Can Bob Arum, who has never shown an ability to play nice with others for too long, put aside greed and ego for a more pragmatic approach to his business rivals?
Lost in the hype and counter-hype of last week?s Mayweather vs. McGregor spectacle was a bit of good news for boxing fans. ESPN announced a multi-year deal with Top Rank Promotions and vowed a dedication to getting the sport back into the mainstream.
The basic cable sports network will be broadcasting high-end events (18 in the first year), will deliver pay-per-view cards, and will also focus efforts on using new technology to bring the sport to a larger public.
All in all, this is great news for the sport?as long as Top Rank bossman Bob Arum resists the urge to turn these shows into dumping grounds for mismatches and third-tier pairings (like he?s done in the past when presented with network opportunities).
But even if Top Rank does a horrible job with their ESPN shows, it will still be better for the sport than keeping every high-end fighter behind a premium cable paywall.
In an effort to be gushingly optimistic and helpful, here are some ideas, from this writer to the ESPN/Top Rank braintrust, that will help re-introduce boxing to the masses?and keep them coming back for more:
Timing is Everything
For the life of me, I can?t understand why network boxing shows don?t just kick things off with the main event. Ideally, as a promoter with an eye on selling his fighters to a new audience, you?d want your money fighter performing as early as possible and as close as possible to the mainstream lead-in programming.
As it is now, who, exactly, is sitting through an hour-and-a-half of prelims before the main event? I?ll answer that question for you?only the already-sold die-hards are sitting there through the prelims. This means that by the time the ?big? fight comes on, most of those watching are those who are already fans. Those casual-curious newcomers have, for the most part, bailed out somewhere between the Eastern European former Olympian?s 10-round snoozer and the young prospect?s 6-round romp.
In the perfect scenario, just as soon as the lead-in programming ends, a highlight reel video package should kick in?and then the ring walks. If the main event impresses, fans will sit through the other fights afterwards and, even if they don?t, the die-hards WILL?and the curious casual fans will have gotten a glimpse of the star(s) of the show in the money fight of the evening before moving on.
Matchmaking
Nobody is expecting Arum to put the best vs. the best on ESPN at the expense of lucrative PPV days, but, geez, at least make the squashes look entertaining and somewhat intriguing. Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Miguel Marriaga on ESPN a few weeks back was about as competitive as security cam footage of an old lady being mugged in her building?s elevator. Everybody knew that this fight was a set-up from the moment it was signed and the resulting zero buzz aided in yielding tepid TV ratings.
If a mismatch squash is a must, at least take the focus away from the ugly curb stomping and put it on showcasing a future high-end fight. Lomachenko-Marriaga and Rigondeaux-Tomato Can on the same card, with a heavy emphasis on building Lomachenko-Rigondeaux, would be a happy compromise when it comes to airing one-sided snuff bouts.
Energy!
Nothing is a greater buzzkill to curious boxing outsiders than the death whisper of an empty arena or a listless crowd for a bout called by a lifeless broadcast crew. If there?s one thing that boxing can learn from the UFC, it?s that a wild crowd and an excitable announce team work wonders for keeping an audience and selling product to them. Excitement is contagious and tedium is, too.
Scheduled fights should be in arenas filled with rabid, partisan fans or those who, at the very least, have really, really looked forward to seeing the fights.
And, as for the broadcast team?it?s a sporting event, not a dissertation. Announcers should be informative, but always err on the side of showbiz. Leave the tired-eyed 70-year-olds with Just for Men dripping down the side of their heads at home, unless they can muster a real spark or two.
Play Nice With Others
No one, single promotion can put on week after week of quality shows without biting the bullet and working with their direct competition. Even powerbroker Al Haymon?s gigantic roster of talent fizzled when the reality set in that, sooner or later, you must reach out to competition and share your prime TV spot if you want to keep making meaningful fights.
Can Bob Arum, who has never shown an ability to play nice with others for too long, put aside greed and ego for a more pragmatic approach to his business rivals?
No Hustles, Swindles, or Cons
Even if Top Rank follows the blueprint above and presents the perfect product, at the perfect time, with the perfect match-ups, it?ll all be for naught if Arum & co. can?t resist dabbling in old-school sleight of hand and skullduggery.
Mainstream sports fans want to invest their time into a sport that has a logical, fair, and satisfying conclusion to the game play. Nobody wants to watch a Super Bowl where the Patriots outscore the Falcons, yet still walk away with the loss. Only die-hard fight fans are masochistic enough to tolerate such nonsense for long without being turned off permanently.
If Top Rank wants to do this whole expansion thing right, everything has to be on the level.
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Boxing can work its way back into the hearts and minds of mainstream America and it has certainly been proven that the general public wants to embrace the sport again. We just need to know how to reach them and, then, how to keep them.
Top Rank is getting that chance to try. Hopefully, they can succeed.
