A UFC-type (except better) organization for boxing

[310king]

Is it possible, and what would it take, to put most or all championship-caliber boxing under one name brand/roof? I think mirroring or using UFC as an example is not a bad idea. Find some wealthy investors/money from different sources to come up with the cash, get some smart and respected guys to run it, and see the positive changes. Get the fighters on board, get the TV networks on board, and get the general public on board. It would take a lot more money than what it took for UFC, but I think there is a boat load of money to be made in this idea. Imagine how many eyeballs would be watching network or basic cable TV if fights such as Darchinyan-Arce and Margarito-Cotto 2 were on the same card. I don't think we would see 2 awesome fights with names like those on one card with the current state of boxing.

[eze]

Is it possible, and what would it take, to put most or all championship-caliber boxing under one name brand/roof? I think mirroring or using UFC as an example is not a bad idea. Find some wealthy investors/money from different sources to come up with the cash, get some smart and respected guys to run it, and see the positive changes. Get the fighters on board, get the TV networks on board, and get the general public on board. It would take a lot more money than what it took for UFC, but I think there is a boat load of money to be made in this idea. Imagine how many eyeballs would be watching network or basic cable TV if fights such as Darchinyan-Arce and Margarito-Cotto 2 were on the same card. I don't think we would see 2 awesome fights with names like those on one card with the current state of boxing.


The good is, you get a solid single legit champion.

The bad is, who's to say who's good enough and who's not good enough to join in?


Also, too much money is too be made by keeping the sport the it is. It will never happen unless boxing fans completely stop paying for tickets and PPVs and speak up.

[boxingwizard]

^Yes, but corruption and the best fights not being made are tearing boxing apart, a neutral solution would be to keep the main sanctioning bodies around but with a UFC-like body to keep them in check.

[Hermit]

Damned. This isn't even a week between postings for this idea.

[tonsetzer]

I think lately more and more good matchups are made. I dont understand why people make it sound as if no good matchups would be made at all. 2008 had a lot of interesting fights. And chances are good 2009 will be a also a good year for the sport. Why be so pessimistic? PPV numbers werent that bad either. Wasnt Pacman - dela Hoya a top5 or even top3 all time pvp?
My point whats wrong with boxing always was that fhe fighters dont fight often enough. More presence in the ring and you can hype fighters better for the mainstream viewers. Tendence seems to be that fighters nowadays fight rather 2 than 3 fights a year. 4 times a year wouldnt hurt also, especially for fighters like Klitschko who mostly leave the ring unmarked.

[310king]

The good is, you get a solid single legit champion.

The bad is, who's to say who's good enough and who's not good enough to join in?


Also, too much money is too be made by keeping the sport the it is. It will never happen unless boxing fans completely stop paying for tickets and PPVs and speak up.

you think the fans will ever speak up by not paying for tickets and PPV?

[The Prophet]

I think the UFC model is bad for sport. It's a monopoly and there's no transparency in the matchmaking process. It becomes more like Pro-Wrestling or an event where guys get big fights for personality and kissing management's ass rather than accomplishment in the sport. It also keeps big fights, like Fedor vs Couture, from happening if one fighter isn't willing to accept their "deal". In boxing, fights like that can get made, because their is co-promotion. There is no co-promotion in the UFC. Its also the reason there's no UFC on HBO, because they didn't want HBO putting independent commentators, like a Larry Merchant, giving their input to their broadcasts.

What ideally needs to happen for both sports are fighters' unions. Boxing should take a page from MMA and have an organization like WAMMA (although its not recognized by the UFC) in place of the ring magazine and give it some power to regulate and mandate fights. That's just my opinion.

[tonsetzer]

you think the fans will ever speak up by not paying for tickets and PPV?

I always wondered why americans are willing to pay so much for a ppv. It must be some regional phenomen, cause in germany no one would pay 30,40 Euros for a ppv event. The people here are just not used to paying that much extra for TV. Same goes for most other european countries.

[The Whaler]

I always wondered why americans are willing to pay so much for a ppv. It must be some regional phenomen, cause in germany no one would pay 30,40 Euros for a ppv event. The people here are just not used to paying that much extra for TV. Same goes for most other european countries.

Is it true that you guys routinely get championship fights on network TV? Because we don't have that stateside. Pretty much the only way to see most big fights is to fork over the cash for a PPV.

[eze]

Dunno why this was moved.

[Beenie]

I think the UFC model is bad for sport. It's a monopoly and there's no transparency in the matchmaking process. It becomes more like Pro-Wrestling or an event where guys get big fights for personality and kissing management's ass rather than accomplishment in the sport. It also keeps big fights, like Fedor vs Couture, from happening if one fighter isn't willing to accept their "deal". In boxing, fights like that can get made, because their is co-promotion. There is no co-promotion in the UFC. Its also the reason there's no UFC on HBO, because they didn't want HBO putting independent commentators, like a Larry Merchant, giving their input to their broadcasts.

What ideally needs to happen for both sports are fighters' unions. Boxing should take a page from MMA and have an organization like WAMMA (although its not recognized by the UFC) in place of the ring magazine and give it some power to regulate and mandate fights. That's just my opinion.

When a business model is done correctly than it's absolutely good for sport. UFC is actually much closer to some of the most financially successful sports leagues like the NBA, NFL, and MLB than boxing has been. Like these sports the UFC is independently ran and so they are immune to the politics of multiple organizations who dictate policy. They also have a successful marketing strategy that generates endorsements and more exposure as a result. Also you don't see the aforementioned sports league in any significant competition with other leagues in their respected sport, thus having a monopoly on all of the best players. The one criticism that I have for UFC's business model is the lack of money that they pay fighters. Eventually I think that they will wise up and offer bigger paydays or risk losing fighters to lesser organizations who pay more. As far as your match making point goes the bottom line to create entertaining match ups and to make sure that champions and top contenders are matched against worthy opponents. The UFC has consistently and successfully met this agenda where as boxing is always in a state of controversy over its matchmaking. I have no problem with a single prudent individual creating match ups similar to how to Dana White does as long they consistenly deliver in the same manner.

[tonsetzer]

Is it true that you guys routinely get championship fights on network TV? Because we don't have that stateside. Pretty much the only way to see most big fights is to fork over the cash for a PPV.

At the moment we have 5 tv stations who have contracts with german or german based promoters. These channels are free. Sometimes one of these channels has live coverage from the US, but not on a regular basis. So yes, boxing is free for all in germany.

And with "Premiere" we have a ppv channel. Its not a channel its more of a package of channels: movies, sports, erotic, tv show.
I remember Premiere trying to establish ppv with some Klitschko fights. It was something like 20 Euros for one fight(25$). It wasnt a success and i havent heard a word of Premiere trying to set up a boxing ppv again.

[scurlaruntings]

When a business model is done correctly than it's absolutely good for sport. UFC is actually much closer to some of the most financially successful sports leagues like the NBA, NFL, and MLB than boxing has been. Like these sports the UFC is independently ran and so they are immune to the politics of multiple organizations who dictate policy. They also have a successful marketing strategy that generates endorsements and more exposure as a result. Also you don't see the aforementioned sports league in any significant competition with other leagues in their respected sport, thus having a monopoly on all of the best players. The one criticism that I have for UFC's business model is the lack of money that they pay fighters. Eventually I think that they will wise up and offer bigger paydays or risk losing fighters to lesser organizations who pay more. As far as your match making point goes the bottom line to create entertaining match ups and to make sure that champions and top contenders are matched against worthy opponents. The UFC has consistently and successfully met this agenda where as boxing is always in a state of controversy over its matchmaking. I have no problem with a single prudent individual creating match ups similar to how to Dana White does as long they consistenly deliver in the same manner.Those are leagues comprising of there own organizations. The UFC isnt a league its its own business, promotion and organization. It creates whatever match ups are best for its own business. It doesn't even have a ranking system. If it did Machida would have got his title shot by now and Brock never would have got a shot at the "world" title. Boxing is a sport. The UFC is NOT a sport. Its an organization that is part of a sport much like the WBC IBF WBA etc. Its economic model works for itself and NO ONE else in the world of MMA. They wont even work with WAMMA or cross promote as do most of the other orgs in MMA. If the UFC didnt have their billionaire benefactor you can bet your bottom dollar they`d be doing just as bad as they were in the late 90`s.

[scurlaruntings]

I think the UFC model is bad for sport. It's a monopoly and there's no transparency in the matchmaking process. It becomes more like Pro-Wrestling or an event where guys get big fights for personality and kissing management's ass rather than accomplishment in the sport. It also keeps big fights, like Fedor vs Couture, from happening if one fighter isn't willing to accept their "deal". In boxing, fights like that can get made, because their is co-promotion. There is no co-promotion in the UFC. Its also the reason there's no UFC on HBO, because they didn't want HBO putting independent commentators, like a Larry Merchant, giving their input to their broadcasts.

What ideally needs to happen for both sports are fighters' unions. Boxing should take a page from MMA and have an organization like WAMMA (although its not recognized by the UFC) in place of the ring magazine and give it some power to regulate and mandate fights. That's just my opinion.

Bingo. Well said :thumbsup. There is little point in comparing the UFC with a sport. Its fruitless as both are entirely diffrent cases.

[Beenie]

Those are leagues comprising of there own organizations. The UFC isnt a league its its own business, promotion and organization. It creates whatever match ups are best for its own business. It doesn't even have a ranking system. If it did Machida would have got his title shot by now and Brock never would have got a shot at the "world" title. Boxing is a sport. The UFC is NOT a sport. Its an organization that is part of a sport much like the WBC IBF WBA etc. Its economic model works for itself and NO ONE else in the world of MMA. They wont even work with WAMMA or cross promote as do most of the other orgs in MMA. If the UFC didnt have their billionaire benefactor you can bet your bottom dollar they`d be doing just as bad as they were in the late 90`s.


The UFC is a league in the sense that their league of fighters compete only against themselves. My point was the NBA, NFL, MLB, etc. all do the same and they are the most successful sports leagues in the world. Boxing has a plethora of organizations, which btw most casual fans can't even name, who all have different rules and rankings. If your trying to imply that boxing's joke of a ranking system validates its status as a more legitimate sport than the UFC and its matchmaking then we simply disagree. Much of the time we see the best and most recognized boxers hand pick their opponents. We also see unworthy boxers fighting for titles. Are fans suppose to except boxing's matchmaking to be legitimate just because it has an official ranking system; and not question the system when it habitually disregards common sense and stability? Although the UFC doesn't have offical rankings, they continuously make better matches that make sense from a competition standpoint and from a marketing one. There are a few exceptions here and there but for the most part have done an excellent job with their matchmaking.

[scurlaruntings]

The UFC is a league in the sense that their league of fighters compete only against themselves. My point was the NBA, NFL, MLB, etc. all do the same and they are the most successful sports leagues in the world. Boxing has a plethora of organizations, which btw most casual fans can't even name, who all have different rules and rankings. If your trying to imply that boxing's joke of a ranking system validates its status as a more legitimate sport than the UFC and its matchmaking then we simply disagree. Much of the time we see the best and most recognized boxers hand pick their opponents. We also see unworthy boxers fighting for titles. Are fans suppose to except boxing's matchmaking to be legitimate just because it has an official ranking system; and not question the system when it habitually disregards common sense and stability? Although the UFC doesn't have offical rankings, they continuously make better matches that make sense from a competition standpoint and from a marketing one. There are a few exceptions here and there but for the most part have done an excellent job with their matchmaking.The UFC is a franchise. And as such looks after its OWN interests. The NBA NFL etc is comprised of a number of franchises. But ALL are part of a sport. The league would give it structure. But the UFC does business with no one and thus its economic model only helps itself and its own unity. It does nothing for the sport as whole in terms of working with others for the betterment of the sport as a whole. All systems have there flaws but to compare a franchise with a sport is futile.

[Beenie]

The UFC is a franchise. And as such looks after its OWN interests. The NBA NFL etc is comprised of a number of franchises. But ALL are part of a sport. The league would give it structure. But the UFC does business with no one and thus its economic model only helps itself and its own unity. It does nothing for the sport as whole in terms of working with others for the betterment of the sport as a whole. All systems have there flaws but to compare a franchise with a sport is futile.

True indeed however the UFC is the face of MMA and have really been the catalyst of the expansion of the sport's marketplace. The other "franchises" in MMA are almost irrelevant when compared to the UFC. It's like comparing Coka Cola to Check, Sam's Choice, and Jones Soda; and there really is no Pepsi to speak of. Without the UFC, the MMA may not even be able to survive or at the very least would drastically lose it's appeal.

[scurlaruntings]

True indeed however the UFC is the face of MMA and have really been the catalyst of the expansion of the sport's marketplace. The other "franchises" in MMA are almost irrelevant when compared to the UFC. It's like comparing Coka Cola to Check, Sam's Choice, and Jones Soda; and there really is no Pepsi to speak of. Without the UFC, the MMA may not even be able to survive or at the very least would drastically lose it's appeal.No. They have been the face of MMA in the West. MMA was already massive in the East and already big across Asia and well embedded long before the UFC changed its modus to MMA. Prior to that it was literally a no holds barred competition that was outlawed by US law and thus became a failed venture. It was then bought in the early 2000`s by Zuffa and changed into MMA and bought in line by NYSAC. For your information PRIDE was MUCH bigger in Japan boasting bigger audiences than the UFC achieved.

[amhlilhaus]

I always wondered why americans are willing to pay so much for a ppv. It must be some regional phenomen, cause in germany no one would pay 30,40 Euros for a ppv event. The people here are just not used to paying that much extra for TV. Same goes for most other european countries.


we've been trained 'ding' oh, there goes breakfast!!!

[Beenie]

No. They have been the face of MMA in the West. MMA was already massive in the East and already big across Asia and well embedded long before the UFC changed its modus to MMA. Prior to that it was literally a no holds barred competition that was outlawed by US law and thus became a failed venture. It was then bought in the early 2000`s by Zuffa and changed into MMA and bought in line by NYSAC. For your information PRIDE was MUCH bigger in Japan boasting bigger audiences than the UFC achieved.

I should have clarified myself in my post that I was speaking about MMA here in the West. It's in the western world where the MMA has become so often paralleled to boxing and so it's the area of the world that's most pertinent to this discussion.

[MaliSlamusrex]

i get what this guy is trying to say, basically the way boxing is run is a joke and MMA is better because fights are made within a organisation with more ease than in boxing.

but what he said is lets make one organisation to control all of MMA / valetudo, Zuffa are trying to do this but will never achieve this goal. that system is called communism and it did not work.