Professor Chuck Marbry
BRITISH TELEVISED BOXING HAS GREAT CONCEPT
Liberty, NC-The initial “Contender Series” on NBC was a good idea, but it spent too much time on drama and on “the thrilling days of yesteryear” and not enough time on action. The average fight fan is tired of the theatrics of whether Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will ever fight or not, in light of the Saturday night Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez fight, as well as their ages now, who cares?
PUT GUYS ON TV THAT WILL FIGHT THEIR HEARTS OUT, NOT STINK THE JOINT OUT!
But what if we forget for a bit the five or six “super stars” that make mega millions of dollars and get back to the idea behind the “Contenders” concept. Strip away the drama and stick with the action. Stay with the journeyman concept and get some competitive fights. In fact, the idea has worked great in the UK… 17 times.
HEARNS IS ON TO SOMETHING WITH ONE-NIGHT TOURNEYS
Boxing promoter Barry Hearns came up with the “Prizefighter” originally called “The Journeyman” in which he set up a format that had eight fighters compete in four quarter-final bouts of three-three minute rounds, followed by two semi-final bouts and one final fight, all in the same night.
SOMETHING HAS TO CHANGE PUBLIC’S MIND BIG TIME BOXING IS FIXED!
Will it work? Instead of two Contender series, with lots of fluff, and a little fighting, the Prizefighter has had 17 runs, that’s right, 17. With lots of evenly matched fighters and little fluff, the ratings and reception by fans has been through the roof.
AN EARLY PROMO FROM THE UK SERIES
A Journeyman, he’s the fighter that keeps boxing alive. He steps in at the last moment to save a promoters show, he’s the man who the stars of tomorrow learn most from, and he knows better than to expect a fair crack of the whip when the scorecards are read. A journeyman is boxing’s ultimate professional. So, let’s give him a moment in the limelight. Prizefighter-The Journeymen would give these unsung heroes a chance they never get, to star on live TV in evenly matched fights, with the opportunity of winning $32,000 British pounds. And there are a great number of men that deserve that chance.
REPLACE ESPN BOXING WITH THE JOURNEYMAN!
I Think it would work! Scrap the ego of analyst Teddy Atlas, the horrid and repetitive ESPN mismatches of house fighter vs. no-hoper, in other words, it’s time to bring back Gillette’s Friday Night Fights!
Professor Chuck Marbry