Soulrise
19th November 2007, 06:14 PM
**I actually posted this on a boxing forum awhile ago but I don't visit it much as the discussions are generally more about bashing fighters and name calling than actual fight talk**
Besides lack of exposure on network and non-premium cable, I think something that really hurts boxing is the lack of availability of high quality boxing DVDs. If you look at the top-selling (in the U.S.) sports DVDs in sales and rentals UFC dvds are almost always at the top of the list. And most of my friends who are just casual MMA fans got into Pride/Strikeforce/KOTC/TKO only after borrowing my DVDs. This lets the die hard fans watch their favorite fights over and over while it allows newer fans to catch up on fights that they might have missed the first time around. For boxing we have to resort to either crappy quality fights on YouTube or some other video sharing site, or we can buy sets from established sites that sell unauthorized versions. But how many non-diehard fans are going to go through that trouble? I don't know who would have the rights to release DVDs (would it be the network, promoter, someone else?) of past fights but with all the classic boxing wars that have taken place I don't understand why they can't get it together and release official high quality career sets for fighters past and present. I think career sets for popular fighters of the past such as Ali, Tyson, Frazier, Holyfield, Bowe, Sugar Ray, Hagler, Hearns, Whitaker, Gatti, and Trinidad would sell well since even the general public is familiar with these names while career sets for current fighters would only help promote their future fights. I don't see how career sets (or if not full career sets than a "best of their career" type set) for fighters such as Cotto or Mosley could do anything but HELP promote their upcoming fight. And it doesn't seem like DVDs are expensive to produce...I just don't get it...
Besides lack of exposure on network and non-premium cable, I think something that really hurts boxing is the lack of availability of high quality boxing DVDs. If you look at the top-selling (in the U.S.) sports DVDs in sales and rentals UFC dvds are almost always at the top of the list. And most of my friends who are just casual MMA fans got into Pride/Strikeforce/KOTC/TKO only after borrowing my DVDs. This lets the die hard fans watch their favorite fights over and over while it allows newer fans to catch up on fights that they might have missed the first time around. For boxing we have to resort to either crappy quality fights on YouTube or some other video sharing site, or we can buy sets from established sites that sell unauthorized versions. But how many non-diehard fans are going to go through that trouble? I don't know who would have the rights to release DVDs (would it be the network, promoter, someone else?) of past fights but with all the classic boxing wars that have taken place I don't understand why they can't get it together and release official high quality career sets for fighters past and present. I think career sets for popular fighters of the past such as Ali, Tyson, Frazier, Holyfield, Bowe, Sugar Ray, Hagler, Hearns, Whitaker, Gatti, and Trinidad would sell well since even the general public is familiar with these names while career sets for current fighters would only help promote their future fights. I don't see how career sets (or if not full career sets than a "best of their career" type set) for fighters such as Cotto or Mosley could do anything but HELP promote their upcoming fight. And it doesn't seem like DVDs are expensive to produce...I just don't get it...