Hello fight fans and welcome to another Thursday gathered around my bulging sack, waiting on my weekly load of gooey, salty truth. This week, we have questions/comments regarding Saudi boxing plans, Deontay Wilder, and stolen ideas.
Cut-Rate Turki Sub?
What's good P Mag?
Hope all is well with you and the family. A couple things concerning the Saudis. First, Turki made headlines by saying he is going to drop PPV prices drastically. The upcoming Bivol/Beterbiev fight will be £20 in the UK 20 bucks for the U.S. On the front for fans, it seems like a good idea, on the back end it might spell trouble. How does this effect fighters purses?
Secondly, whenever it is mentioned that Turki is taking huge financial losses on these events, it is met with "the Saudi's print their own money and they don't care loses such as gate loses, PPV sales etc).” How long can this model sustain itself realistically?
– Big Rob.
Hey Rob.
Just from a very basic economics perspective, how in the world can you lower consumer prices AND maintain high fighter pay? You can’t. So, while the Saudis may offset the financial losses early on in their endeavor to get a firm hold on the sport, something will have to give once they actually get that hold. Most likely, given their history in other endeavors, they will force labor (in this case, the fighters) to take pay cuts. This is straight from the Creating a Monopoly 101 textbook-- overspend and under charge to seize market control and then do whatever the fuck you want once you are the only show in the boxing town and in control of most, if not all, the bankable fighters. This is exactly what people get when they cry about boxing becoming more like the UFC. It’s a nightmare for the athletes, relative to what is going on in other sports around them, and not even the fans benefit all that much, because, once that monopoly is established, the prices always come creeping back up because, well, there’s only one show in town.
People with built-in BS detectors should have their alarms blaring. This is like a deadbeat dead promising his kid an X-Box AND a Playstation for Christmas. It sounds good, but who the fuck is going to pay for it?
Per my Notes from the Boxing Underground column a couple weeks back, the Saudis have been pulling back from investments that are losing them money, not generating enough money, and/or not meeting their country’s specific needs. So, money most definitely matters to them. It’s preposterous to think that anyone, no matter how rich they are, is okay with losing money indefinitely. And the people who talk about how the Saudis can print their own money, clearly have no idea how world economics work. I’m sure the Saudis will be fine with wildly devaluing their own currency by printing more, so the world can get Shakur-Zepeda, lol.
Stealing My Sack?
Greetings. What are your thoughts on ESPN Boxing incorporating a “Boxing Mailbag,” seeing that you're the originator?
– Van Davis
Hey Van.
As much as I’d like to take credit for being the originator of the mailbag, the concept is an old one, dating back to the magazines and running right through the internet age. The mailbag is anyone’s to take. Let them have at it. But, just remember, if you want responses not delivered by media members owned and/or sponsored by the people they cover, Magno’s Bulging Mail Sack is the only place to go.
But, to veer off the point a bit, I’ve been having ideas and full concepts ripped off from me and posted by hack writers as their own on “major” sites for going on 17 years now. I’m used to that shit. It does beg the question, though, of why, if I’m irrelevant and not worthy of a major platform, do they keep stealing my stuff. Fuck ‘em.
Deontay...No...
Hey Paul.
Please tell me that the rumors I hear of Deontay Wilder returning to the ring are not true. If there was ever a spent shell, it’s Wilder. He was an entertaining fighter and I was a fan, but he should not be allowed anywhere near a ring ever again.
– Stan
Hey Stan.
There’ve been hints of an “I might be back” and reports of a needed surgery to correct some boxing-related issues. There’s nothing concrete, though. I agree with you, Deontay’s done. He’s looked absolutely docile in recent performances and has lost four of his last five-- three of those losses, brutally. He needs to move on, but the money will be there for him if he wants it. It’ll be hard to turn down the offers coming his way.
Got a question (or hate mail) for Magno’s Bulging Mail Sack? The best of the best gets included in the weekly mailbag segment right here at FightHype. Send your stuff here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com.