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WIsn't the main misconception among boxing fans when they think about how a match is conducted: “hats”? That's not a rhetorical question. Rather, it's given to us by Eddie Hearn, Frank Warren, Ben Shalom, and Frank Smith. independent personBecause the main problems that have plagued this form of punitive action over the years are: big I will fight.
There are other issues, of course, but the main focus for fans has always been to see the best fighters take on their contemporaries, and frankly that doesn't happen enough these days. The dynamics are certainly shifting, with Saudi Arabia's cash injection rapidly affecting boxing's bloodstream, but there are still a few things the sport's most influential promoters want to clarify. be.
So what are the biggest misconceptions among boxing fans when thinking about how matches are conducted?
Frank Smith, CEO of Matchroom Boxing, laughs: “You just call a fighter and say, 'Here's the date, here's the money, let's meet.'” “I don't think fans really understand the politics or arguments behind it. 'Well, if that guy's getting it, I deserve this much too.'
Smith, 31, will be a strong partner for Hearn, son of Barry Hearn and chairman of Matchroom Sports, and will be joined by Anthony Joshua, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and other top boxing stars. Working on an event. The Essex duo agree on many topics, especially fighter jet negotiations. Boxing is an “ego-driven sport,” as Smith says, but Hearn says “the numbers don't lie.”
“The difficult thing for us is how the fighters perceive their worth,” Hearn says. “There's a mathematical system that tells you the value of a match: ticket sales, pay-per-views, subscriptions, TV rights, sponsorships, etc. It's very easy to budget. it is The number of battles, it's not twice! Smith agrees. “It's hard to have a conversation, but if you can paint a picture with easy-to-read numbers, it's hard to argue.”
I would suggest that perhaps martial artists don't like being told that their values are different from what they think they are. “A lot of fighters need the right opponent, and sometimes that's difficult for them,” Smith admits. “There are very few fighters in the world who can command big money when people don't have much interest in their opponent. We look at guys like 'AJ,' Canelo, and Floyd Mayweather.
“Fighters think it's like giving up money. They might think 50-50 is unfair, but the reality is that's the only way to win the fight. , you can make a lot of money. Are you getting more than you ever got in a fight? If he didn't ask you what you were getting, would you be happy with what you were getting? ?They will say yes 99 percent of the time.? ”
For Hearn, the “funny thing” is that some people may be prepared to inflate the financial value of players and pay them big salaries. “New broadcasters and investors are coming in…These fighters should be given as much money as possible and if they can get the money elsewhere, good luck to them. “But in my budget, this fight is worth $500,000, and if he wants $1 million, I'm not going to say, “No problem.'' As we saw recently with Showtime, once you start doing that, you're out of business. ”
Hahn was referring to Showtime's withdrawal from boxing after 37 years of broadcasting it. Following the December move, Showtime's partner promotion PBC has signed a deal with Amazon Prime. “As much as we have to serve the warfighters, we are also a business that has to operate profitably,” Smith said. “A lot of people come into this sport, lose a lot of money in a few years, and then disappear.”
Another problem is that ego isn't just about finance. That has frustrated Warren over five decades in boxing, as the man behind Queensberry Promotions and, since his remarkable comeback in 2016, as the man behind Tyson Fury. “Sometimes fighters argue on the night or at the weigh-in about who's going to be out first,” Warren said. says the 72-year-old man. “I can't tell you how boring and boring that is. For me, the easiest way is to flip a coin, but to even let them do that…'Who's going to flip a coin?! ” That is so stupid. ”
Smith has similar sentiments. “Once you get past the money, it's, 'I want this locker room, this ring size, my name here, my picture on this side of the poster.'” To me, it's all like garbage. is. If you're happy with the salary you're getting, don't worry about where you are on the poster, just go out there, cry your tears, and win the battle. ”
Moreover, it's not just the fighters' egos and interests that come to the negotiating table. “We want to have the biggest fight there,” Hearn insists. “We make money on big fights and good fights, but one of the problems is that we are dealing with managers, trainers and advisers, some of whom have no idea. , most of them want the easiest fight for the most money.'' The format needs to change a little bit, and it needs to be tougher on the fighters. We need to manage their careers the right way, but more like this:this It's a fight for you. ”
Shalom, who founded Boxxer in his 20s and remains the promotion's CEO at 30, offers a different perspective. “Usually it's not the fighter jets that are causing the difficulties,” he argues. “It's very rare that a match doesn't happen even if both players want it, unless there are regulations or something like that.”
But Warren sometimes had the opposite experience. “I won't say names, but people can call each other out and say they want a fight like this, and it won't happen,” he says. “There are ways for them to get out of the fight. They can say they don't want to fight, but most people don't say that. Or they can stop fighting at their own expense if it becomes uneconomical. I can do it too.”
At this point, Shalom identified another factor that could prevent a major battle from happening. “There's a lot of pressure on promoters to compete with each other,” he says. “Broadcasters are also competing, so the promoters have to provide services on behalf of the broadcasters. It really hinders the sport. If you do, it's very easy. The more you don't see promoters as rivals, the more you'll see the best fights.”
Shalom suggested that the problem could be solved through “strong governance.” The board will impose it. That's no longer the case, but what a strong board can do is meet regularly with the big promoters to discuss issues, what conflicts might arise, and how to avoid them. It's about effectively policing sports, and that's something that happens in other sports as well. That's how they thrive. ”
Yet another solution has already emerged. That is the aforementioned Saudi money. Gulf countries are investing heavily and rapidly in boxing in a bid to diversify their sources of income. Huge amounts of money forced Hearn, Warren and other promoters to go from rivals to boxing comrades.
Matchroom and Queensbury presented an unprecedented fight card, with Joshua and Deontay Wilder fighting on the same night in Riyadh in December. Joshua then won against former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in the same city in March, and a Matchroom vs. Queensberry fight is scheduled for June. But even that is as much a sign of cooperation as it is of competition. Of course, the highlight for the Saudis, led by advisor Turki Al Sheikh, is this weekend's clash between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, who will be crowned the undisputed heavyweight champion for the first time in 24 years.
These events are shocking for Britain's Queensbury broadcaster TNT Sports and Matchroom's broadcaster DAZN, but Boxer and Sky Sports have been largely left out in the cold, leaving their rivals in Riyadh's Basking in the warm, sunny sunlight. That said, Sky will get a piece of the financial pie when Fury takes on Usyk, with the broadcaster joining TNT and DAZN in broadcasting the historic event. “In Saudi Arabia, they want to announce it everywhere,” Warren said.
In any case, what Boxer and Sky did wisely was to take advantage of women's boxing. This aspect of the sport is a growing market and, importantly, often lacks the ego that exists in men's boxing. Former world champion Mikaela Mayer said this before her narrow loss to Natasha Jonas in January. independent person: “We have to [take these risks], we don't have the privilege of sitting down and collecting one big check. We still have to prove to a lot of people that we belong in this sport, and that starts with playing the games that the fans want to see.I have to try a little harder [to] It has that influence. ” Jonas vs. Mayer stands out, along with the fight between Mayer and Alicia Baumgardner and the showdown between Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall, as some of the big-name female fights boxers have put on in recent years.
But where do promoters start when it comes to bringing life to matches?
“When a conflict is being discussed, the first thing we say is, 'Get your budget together,'” Hahn explains. “The cost of the show and what we can pay is very simple and transparent: TV revenue, admissions, ticket sales, sponsorships, etc. Then we go to the fighters and start negotiating. You'll know right away if it's available. Then look at venue availability and go to DAZN and ask, “What week do you like?” We combine that with venue availability and try to get deals across the line with both camps. That's the model. ”
This process can take a few days, but often takes months, Smith reveals. “Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn is a good example,” he says, referring to a fight that fell apart in 2022 but is still scheduled to take place. “For the first fight, it took about nine weeks to get the fight done. It was the same with Joshua vs. Usyk 2, which took months. A fight of this size is a massive event, and both sides A large amount of money will be invested.”
Last fall, there was an attempt to rebook the Eubank Jr. vs. Benn fight for Dec. 23 after it became clear that Fury vs. Usyk would not take place on that date. Although this attempt failed, and a fight between Joshua and Wilder became a reality, Smith highlighted some issues that could arise in any case. Once we announce it, it will take five or six weeks. There's no time to make the most of a battle this big. ”
But Smith said all the stress in deciding on a fight deal is worth it. “I love putting on shows,” he smiles. “I love going out every weekend and seeing 8,000, 10,000, 20,000 people having fun and thinking, 'We did it.' At the same time, if that's not enough, then I like to look at it and say, “I need to improve.”
“We're lucky to be in a business where we do everything ourselves. Everything you see is something we made. We're lucky to be able to go out and see the final product. A lot of You can't do that anymore at work. If you're in a factory, you often only work on certain parts.”
One event that remains elusive but is finally looking like a possibility given Saudi Arabia's involvement is Joshua vs. Fury. It's also the event that Smith, Hahn and Warren cherish most. “It's going to go down in history,” Smith says. “Sometimes the fight is bigger than the belt or the loss or whatever. We have to fight it out before they retire. That's something I look back on and think, 'I'm glad we got over the line.' I also want to participate in an event of that scale, and I am confident about it. It's too big for it not to happen. ”
Before, the battle would have been too big. to happen. No more.
