Comments Thread For: "Fighting Words" - Showtime Gets Its Second Wind

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

by David P. Greisman - Last year started so well for Showtime.

Its first major boxing broadcast of 2015 crowned a new heavyweight titleholder when Deontay Wilder defeated Bermane Stiverne. The main event pulled in an average of more than 1.2 million viewers, the network's second-highest rating for the sport in more than a decade.

The rest of the year wasn't anywhere near as good. This year, however, is already looking like it could be much better.
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[wlliam]

I LOVE the SPORT of boxing but im not gonna lie i havent been watching much of todays boxing lately...the fights just aint happening. The top guys arent facing each other for whatever reason. Kiko Martinez is getn better fights than all the guys who KOd him. The best fight that was made recently, IMO, is Algieri vs Spence...even Ortiz vs Berto is a better match up than most fights that are scheduled, im talking in terms of pure competition these fights are great and for that ill support and contribute. It just reflects the state of boxing when guys who arent considered the best(spence not there yet) in their respective divs are in good competitive matchups while we get CaneloKhan? GGGWade?? Crawford faced Lundy when he can easily be matched against Postal...wtf?? I wont contribute to their ppvs or ratings until they face each other... and that seems to be the trend lately with the ratings reflecting that. Which hopefully turns things around.

[OctoberRed]

I LOVE the SPORT of boxing but im not gonna lie i havent been watching much of todays boxing lately...the fights just aint happening. The top guys arent facing each other for whatever reason. Kiko Martinez is getn better fights than all the guys who KOd him. The best fight that was made recently, IMO, is Algieri vs Spence...even Ortiz vs Berto is a better match up than most fights that are scheduled, im talking in terms of pure competition these fights are great and for that ill support and contribute. It just reflects the state of boxing when guys who arent considered the best(spence not there yet) in their respective divs are in good competitive matchups while we get CaneloKhan? GGGWade?? Crawford faced Lundy when he can easily be matched against Postal...wtf?? I wont contribute to their ppvs or ratings until they face each other... and that seems to be the trend lately with the ratings reflecting that. Which hopefully turns things around.

Some of the fights lately, especially on HBO, are pure mismatches

[soul_survivor]

I LOVE the SPORT of boxing but im not gonna lie i havent been watching much of todays boxing lately...the fights just aint happening. The top guys arent facing each other for whatever reason. Kiko Martinez is getn better fights than all the guys who KOd him. The best fight that was made recently, IMO, is Algieri vs Spence...even Ortiz vs Berto is a better match up than most fights that are scheduled, im talking in terms of pure competition these fights are great and for that ill support and contribute. It just reflects the state of boxing when guys who arent considered the best(spence not there yet) in their respective divs are in good competitive matchups while we get CaneloKhan? GGGWade?? Crawford faced Lundy when he can easily be matched against Postal...wtf?? I wont contribute to their ppvs or ratings until they face each other... and that seems to be the trend lately with the ratings reflecting that. Which hopefully turns things around.

I agree with the most part.

But you have to mention Frampton v Quigg as a proper match up and with Rigo's inactivity and low level of opposition, Frampton is numero uno in his division.

But I gotta say, most other fights this year have been plain bad. Showtime, HBO, Sky, whatever, they've all been as bad as each other.

[shoog]

I agree with the most part.

But you have to mention Frampton v Quigg as a proper match up and with Rigo's inactivity and low level of opposition, Frampton is numero uno in his division.

But I gotta say, most other fights this year have been plain bad. Showtime, HBO, Sky, whatever, they've all been as bad as each other.

Frampton vs Quigg was a "proper matchup" as you say but the 2 of them were such divas leading up to the fight, taking years to get the fight made, ducking rigondeaux, aquiring belts from rigo but never fighting him, *****ing about dressing rooms, and then when the fight finally happened the two 122 pounders didnt even throw punches, they were like klitchko and fury in there, one of the worst fights ive seen, i wouldnt point to that as some bright spot for the current state of boxing

[The Big Dunn]

If both networks incentivize winning and showcase fighters in progressively better fights I think things would be good. I can't see how recycling losers that get KTFO or beaten to a bloody pulp is good for tv ratings.

[soul_survivor]

Frampton vs Quigg was a "proper matchup" as you say but the 2 of them were such divas leading up to the fight, taking years to get the fight made, ducking rigondeaux, aquiring belts from rigo but never fighting him, *****ing about dressing rooms, and then when the fight finally happened the two 122 pounders didnt even throw punches, they were like klitchko and fury in there, one of the worst fights ive seen, i wouldnt point to that as some bright spot for the current state of boxing

The media tells you the fight took years to get made but in reality it didn't. I heard people on Sky quoting 5 years, that's bs. 5 years ago both guys were prospects and the fight was meaningless.

All the locker room stuff was just posturing and didn't mean anything.

It's way better than seeing Berto v Ortiz again lol that's for sure

[Pigeons]

Showtime has made some good fights since late 2015 (DeGale-Bute, Jacobs-Quillin, Frampton-Quigg) and has good ones on gap for the first half of 2016 (Jack-Bute, Wilder-Povetkin, LSC-Frampton). Hopefully they see a bump in their ratings.