A new
feature for 2022 here on The Boxing Truth®, which this observer hopes will
become a semi-regular addition amongst the variety of content offered to
readers where yours truly will attempt as best as he can to cover several
topics in a condensed manner that may or may not be worthy of a standalone
feature column.
As some
Boxing fans know, the month of January has been a relatively slow one for the
sport of Boxing. This is due in part to several scheduled international Boxing
cards being cancelled and/or rescheduled due to the ongoing global COVID-19
epidemic and travel restrictions internationally as several countries look to
limit exposure to the COVID-19 virus.
There was however, one notable bout that took place on January 15th
in Verona, NY. I am referring to WBO Light-Heavyweight world champion Joe Smith
Jr., who defended his title against late substitute Steve Geffrard. Much like
several other bouts to have taken place over the last two years throughout the
entire sport, this Light-Heavyweight world championship bout saw Geffrard step
in on a little more than a week’s notice when original opponent Callum Johnson
had to withdraw from challenging Smith due to contracting COVID-19.
Something
that this observer has said too often particularly since the COVID-19 crisis
began is when it comes to fights that are made on short-notice, it is as
difficult for a fighter who had a change in opponent to prepare as it is for
the fighter that is stepping into a bout with limited notice. While the
practice of fighters stepping in on short-notice is certainly not a new one and
did not become common because of the ongoing epidemic, the fact that there is a
crisis going on, on a global scale certainly has to be an additional stress for
fighters that find themselves in this scenario.
For his
part, Geffrard did enter the bout having won his last eighteen bouts after
beginning his career with losses in his first two bouts. Geffrard was however,
taking a significant step up in class of opposition having been relatively
unknown prior to this fight. Geffrard did manage to have some success
periodically throughout this fight in landing sporadic counter punches from a
high defensive guard. The challenger was unable to take the initiative and be
the one throwing punches first throughout the bout. This was due to the
consistent pressure that Smith was able to put on him as well as the champion’s
consistent offensive output throughout. It was Smith’s pressure that eventually
further limited Geffrard’s offense and ultimately an accumulation of punishment
resulted in Smith dropping the “Game” challenger in round nine where Geffrard
was unable to beat the count.
What was
the first defense of the world championship that Smith won in April of last
year was the definition of workmanlike in that he simply went through the
motions and took care of business under circumstances, which had to of been
stressful. As for what this will mean for Joe Smith in the big picture, he
still maintains his position atop the 175lb. Light-Heavyweight division along
with fellow world champion Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. Although yours
truly strongly wishes for all world championships throughout Boxing’s seventeen
weight classes to eventually be unified to determine one world champion per
weight division, something that has been a regular addition to this observer’s
annual “Boxing Wishlist” over the years, it would appear that in regard to the
Light-Heavyweight division, all three current world champion, the WBC/IBF world
champion Beterbiev, the WBA world champion Bivol, and the WBO world champion
Smith may not be focused on each other, but rather trying to secure a lucrative
fight against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, the sport’s biggest star and the man
currently recognized as Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion, one
weight class below the Light-Heavyweight division.
Alvarez as
some may remember, also briefly held the WBO Light-Heavyweight world
championship, but opted to move back down in weight where at the time he held a
mandatory challenger position in the WBA’s Super-Middleweight ratings that
eventually saw him win the WBA title and go on to unify the championship with
the WBC, IBF, and WBO crowns to earn undisputed champion status. Recently,
there has been talk of Alvarez testing the waters in the normally obscure
Cruiserweight division, which is one weight class above Light-Heavyweight. The
reason why the division is obscure is it is not thought to be the most
lucrative option for most fighters as a possible steppingstone to competing at
Heavyweight.
What this
could mean for the Light-Heavyweight world champions is simply waiting to see
what Alvarez will do before possibly turning their attention to each other to
possibly unify the division. Obviously, if either Smith, Bivol, or Beterbiev
can secure an opportunity to face Alvarez, that will likely take priority over
any potential unification bouts simply due to economic interests if nothing
else. As for Steve Geffrard, he did his
best under circumstances, which are not ideal for a fighter challenging for a
world championship for the first time. Hopefully, this will not be the last
time Geffrard will see action in or around the top of the Light-Heavyweight
division because it is frankly hard to form an opinion as to how viable a
fighter may or may not be when they are tasked with taking fights on such a
limited notice. Perhaps, under different circumstances where he is able to
prepare for a fight that does not come as a result of short notice/unforeseen
circumstances, he may be able to show more than he was able to against Smith,
but he should be given credit for the effort he did put forth. With the
discussion of Smith-Geffrard, the Light-Heavyweight division, it’s champions,
and the possibility of Saul Alvarez interjecting himself into the equation now
complete, it is time to focus on the second and last topic for this edition of
Jabs And Observations.
As many
readers know, particularly those who have followed the work of this observer
over the years, one subject that continuously comes up more than most is my
continued criticism of the pay-per-view model as well as the benefits of the
digital subscription-based streaming model as it relates to not only the fans
who support Boxing in good times and bad, but the benefit it also has for the
sport itself in providing a more economically reasonable option for consumers
to view Boxing and not be forced to pay often steep prices on a per card basis
via pay-per-view. Despite the pay-per-view model continuing to dwindle due
largely to price points, which more often than not begin at a $60 or above
price point here in the United States, which has consequently resulted in most
pay-per-view offerings producing underwhelming returns in terms of buys, there
remains some promoters who continue to rely on such a model rather than adapt.
In the
coming weeks, there are three pay-per-view Boxing cards on the schedule that
occur within a week of each other, with two taking place on the same day. The
first of these cards will take place on January 29th in Warren, OH
as Hall of Fame promoter Don King will present a seven fight card headlined by
WBC Cruiserweight world champion Ilunga Makabu, who will defend his
title for the second time against top contender Thabiso Mchunu. While neither
fighter is particularly well-known here I’m the United States, Makabu has
generated interest as a potential opponent for Saul Alvarez should he test the
waters at Cruiserweight. While the Makabu-Mchunu card will be priced at $49.99,
a price point that is lower than many pay-per-view cards in present day, there
may be questions as to how successful the event might be due simply to the fact
that Makabu and Mchunu are not what one could consider household names. A
further detriment to the potential success of that card is the fact that two
pay-per-view events will take place on February 5th, one week later.
First will be the rescheduled event headlined by Women’s Boxing superstar and multi-division world champion Claressa Shields, who will
defend her Undisputed Middleweight world championship against Ema Kozin in a bout scheduled for ten
rounds in Cardiff, Wales. Some may recall that this fight and its undercard,
which will feature a Super-Middleweight bout between former IBO world champion
Chris Eubank Jr. and Liam Williams, was postponed from its original January 29th
date due to the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) suspending all combat
sports events throughout January in the United Kingdom due to COVID-19 concerns.
If the suspension of events is not extended, this card will cost Boxing fans $29.99,
a much lower and arguably reasonable price point than the norm. It is an event
that will face some competition for buys as later that night former WBA
Welterweight world champion Keith Thurman will return to the ring after a new
two year layoff to face Mario Barrios in a Fox Sports Pay-Per-View main event
promoted by the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) group of promoters for a price
point of $74.95.
It is
important for me to state, despite my ongoing criticism of the pay-per-view
model, that my criticism is not aimed at any of the fighters involved, but
rather the promoters who for whatever reason refuse to see the need to adapt. Although
it should not be viewed as the sole reason for the need to adapt, by those
that I often refer to as “Hold Outs,” we are still in the midst of an ongoing
epidemic and as such there remains uncertainty as to whether whatever is on the
schedule whether those events are pay-per-view offerings or not, will go on as
planned under the current circumstances. Here is a scenario where the Boxing
fan will be asked to pay $154.93 for three separate Boxing cards. When one
considers the amount of Boxing content that is offered on digital subscription-based sports streaming networks such as DAZN and ESPN+ where each offers an annual
subscription plan where the total combined cost for a year’s subscription to both
networks is just shy of $169 per year and keeping in mind that in the case of
ESPN+ they have done pay-per-view Boxing events on an occasional basis with
underwhelming returns, it is not hard to see where the value is for the
consumer.
One should
also keep in mind that promoters, much like the rest of the world have had to
deal with circumstances created by the COVID-19 crisis and while it is also not
hard to understand that promoters want to/need to make a profit, if nothing
else to pay whatever guarantees are made to the fighters that are competing,
the circumstances, as well as the generally better value of the subscription
model should be all the more reason to adapt. Further evidence of the pay-per-view
model being less viable and needing to change can be seen in two recent pay-per-view
offerings, the Jake Paul-Tyron Woodley rematch, which was produced by Showtime
Pay-Per-View on December 18, which at a $60 price point produced just over
65,000 buys. The most recent pay-per-view offering, the Luis Ortiz-Charles
Martin Heavyweight themed card, done by Fox Sports Pay-Per-View, with the
marketing tag of it being a bargain for Boxing fans at $39.99 produced under
25,000 buys according to some estimates.
At the risk
of being repetitive, I ask the promoters who continue to fight against adapting
a simple question. How much evidence does one need? Perhaps instead of
pay-per-view, the revenue that is hoped for from pay-per-view buys can be
achieved by seeking out advertising sponsors and/or investing in marketing
where a network across digital or traditional platforms may be able to see the
viability of paying for rights to stage these cards.
A brief
observation in closing that might give a bit of insight for the reader as to why
I feel as strongly as I do. First it is not merely a matter of saving money for
me personally or consumers as a whole. The fact is, despite the progress networks
like DAZN and ESPN+ have been able to make by proving that there is a new
source of revenue for not just Boxing, but all of sports, which may be even
more beneficial to promoters than the pay-per-view model was in time, Boxing
remains one of the few sports that remains behind a paywall for many
consumers. In comparison, as some readers
know, I am a sports enthusiast and try to watch as much as I can of the sports
I do not cover. Simply put, I’m a sports fan.
This past weekend, I was, like many glued to the National Football
League’s (NFL) Wildcard weekend, which over three days Saturday through Monday consisted
of six games. All six games were scheduled where they would not overlap each
other allowing viewers to consume as much of the games as they wished. I
personally watched all six. Each network involved, advertised the other games
that they would not be carrying on their platform and in general, speaking only
for myself, I did not miss anything from any of the games, though in the
interest of honesty with the reader, I did fall asleep during the Sunday night
game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs, but thanks to the
benefits of a DVR, I was able to go back and watch what I missed. My point is,
no such paywall structure is used for major team sports and even though all the
networks, which carried these games and will continue to carry games throughout
the remainder of the NFL Playoffs, though in one way or another are in competition
with each other, all promoted each other’s games. It also goes without saying
that the NFL as well as their television partners make significant revenue from
advertising and sponsorships, which makes the idea of a paywall structure less
viable. More importantly, it allows the sports fan the opportunity to watch the
sport they love regardless of whether they may or may not be able to afford a
premium price.
Now,
obviously I’m not naïve and I know that the cross-promotion these networks did in
promoting each other’s games likely had to do with agreements with the NFL more
than a gesture of helping each other, though I would like to believe in the way
things are currently, that a gesture of good will also played a role in things.
It is hard for me to understand however, why Boxing promoters cannot or will
not see the potential for revenue streams that will replace pay-per-view
revenue, but also allow the sport to be seen by as many eyes as possible
regardless of whether a Boxing fan can afford to pay an often inflated price. Some may suggest that one solution, which may
reduce pay-per-view price points might be to reduce the purses that fighters
are paid.
While it
is indeed true that most fighters on the top level of the sport earn millions
of dollars each time they enter the ring to compete, I am against the idea that
the solution is to reduce how much a fighter can make. The reality is Boxing is
a combat sport and whether some want to believe it or not, fighters risk their
lives each and every time they compete. It is not something to be taken lightly
or treated as a joke. As such, I am and will always be in favor of a fighter
being able to make as much money as they can while they can because you never
know how long a fighter’s career might be.
What I am advocating for beyond wanting to see the paywall structure the
sport has operated under for decades changed or outright done away with in
order to have Boxing seen by as many viewers/eyes as possible is for the promoters
that be in the sport to see the potential revenue that is being left by not
adapting and that there is a way to ensure fighters can make the most they can,
while at the same time making the sport and it’s biggest events accessible to
all. Am I overly optimistic? To be fair, I have been accused of such over the
years, but at the end of the day, I am really someone who bases his views on
facts and evidence, and it is becoming more clear with each passing day that
Boxing and more specifically, the “Hold Outs” need to adapt for the sport to
grow and in order for those “Hold Outs” to not be left behind.
“And That’s
The Boxing Truth.”
The Boxing
Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.
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