shown by unions as well as the respective hierarchies of ‘The Big Three’ domestic automotive companies.
The problem that now faces the automotive industry in essence is the same thing that now faces the sport of boxing. And unfortunately for the erstwhile fans of the sport , they’re now being neglected by the various governing bodies.
They’ve lacked intuitiveness and innovation. And the product that they’re trying to get the public to consume or even find somewhat appealing. Well , in all honesty it’s about as welcoming as having a contagious disease. No wants it ,nor would they be willing to even feign interest, as to what’s going on.
A video tribute to Rocky Marciano.
The sport of boxing is invariably ran by four international governing bodies. Each has an affiliation with various national entities around the world at that runs the sport in those countries domestically. However, in light of that it has done little to stem the tide of corruption that has ran rampant throughout the sport. And in essence it still remains today. The fact is , however , whereas you and I would conduct our business with open transparency . The same cannot be said for the sport of boxing.
Courtesy of AP Sports :
Boxing trying to reach out to new consumers
By Dave Skretta , AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP)—When a young Evander Holyfield fought an aged George Foreman nearly 20 years ago, there wasn’t much publicity necessary. A few press tours, some television ads, and some carefully crafted newspaper stories generated plenty of interest.
To the tune of 1.4 million pay-per-view buys.
Even today, when big fights are synonymous with the buy-for-battle format, Holyfield-Foreman remains one of the top 10 boxing events in terms of viewership. The reasons it has rarely been trumped are many and varied, from waning interest in the sport to stagnant promotions, to the sheer number of alternatives for the casual sports fan.
These days, traditional means of promoting a big fight are not enough.
ADVERTISEMENT“Boxing has to reach a younger audience, a new audience,” HBO Sports vice president Mark Taffett said Wednesday. “We need to connect them to the athletes to move the sport forward.”
Golden Boy Promotions and HBO understand this, and are embarking on a marketing blitz unlike anything the sport has seen in recent years, focused on raising awareness for Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s fight against Juan Manuel Marquez on Sept. 19 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The fight figures to be one of the year’s most entertaining, carried by the erstwhile pound-for-pound champion’s return from a brief retirement. Mayweather (39-0, 25 KOs) has been involved in some of the biggest promotions in boxing history, including his record-setting fight against Oscar De La Hoya, while Marquez (50-4-1, 37 KOs) is backed by a feverish Hispanic fanbase.
The difficulty comes in getting their message out to a broad prospective audience, something that boxing has struggled with for decades. The interests of the 40-something sect are far different from the tech-savvy teen; blue-collar workers and urban youth have little in common.
The trick is to attach the fight, and the sport itself, to something that interests them.
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In order to read this article just click on the text shown.
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NB : Should you wish to read my piece on the upcoming bout this coming Saturday, between Juan Manuel-Marquez and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Then just click on the text link provided below. An excerpt of which have also been placed below.
Be ready,be very ready to see the return of the ‘Money Man’ on the 19th September. Floyd Mayweather (39-0, 25 KO’s),makes his long awaited and anticipated return to the ring. Mayweather has chosen his hand picked opponent,in Juan Manuel Marquez(50-4-1,37 KO’s). And Marquez is as tough as they come. A three time world titlist,the young Mexican comes from a long line if heralded Hispanic boxers. And he’s out to fulfill that obligation, of living up to that line of great Latin pugilists.
The bout itself will be at the welterweight division and though it won’t be for a title fight. It’s being viewed as an eliminator, with the winner having the privilege of meeting Manny Pacquiao. In what’ll be viewed as the title for the linear champion within the welterweight division. Buyer beware, as the caveat here, is that any fight fan willing to make the outlay of $49-95, had better be prepared to do so.
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Bob Arum castigates UFC and Floyd Mayweather. Somewhat ironic from a promoter who has been known to ask a fighter to take a dive. Arum is so oblivious as to the demographics of the sport and in particular the waning popularity of boxing.
As I’d alluded to earlier, the sport is ran internationally by four independent self governing bodies. Each with affiliations around the world to various domestic bodies , that govern the sport within those countries’ various borders. The bodies in question are :International Boxing Federation (IBF) , World Boxing Association(WBA),World Boxing Council (WBC) and the World Boxing Organization(WBO).Commonly known to most, as the ‘alphabet organization’ of world boxing. They’re predisposed in many people’s eyes of primarily furthering their own self interests-rather than that of the sport, for the pleasure of its fans.
Joe Louis in action. The legendary fighter was the longest reigning heavyweight champion in history. And his twenty five successful defenses of the title remains a record to this day, within the sport.
And while a great deal of power does lie in the hands of those bodies. It has been the promoters who’ve coddled, cajoled and misappropriated the integrity of the sport over the last four decades. Alright, we can agree that the sport of boxing has always had a seedier side to it. And what sport hasn’t over the years ? That may well be one of the many reasons why we were all so enthralled with it to begin with. OK , so we had our heroes in Muhammad Ali, Rocky Marciano, Joe Louis, Sonny Liston, Mike Tyson and others-far too numerous to mention. But the sport now has become so lackluster and is almost devoid of real talent . Nowhere, is this more glaring than within the once most prestigious division of them all. The heavyweight division has become the laughing stock of the sport. And if anything, they have little talent , even less personality, charm and charisma. .
Ali vs. Sonny Liston II, in 1965 . Liston was challenging Ali for the title in Lewiston, Maine. As we know the fight ended in an uproar -with charges being made that Liston took a dive. Nothing was ever proven but the conspiracy remains to this day.
And for these two promoters in particular Bob Arum of Top Rank Inc., and Don King of Don King Promotions Incorporated. They’ve brought the sport to the edge of the precipice, where it now sits. The majority of boxing fans, now feign interest in the sport. As they’ve grown to accustomed to the rise of the genre of MMA (mixed martial arts) . Which now far exceeds the popularity of boxing as a sport. Furthermore,, MMA under the auspices of UFC isn’t as fragmented, mismanaged or mishandled as the sport of boxing has become. And with the sport of boxing now having every reason to feel threatened with the revenues now being attained via MMA’s own PPV promoted events. The sport has become a multi-billion dollar industry and its revenues alone from PPV events far outstrips that of boxing. Not only that but UFC takes time to promote the fights that their fans want and expect to see. Not so, in the case of boxing !
It’s ironic that boxing now has to follow in the footsteps of MMA as to how it ought to lure fans and have some resonance with them to begin with. And to listen to someone such as Bob Arum berate the sport with his homophobic and racial slurs. It shows the ignorance of a man whose time has come and gone ! The sooner he departs from the sport . Perhaps the better of it will become ? But that would be predicated upon someone entering into the fray who had some integrity to begin with . Quite frankly, Arum had none to begin with.
Spike Lee’s feature on Mike Tyson and Don King. Can anyone tell me what the f-ck , King is alluding to ? Dumb is as dumb is and no one epitomizes that nowadays more than Don King !
And what of his promotional rival and counterpart you might ask ? Well let’s just say that Don King has excelled as a master showman and entrepreneur. With that however, has come the lies , the fraudulent acts and misrepresentation. Waxing lyrically about the sport but in reality saying nothing of merit. Above all the ruination of a sport has come with King and Arum in tow, that’s but a moment away from seeking resuscitation via CPR . But alas, no one is actually all that interested in seeing the sport rise like a phoenix from the ashes. It sold its soul to ‘The Devil’ and the payment in kind – has been its slow demise.
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Alan Parkins
