Comments Thread For: Merchant Agrees With HBO For Rejecting Rigondeaux

[HeroBando]

I will agree with this only if HBO was also not showing guys like Shiming (1-0 0 KOs for god's sake), Devon Alexander, even freaking Donaire who makes boring fights... people remember him KOing Arce but his fight with Narvaez was a fiasco, his fight with Vazquez was pretty bad and the Mathebula bout was pretty crappy. We also get some amazing entertainers like Chad Dawson, who throws like 20 punches per round, or an ancient Hopkins.

And don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching the fights of Rigondeaux and Hopkins, but they are pretty similar to most casual fans. So how can HBO say that Rigo is almost impossible to promote while they still show all those guys? It's just beyond my comprehension.

All those guys compete in more popular divisions, except Shiming. Here's explanation one more time:

"Couple of things here -- Zou is the nominal main event because the fight is in China. The real fights for fans are the two title bouts that are very solid fights -- Evgeny Gradovich vs. Mauricio Munoz and Juan Francisco Estrada vs. Milan Melindo. Both legitimate fights that should be good. Second, this not a "real" HBO card. It is on HBO2 on tape delay. Top Rank is producing the telecast and HBO simply is picking up the feed for a VERY, VERY cheap license fee (about $100k) and offering it to its subscribers for added value on HBO2, which has no original programming. I look at it as a bonus. Simple as that. The first card from Macau was highly entertaining and I expect this to be the same."

[Flash13]

All those guys compete in more popular divisions, except Shiming. Here's explanation one more time:

"Couple of things here -- Zou is the nominal main event because the fight is in China. The real fights for fans are the two title bouts that are very solid fights -- Evgeny Gradovich vs. Mauricio Munoz and Juan Francisco Estrada vs. Milan Melindo. Both legitimate fights that should be good. Second, this not a "real" HBO card. It is on HBO2 on tape delay. Top Rank is producing the telecast and HBO simply is picking up the feed for a VERY, VERY cheap license fee (about $100k) and offering it to its subscribers for added value on HBO2, which has no original programming. I look at it as a bonus. Simple as that. The first card from Macau was highly entertaining and I expect this to be the same."

Haha I don't think they are interested in that explanation they need a fighter to compare to rigo on hbo, pointless.

[WARQUEZ]

Nice Marquez sig... I'm sure you were supporting 'your boy' before his first encounter with Pac
... or might I be mislabeling you for one who actually likes boxing... lmao.

Marquez fan since 1973. Rigo so garbage Napoles has to take a nap before his fights so he can fall asleep one round into it.

[Public_Enemy]

Haha I don't think they are interested in that explanation they need a fighter to compare to rigo on hbo, pointless.

This is a good explanation but I think eventually Shiming will be on regular HBO. They're not going to put it on there when Shiming is fighting 4 & 6 rounders. This will definitely happen if Shiming becomes as popular as Arum thinks he will.

[Norton]

It is logical that HBO cares about its profits so a skillful boxer, which is dominating over his opponent not in the "careless" style, is unlikely to cause a lot of interest among the American public without a U.S. passport and relevant advertising (like Mayweather, Tyson). At the time, but in a milder form (when HW name inertia among Americans was still strong and was a hope for a new U.S. prospectus), Lewis experienced such difficulties, in a more tough form - Klitschko's (although the latter intentionally went into a fight with HBO, because of alternative provided by RTL and German audiences money), and now - Rigondeaux.



But the fact that a monopolist on the TV boxing market takes care of its profits in any way shall not turn boxing into show, ie to turn sport into the money earning instrument, as Merchant insist (with all due respect to him). The problem here is not in the boxing, but in fact that any monopoly is cack-handed, it's ossifies in the absence of alternatives and does not put enough effort into its "product." However monopolies problem has simple resolution - its destruction or looking for alternatives (for example Klitschko in Germany and RTL). In the case of Rigondeaux HBO, it seems, also took advantage of his weakness, because they know that for Guillermo such alternative as Showtime is not available (due to his promoter). In fact, they realized that the boxer is in a desperate situation and so engaged in banal extortion - do what we want, or go box for a penny, because you do not have any alternative.

[brickcityboxing]

Sad part is people on this site agree with what merchant/top rank/lampley etc. are saying. To be a fan of this sport and not want to watch rigo every time out or at the very least appreciate what he does says a lot about where we are at as a community/fan base.

[Ray*]

This idiot is still around?

[brickcityboxing]

This idiot is still around?

What idiot ?

[Ray*]

Sad part is people on this site agree with what merchant/top rank/lampley etc. are saying. To be a fan of this sport and not want to watch rigo every time out or at the very least appreciate what he does says a lot about where we are at as a community/fan base.

Pretty much this, you cannot be a boxing fan and not appreciated all the aspect of boxing, whether its the sweet science, brawling or whatever. People like Merchant are breeding and influencing a lot of dumb fans in a big way, they are using their own opinion to influence a lot of these fans who can't make their own judgement by themselves.... Quite sad really.

[Ray*]

What idiot ?

Merchant is an idiot.