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Philippines, 25 Apr 2024 |
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Is ABS/CBN a Threat to Boxing Promoters? PhilBoxing.com Sun, 09 Apr 2006 Behind the July 2, 2006 Manny Pacquiao-Oscar Larios clash will be a well-oiled consortium of ABS/CBN Television Network and Manny Pacquiao Promotions (MPP). But the real McCoy holding the proverbial barrel of oil is the former. Not MPP since its only for aesthetics. Mere props. It's like in other countries. Roy Jones has its Square Ring, Lennox Lewis has its Lion, Naseem Hamed has its Prince Promotion, and Oscar dela Hoya has its Golden Boy Productions. But all those promotional monickers are best described as illusion. The real gods that decide their fate whom and where they fight are two de facto promotions called Showtime and HBO. Even Don King and Bob Arum are nuthin' presently especially if one talks about the clout because of these annual boxing coffers of $ 25 Million for Showtime, and $100 Million for HBO. These bucks are what they dangle to buy the souls of either the promoters and boxers. That's why years ago Both Arum and King raised SOS to U.S Senator Harry Reid (Democrat) to amend a law that would include these two TV Networks answerable to the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act on financial disclosure to avoid monetary shortchanging and exploitation of their boxers. As what we know, these TV Networks are exempted because the Ali Law passed in 2000 only requires promoters like Arum , King, and others to disclose their contracts to the boxers and other boxing governing bodies. By the way, Arum and King were the heaviest financial contributors of Senator Reid's elections. They were doing this actuation for protection now that HBO and Showtime are making them endangered species in earnings in big fights. However, the inclusion of the two TV Networks for the amendments on some provisions of the Ali Law faced rough sailings since the deep pocket of HBO and Showtime gained them ally in Senator John McCain (R) who tried to stonewall the inclusion of the networks as promoter. These apparently to avoid huge cut of their profits in behalf of the boxers. This phenomenon abroad is the best reason for boxing interest groups like our politicians, TV Network executives, promoters, writers to attend the first Boxing Convention sponsored by the Games & Amusement Board at Hyatt Hotel in Manila on April 19 to 22, 2006. There, you can exchange notes like a possible legislative pieces like the Ali Law for our Congress to passl Professional Boxing Safety Act, and others, or align forces concerning the trend where a giant broadcasting network has started burying its fangs on the market of boxing. Will this be a threat to promoters like Wakee Salud, Sammy Gello-Ani, Bebot Elorde, and even those U.S based promotions who will discover they are holding the empty bag of frustrations because ABS/CBN had contracted world renowned Filipino boxers to fight famous foreign boxers in the Philippines. By the way, in the Ali Law, a boxer has only a one year contract with promoter before they window shop for the highest bidder. But that's in the U.S. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Quid Quo Pro in Business In fairness to ABS/CBN, I don't agree with the furor on the $450,000 purse dangled by the TV network to Oscar "Chololo" Larios. Critics said that it was a waste of our hard earned dollar reserve from the blood and sweat of our overseas workers, the purse was too much. They added that in the World Boxing Council bidding Chololo will get only $50,000 to fight Super Bantamweight King Israel Vasquez in their rubber match. Jesus Christ, that was a WBC sanctioned fight. We are talking here about ABS/CBN spending at its own risk $450,000 (400% bigger than the WBC purse) since management probably believe that the sum is a paltry to what they can earn -- the only reason to persuade the Mexican to be mauled black and blue here before he play possum if not getting knocked out. A goodwill for everybody who cares that ABS-CBN cares for boxing and a propaganda coup for ABS before the eyes of envious, threatened, and grudging promoters here and abroad that A New Kid in Town has arrives to make a run of their money. Since this is a pay per view in the U.S, what is at stake here is the wallet of fight fans who turned gaga every time Pac monster turned amuck in the ring. As Pac wins, these foreign based fans lost $50, including those inside the SM cinemas who lost $6, while those inside the Araneta Coliseum lost in a varying amounts of $1000, $500 and $20 with a smile from satisfied followers, eh? Expenses in dollars by the said TV corporation are part and parcel of business if it caters to global audience. Would you think Larios will allow himself to accept Philippine denominated currency - though a peso sounds the same peso in Mexico but can't buy nothing there? It's a quid quo pro in business, my dear Procopio. You spend in dollars, you earned in dollars. Those dollars to be earned, I believed will be deposited as an account of the Lopezes (the proprietors of ABS-CBN) to a bank based in the Philippines. And this is good for our economy since our peso will appreciate. On the other hand, on how much the Lopezes will earn will be another part of the story. Good for them, if they will earn more than what they pay Pacquiao and Larios. Bad, if they lost. But to the fight fans, more of them will win if the Lopezes will allow the clash to be held in an open field. Management can still bill those on the royalty seats with that infamous $1000, and at the same time bill the hundreds of thousands hoi polloi say, $2 (or P 100). If ABS-CBN will do this, it will not only reap the gratitude of a grateful nation, they will also reap their 62% or P463 Million losses in their rating war to the much popular GMA-7 TV last year. Notwithstanding, the 116,666 pay per view buys (my liberal estimate from the 1/3 of the 350 thousand --not 5.3 Million as I erroneously mentioned last week because I honestly based it in one of the dailies report -- PPV Viewers of the Pacman-Morales Rematch last January who will still watch despite the less excitement of people on this bout) will funnel $5,833,300 or P297,498,300 (116,666 viewers multiply by $50 or P2,550), to the funds of this dawning boxing outfit. Amount higher than $5,383,300 to the money gamble to Chololo, or $1,833,300 bigger than the $4 Million the Lopezes invested in the possibility of this fight. And, we are not counting yet the revenues they can get from SM Cinemas, until the kingdom come commercials in between the rounds of the match's TV replay, and those by the sea of humanity in an open field. Of course, revenues in the U.S will be divided with PPV giant HBO. Despite another waste of hard earned dollar remittances for our laborers abroad, referee nonpareil Michael "Let's get ready to rumble" Buffer will be coming here to give semblance that this game is world class that cater to not necessarily world class spectators here and abroad . To the Lopezes bashers on tapping that overacting singer and talk show host Martin Nievera, what can I say in the vernacular: "Anak ng bibingkang hilaw! (English translations can be : "for Christ sake!, Jeez!, My foot! You name it) What is this dude will be doing inside the ring? To host an amateur singing contest? (Comments at totomortz@yahoo.com, or mobile phone: 09192760964) Click here for a complete listing of columns by this author. Click here for a complete listing of this author's articles from different news sources. |
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