[Snoop]

This is a good topic and I'm liking the responses all around on the thread. I would like to see two things:

1) For FULL quality boxing cards to come back, not these top-heavy PPVs where we're shelling out $50 to watch one overpriced, and usually, overrated match up. Put those fights back on broadcast television and you have a huge revival to the sport.

2) I know this is idealistic but for promoters to stop being so goddamn greedy. That is the root of it all IMO.

[RyanTical]

I've just watched 24/7 and boy do I want Shane to smash Floyd to bits (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)


Floyd, on the ropes, Margarito style, Shane launches a BIG left hook and Floyd spins and drops face first onto the ropes, KO'd.

I didn't read any of the other posts prior to this one, for the record.

1. One Sanctioning body. That sanctioning body is also the Boxing Commission that oversees ALL of Boxing.
2. That Sanctioning body orders for elimination tournaments to determine a contender for the belt. All fights will be on FREE-TV.
3. Once a year, fights return to saturday primetime television i.e. Strikeforce Saturday Night Fights.
4. No Catchweight fights. Either make the weight or don't fight.
5. Stricter drug tests to rid drugs and all performance enhancers from the sport.
6. Have money in the budget allocated to larger for the first party media. Meaning more TV time for the sport.

[EAlbian]

The problem with a sorry ass undercard is that the Main Event is taking such a HUGE slice of the pie. Shit, sometimes they're taking the whole fucking thing. For an undercard to contain viable names they would have to:

A- Pay the Main Event fighters less
-or-
B- Charge the fans more

With the regular $50 PPV, and live gate tix averaging about $40-$100 for a cheap seat...there isn't much more that they can charge us. That means that the fighters themselves would have to take a pay cut...and you all know how likely that is of happening.

The best shot that we have of seeing a good undercard is when the Main Event fighter is also getting a promoter percentage. That keeps their cut to where they're used to, and frees up a little more cash to fill the card. Unfortunately for all of us, that STILL is no guarantee that they'll actually put that "extra" money back into the card, instead of just putting it in their pocket.

How about building up the talent of fighters, or gving them a more marketable appeal. The problem is that the guys on the undercards are unheard of or crap. If they are real talent they fight some scrub because that's the only way to make money but if the overall talent of the sport is bumped up or the fighters are given more recognition the ppv will make more money and the undercard can be something worth talking about. There needs to be new innovations in boxing to change the sport not jet saying stronger undercards and less titles, titles don't mean shit if your the best and have an outlet then people will watch. In mma there's ufc and strikeforce but because there is a champ in each doesn't mean the best fighter isn't fighting in dream in japan. An all boxing network would be great, there are millions of boxing fans but it's like they just fly underthe radar, there needs to be change and the fans should demand it. I think one of the first things is to support the amateurs because they are the future of the sport. The US Olympic team used to be something to brag about and all we can do now is bring back a bronze medal. The public needs to have more of an access to the sport, boxing is a great sport that teach disciple and self control and that's what needs to be conveyed to the public, more gyms need to be built in under priviliged areas. This is a push that I think fans should be at the forefront and alert boxers toward so that they can keep there sport alive. There has been talk about health care and retirement plans, how about a national commitee or governing body like the NBA or NFL where a percentage of purses and sanctioning fees go towards building amateur programs, 401 ks, and boosting the national or at some point international commitee/governing body

[Jack 1000]

Great Topic! My List:

1.) Stop the promotional bickering between HBO and Showtime: Instead just compete for the best fighters against the best fights. Don't put matches on that over-lap time slots. You just lose subs you could have gained with the possibility of them switching over to another channel. HBO, stop looking for the one next "hope" by showcasing him in a bunch of mediocre mismatches. At least they seem to have gotten the message with the Klitschkos, FINALLY! If the fight is a mismatch on paper, and you KNOW it's just there to pom-pom the Olympian or house fighter, when the opponent has no chance of winning, don't show it. When Golden Boy first started, the matches were competitive, but now, especially with the over-priced PPV's, there are too many mismatches.

2.) Only do PPV for major closed-circuit fights. Everything else, and I mean EVERYTHING ELSE should be made available to HBO, Showtime, or even Standard Cable. Mayweather-Mosley should be a regular HBO fight. Only Mayweather-Pacquiao, if it ever happens should be HBO or PPV. Why can't ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, or even Spike TV get involved in some boxing? Showtime has moved away from PPV's and has been very successful in doing so. Here that HBO?

3.) Mandated Title Unification Tournaments From the Big Four (WBC, WBA, IBF, and WBO): I do not want a one world one champion scenario for fear of a promoter monopoly, or to have fighters held hostage to one promoter or network. I would like to see a round robin tournament where the four organizations get together to rank each others champions and work to organize an elimination tournament to produce a unified title holder. The alphabet federations should work together, not against the goals of title unification bouts.

4.) And two notes to the WBC:

a.) Stop penalizing the victims of accidental head-butts: Why the WBC insists on a point deduction from an uninjured fighter after an unintentional head-butt in which the fighter gets cut from a butt is just not fair. They say it helps neutralize the effect of a boxer fighting with an accidental cut. But all that is being done is fighters are being penalized due to being lucky they weren't cut. And there have been several instances where this ridiculous rule has influenced the outcome of very important boxing matches. Every boxing commission involved with this great sport should seek to overturn the WBC eye-cut rule before a fight. Or nullify it completely which the Association of Boxing Commissions and the British Boxing Board of Control have already done.

b.) Dump "Open Scoring:" I've outlined Open Scoring's problems in the past, and why the fuck the WBC brought it back especially after it's failed attempt following its experimentation after Holyfield-Lewis I eleven years ago makes no sense. Even if only used after the 4th and 8th rounds, we are seeing more fighters go into track meets to protect their wins, fighters quitting on stools knowing they can no longer win, and more ways for the outcomes of fights to be manipulated. Another rule that should be thrown out and kept out of boxing. All other boxing federations hate it. The Association of Boxing Commissions hates it, turning it down by a 32-1 vote. The British Boxing Board of Control rejected it. But there are still commissions oversees that are using it. Just like the accidental head-butt rule, Open Scoring should be rejected before ANY and every WBC sanctioned fight. Open Scoring failed four times in the past, so why bring it back now?

Commissioners and managers, if you care about your fighters, you will reject open scoring before it is used in any future fights.

Jack

[xxxxxx]

Most of the changes that I have read over are good ideas. I'm not sure if this has been mentioned in this thread, but I would like Boxing to cut down the weight divisions. I believe there is like 17 of them which in my opinion is too many. I think it would make for better fights and be less confusing for casual fans to understand the sport. Less confusion means more fans which can only help the sport. However, I do like the idea of multiple champions in a division AS LONG AS THEY FIGHT EACH OTHER. We don't need 4 champions, but maybe 2 or 3 and then have them fight each other in super fights.

[Col Reb]

I would get the big fights on network tv. This is the only way to revive the sport. People need to know the stars, and short term losses would be realized in long term profits. Another thing i would do is create some type of international commission where there was only one belt per division. I know this second one will NEVER happen, but it sure would be good for the sport.

[Warlord]

Boxing needs to be on Network TV, period. At the very least, it should be on basic cable. The UFC reached the point it is at today for one simple reason: The Ultimate Fighter on Spike-fucking-TV.

It's so obvious even a caveman could do it. Boxing promoters, being one step below cavemen, may have trouble though.

[Snoop]

Boxing needs to be on Network TV, period. At the very least, it should be on basic cable. The UFC reached the point it is at today for one simple reason: The Ultimate Fighter on Spike-fucking-TV.

It's so obvious even a caveman could do it. Boxing promoters, being one step below cavemen, may have trouble though.

Not to mention UFC started airing FREE fights on Spike as well. It's too bad "The Contender" flopped. It was a good idea, but the production value sucked.

[Guest_Fitz_*]

• Less divisions, but this far ahead, could be complicated to lose some of them
• Same day weigh in's, though this is only applicable if they cut weight divisions. If they don't cut weight divisions, then NO to same day weigh ins, if they cut them. Have same day weigh ins.
• Pay some fighters less. Or don't give them a figure until the fight is done. Agree on a purse split, and then add bonuses that come out of a pot
• Put more money into undercards, which is part of the top fighters getting less.
• Do background stories like 24/7 for more fights, and not just PPV fights
• Show fights for free, or at least PPV fights at a later date for free. Nobody is going to pay for fights they don't know anything about such as the fighters.

The problem is, they are marketing boxing with all the PPV's for existing boxing fans. They are not doing it to gain new ones. How do they expect to gain new fans by making PPV's for guys casual fans would never have heard of.
Everybody is in it to make a buck right at this moment, but nobody is interested in sacrificing a buck to make it more marketable in the long run.

[Warlord]

Not to mention UFC started airing FREE fights on Spike as well. It's too bad "The Contender" flopped. It was a good idea, but the production value sucked.

The Contender didn't really flop, and the production values were fine. I think editing the fights is what pissed people off, one. And two, everyone knew it was a gimmick from the start. Stallone tried his best to make it like a real-life Rocky, but he went too hollywood with it.

He may have even, if I dare say, classed it up a bit too much. Everyone was a (portrayed) good guy, except Ahmed Kaddour, who was put off as the cocky showboat terrorist chanting "Allah Akbar!" before every fight. (Ahh, he was my favorite fighter from that show too. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) )

Stallone would've done well to put a bunch of young, hungry fighters together alongside some old, nearly dead fighters hungry for a comeback, and then watch the fireworks fly. It worked wonders for the UFC and SpikeTV.

Let's face it, Chris Leben getting sprayed with a water-hose and then busting up the entire house with bloody fists (Quiet! Diego's trying to sleep!) is infinitely more interesting than Jesse Brinkley's double-wide bringing their two kids for a visit, or Anthony "#1 Dad" Bonsante sobbing and openly weeping over his own two little shits.

That shit was just too much. People want to see carnage on a fight show, not fucking family bonding. You have to get down and dirty, and it was down right hilarious to see boxing pretending as if they were above doing such.