boxingscene.com
Friday Nights Lacking, No Longer The Same For Boxing Fans
by Cliff Rold
By Francisco Salazar
Friday nights have not been the same for boxing fans since May 22, 2015.
That was the date the last 'Friday Night Fights' broadcast aired on ESPN2, with parent company ESPN entering an exclusive two-year time buy deal with Al Haymon for his Premier Boxing Champions series.
It seems like a world away, but there was a time boxing fans sat down in front of their televisions (or on their phones or tablets) and tuned in to ESPN2 to watch battles between prospects, contenders, and world title holders.
Now, there is nothing to consistently fill that Friday night void. No Joe Tesstiore. No Teddy Atlas. No Bernardo Osuna. Nada.
The Friday Night Fights series was a boxing institution, a steady stream of events bringing about boxing fans on social media, where they traded comments about the fights while fighters on television traded left hooks from early January through the dog days of summer pushing right up against the start of college football season.
But some boxing fans have now relegated to commenting on social media how much they miss the ESPN2 series that was revamped in 1998 (ESPN would originally air live boxing since 1980, a year after the network began).
There are networks that occasionally air live boxing on Friday - Showtime, Showtime and Estrella TV come to mind. Combat sports streaming website GFL.tv offered live action this past Friday from Philadelphia that featured unbeaten fighters Jesse Hart and Mike Reed in separate bouts (BoxingScene.com Managing Editor Jake Donovan watched the fights and wrote a story about the card).
Some people have turned to attending local club shows on Friday nights. But there was something about 'Friday Night Fights' that turned sports fans into boxing junkies, especially those that talk a good game as the fighters do during the pre-fight interview.
ESPN entered into a deal with Premier Boxing Champions to air a 24 fight cards over a span of two years. Some fights were very competitive and entertaining, chief among them the August 29, 2015 edition of PBC on ESPN. The show was headlined by Leo Santa Cruz’ thrilling 12-round win over Abner Mares and supported by a super bantamweight slugfest, with Julio Ceja stopping Hugo Ruiz in a five-round war that saw both fighters hit the deck.
There was also the opening bout of the inaugural installment last July 11, with Willie Nelson rallying from a massive deficit to drop and stop previously unbeaten Tony Harrison. The super welterweight bout came in support to unbeaten welterweight titlist Keith Thurman’s corner stoppage win over faded former champ Luis Collazo.
Sandwiched in between the two shows was Daniel Jacobs and Sergio Mora trading opening round knockdowns before their August 1 middleweight title fight at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The bout ultimately ended on a freak injury, as Mora hit the deck in round two, breaking his ankle and was unable to continue. Headlining the show was a considerably less competitive fight, as Danny Garcia tore through local former two-division titlist Paul Malignaggi in a one-sided stoppage win.
Only two more episodes have since aired, both coming on Wednesday evenings after the previous three aired live on Saturdays in primetime.
The October 14 installment featured a pair of pleasant surprises. Fernando Montiel turned back the clock, in a competitive – though losing - effort versus defending featherweight titlist Lee Selby, who was making his stateside debut. The main event saw one of the biggest upsets of 2015, as journeyman Aron Martinez – who nearly bested Robert Guerrero last June in an afternoon edition of PBC on NBC – edged out former two-division titlist Devon Alexander.
It would be another six weeks until we saw the next PBC on ESPN card – and haven’t seen another since that November 25 show at an outdoor racetrack in rain-soaked Hialeah, Florida. From the weather to the in-ring action, everything about the night was forgettable, including Erislandly Lara blasting out former welterweight contender Jan Zaveck in the 3rd round of a gross mismatch.
All told, there have only been just five PBC on ESPN telecasts since the two entities etntered their agreement – a far cry from the monthly series that boxing fans were promised. A new season was due to kick off in April, but word is that the 2016 debut of the series has now been pushed back until at least June – a month where every Saturday evening is already booked between HBO, Showtime and CBS in a rare primetime offering.
If there was ever a time the phrase, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it' proved applicable, the present boxing landscape perfectly fits the bill.
Boxing fans want this fill of live boxing on television, more so than is being aired now. Estrella TV has the 'Boxeo Estelar' broadcast, but those are every two or three weeks. Telemundo broadcasts decent main events between B or C-level fighters, but their late start time of 11:35 p.m. ET might turn off some fans.
If people like the idea of 'more is better,' Showtime airs the quadruple ShoBox broadcasts. But the broadcast may drag out into early Saturday morning, making those on the East Coast fight drowsiness to keep watching.
Spike TV, which had a stellar 2015 season airing some of the better fights of the year, will air the Adrien Broner-Ashley Theophane fight on April 1 followed by an April 29 edition featuring the Dirrell brothers – Andre and Anthony – in separate bouts. The plan on paper . Plus, fans on the West Coast do not get the live feed as those on the East Coast and Central time zones.
There is FS1 (former Fox Sports 1) that airs fights on Tuesday nights, but there is never a set time. Some broadcasts have started at 9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT, while others begin the broadcast at 11 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. PT, again turning off East Coast fans, as shown in the series’ unimpressive Nielsen ratings.
ESPN should strongly consider returning to airing fights on Friday night. It gives promoters the avenue of showcasing fighters with fan-friendly styles. Fighters like Tevin Farmer and Alejandro Luna can benefit from fighting on these broadcasts and continue creating a fan base in their hometowns or on television.
The basic cable giant should also be open to working with all promoters, not just those within the PBC platform.
Could you imagine fighters from Main Events, Golden Boy, or Star Boxing being able to showcase their fighters in competitive bouts?
Sure, it may be wishful thinking. Then again, there is nothing like boxers fighting in their hometowns and the energy that seeped through the airwaves into homes across America.
It worked for fighters like Johnny Tapia, Micky Ward, and Stevie Johnston, to name a few. The series also produced memorable Fight of the Year-caliber wars such as: the March ’01 five-knockdown slugfest resulting in a 12-round win for Julio Gonzalez over Julian Letterlough (both of whom have since passed on); Ward rallying to knock out Reggie Green in 1998 and then outbrawling Emanuel Augustus in July ’01; Ben Tackie squeaking out a 12-round nod over Ray Oliveira in their Aug.’ 01 punchathon; Delvin Rodriguez and Pawel Wolak throwing down for 10 ferocious rounds in their first fight in July ’11.
ESPN is the so-called worldwide leader in sports. With that should come the obligation to return to the way things were, where boxing fans knew exactly where to tune in for 30-35 Fridays per year, every year.
After all, boxing fans have suffered enough.