There are currently only two networks that offer regularly scheduled, quality boxing matches featuring the sports best known personalities: Showtime and HBO. Their rivalry has been long and, at times, bitter. In the 90?s Showtime?s stable of fighters consisted mostly of Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez. Back then those two alone made for a hell of an audience, which kept the network suits fat and happy for quite some time. HBO on the other hand filled its ranks with such burgeoning superstars as Lennox Lewis, Arturo Gatti, Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Roy Jones, JR., Floyd Mayweather, JR., and some guy named Oscar De La Hoya.
Though at the time these fighters could not compete with the popularity of Tyson and Chavez, HBO knew that in the future, once Showtime?s only two real attractions were used up and began their decline, their own fighters would capture the spotlight, not to mention the dollars of the paying public. They were correct. Once the Tyson Mystique had faded and Chavez was no longer the unbeatable force he once was, the boxing world took a cue from the Lady of Shallot and began to a look outside the narrow room in which they had imprisoned themselves. As this was happening many of HBO?s lesser known fighters quickly earned reputations of being fearless warriors who were willing to trade blows until the end, come Hell or high water.
During regularly scheduled programming on such series as Boxing After Dark (B.A.D.), and HBO World Championship Boxing, these men would first begin to etch their now legendary names in the annals of boxing history. The drama, pride, guts, and glory that was poured into the Gatti-Ward, as well as Barrera-Morales trilogies, forced the American public to take notice of the lighter weight classes. During this time Oscar De La Hoya also posted some marginal performances, even managing to do moderately well in the Pay-Per-View department. That department would eventually become the bread and butter of HBO Sports, while the once flagship staples of B.A.D. and World Championship Boxing were relegated to B-movie status, nearly falling by the wayside altogether. In the mean time, Showtime?s programming slipped; they would have to regroup but that would take some time. While they still managed to have some entertaining match-ups from some notable fighters, the sports marquee names were only fighting on one network and that was not Showtime.
In spite of their success, or perhaps because of it, HBO abandoned the formula that had originally brought them success. They no longer showcased young and hungry fighters who were willing to give their all for a shot at exposure no matter how much money they made. Instead they focused on the more established fighters they helped to create. Anticipating the willingness of fans to fork out extra money for what they use to get for free HBO began offering each and every slightly meaningful bout they could come up with on their Pay-Per-View arm. For a while, the fans complied. What may have been sound business strategy for the present however, proved negligent of the future. In a clear reversal of roles Showtime took up the mantle of the network for new comers with their SHOBOX series. Meanwhile, they designated the first Saturday of every month as ?America?s Fight Night? and committed to broadcast their own Championship Boxing series every month on that particular night. In doing so, Showtime sought out the best fights that their smaller budget could make, regardless of the status of the participants. This led to fighters such as Ricky Hatton, Diego Corrales, Paulie Malignaggi, Sam Peter, Jose Luis Castillo, James Toney, Rafael and Juan Manuel Marquez, and Joe Calzaghe all making their introductions to the American audience on their network. SHOBOX quickly proved to be an exciting series as well as a breeding ground for top prospects like Anthony and Lamont Peterson, and James Kirkland. It wasn?t long before Showtime began to garner adulation and awards for providing fights such as Castillo – Corrales, Hatton ? Kostya Tszyu, Marquez ? Israel Vazquez I & II, while nurturing the blossoming careers of the sports future stars.
HBO, still the juggernaut in terms of purchasing power, swooped in with wallet agape and began offering money to fighters that Showtime had virtually suckled through infancy in order to get them to jump ship over to the S.S. Dark side. Most did. Who can blame them? Fighters risk their health every time they step into the ring, so why shouldn?t they at least attempt to gain the largest reward in order to compensate for their risk? I slept through Twelfth Grade economics three times but even I understand this fundamentally basic principle of supply and demand. In 2007 HBO made the decision to cut back on the grossly inflated number of Pay-Per-View shows that they had been offering for the past few years, in favor of offering more ?free? telecasts to their subscribers.
The battle then escalated. The networks eventually decided that they would take many of their cards head to head, airing fights on their separate networks on the same night at relatively the same time. Anyone who was a professional wrestling fan in the late 90?s will agree that the move is reminiscent to the WWE-WCW Monday Night Wars that were raging at that time. They will also agree that while it is hard to watch two channels at the same time, this type of aggressive programming does have a tendency to step up the quality of the match-ups.
Competition is the driving force behind any capitalistic society right? If you are selling the same product as someone else, in order to thrive, or even survive, you need to first have a ?good? product at a lower price. After that it?s all about marketing strategy, advertising campaigns, and sales pitch. Since the two networks are out there offering essentially the same product, Showtime lowered its asking price, virtually cutting out Pay-Per-Views altogether. HBO, with their deeper pockets, offers the biggest names in the sport and has stepped up the number of fights per year, while cutting back on their own PPV?s. Unfortunately for them, the better known fighters in the sport don?t always make the most exciting fights, as they often seek to line their pockets by defeating easier opponents in safe, boring matches. The lesser known fighters however, hungry for the spotlight and bigger paydays, will often lay it all on the line in order to establish themselves.
Either way the result has been an exciting boxing filled 2007 despite the fact that many of the intriguing match-ups scheduled for this fall ended up postponed or canceled. Take a moment to reflect back on Marquez ? Barrera, Mayweather – De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto ? Zab Judah, Jermain Taylor ? Kelly Pavlik, Pavlik ? Edison Miranda, Marquez – Vazquez I & II, and Peter ? Jameel McCline.
Now look into the future for a moment, at the possible, beautiful brutality being offered in such upcoming fights as Marquez – Juarez, Joe Calzaghe ? Mikkel Kessler, Cotto ? Shane Mosley, and Mayweather – Hatton, and tell me what that tells you. That?s right. There sure seems to be a lot of life left in this dead sport. At least part of the debt for this resurrection is owed to the competition between the two networks and to good old fashioned American capitalism. Let?s hope that neither ever emerges the clear victor in this battle lest boxing continue to follow the WWE model and get progressively worse.
With the emergence of the plethora of MMA organizations salivating like Pavlov?s dog at the opportunity to take viewers away from the sweet science, Boxing must continue to get better as it cannot afford any slip in quality or quantity.
