| by
Paul Upham
This
Friday and Sunday will be an important test for boxing
fans in Australia with two great overseas boxing cards
being televised. On Friday afternoon from 5.30pm AEST,
Fox Sports 2 & Optus Sports 2 will show on delay the
Lovemore Ndou vs. Miguel Cotto + Juan Marquez vs. Manny
Pacquiao double-header which was held last Saturday night
in Las Vegas. On Sunday from 11am AEST, Main Event Television
and Sky Channel will show the Roy Jones Jr. vs. Antonio
Tarver rematch live from the Mandalay Bay Events Centre
in Las Vegas. The ratings and buys for each card will
be an important poll for the amount of boxing that is
televised in the future and Australian boxing fans will
need to register their vote by tuning in.
The
Ndou-Cotto/Marquez-Pacquiao card was
originally scheduled to be televised on June 18. Because
of the great performance from Ndou and reports of Marquez-Pacquiao
being a ‘fight of the year’ contender, the
staff at Fox Sports went to great trouble this week
to have the fight tapes couriered across the USA and
then beamed back to Australia. There were concerns that
the courier might not make it on time, but as of Thursday
morning Sydney time, all seems well and it is locked
in to be shown on Friday at 5.30pm and replayed on Saturday
on Fox Sports 1 & Optus Sports 1 from 1pm AEST.
In
February when Ndou gave Sharmba Mitchell all he could
handle, the fight was shown on delay at short notice
one week later and did amazing ratings, being the 5th
highest rated program on Fox Sports that week. For the
sake of future big fights being shown on short delay,
similar ratings will be needed.
The
Roy Jones Jr.-Antonio Tarver rematch is unique in itself
as it represents one of the few Don King Productions cards
that Main Event and Sky Channel have shown over the last
five years. The main difference in doing deals with the
legendary promoter as opposed to others is that King feels,
being the astute businessman that he is, that the quality
of his cards and the costs of putting them together justify
an increased return.
What
Don King has done on this occasion with Jones-Tarver II
is make a long-term investment in the boxing fan base
in Australia. What the promoters usually do is have a
shared risk arrangement whereby the overseas promoter
and the local television company agree to share the return
on the sales, with the local television company paying
for the advertising, promotional and other costs associated
with taking the international satellite feed. The more
fans that watch his cards on a regular basis, the more
quality fights that Don King will be able to offer in
this country in an arrangement that is suitable to all
parties.
So
many times I am asked by hardcore Aussie boxing fans why
we can’t see many good fights live from the USA.
The reality is that boxing is not a main stream sport
in Australia and the costs involved weighed against the
returns do not make it a viable proposition. The only
way to turn this around is by having all boxing fans support
quality shows. There is no reason not to tune into these
two great cards. By all accounts the Ndou-Cotto/Marquez-Pacquiao
fights are very exciting, while one of the all time greats
Roy Jones Jr. could be making his last in the ring appearance
against Tarver this weekend and you just know that when
Don King is involved, it is always a much bigger event.
Many
times there are fight cards shown which are one-sided
and it is easy to understand why boxing fans are reluctant
to tune in. But when great fights are on offer, it is
important that all Australian boxing fans tune in. Either
by watching them at home on cable or by going to your
local ‘watering-hole’, your vote this Friday,
Saturday and Sunday will count. If you are someone who
likes to watch at home, ring today and book the Jones-Tarver
show or if you like to go to your pub or club, check
now to make sure they are showing it.
As someone who continually lobbies on your behalf to
get more boxing shows televised from overseas, it is
so much easier to plead our case when we have good ratings.
The television companies are aware of these and do take
notice. For those fans who are illegally receiving fights,
you may think you are being clever, but you are only
hurting Australian boxers and other fans. There is a
bigger picture involved and we must always remember
that boxing is a business, not a sport. The popularity
of overseas fight cards is an important factor when
deciding what local cards will be televised, whether
it is by Fox Sports, Main Event, Sky Channel or Fox
Sports Pub & Club Vision.
Make
sure to tell all your friends, boxing and casual boxing
fans alike, to tune in this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
I am not exaggerating when I say that this is a real
test event for Aussie boxing fans. Let’s win by
knockout!
UPDATE
.....
AND WIN WE DID !! TO SEE THE RESULTS -
CLICK HERE
Photography used
in graphic by Rick Pineda www.boxingkingdom.com |
