ANOTHER FINE MESS
The rivalry between Hearn and Warren continues to gather pace but at what cost?
THIS is boxing, it happens,” said every promoter, far too often. Eddie Hearn was the latest to utter those words while defending the unfortunate clash which pitches himself, alongside Amir Khan and Sky Sports, in a direct TV ratings battle against Frank Warren, Carl Frampton and BT Sport, on April 21.
Hearn is right of course. This is boxing, and it does happen. As he pointed out during a phone call to Boxing News last Friday – the consequence of Warren labelling him “stupid” and accusing him of having “no respect for boxing” the day before – it is happening in New York on March 3, when Sergey Kovalev defends his WBO light-heavyweight title at Madison Square Garden at the same time that WBC heavyweight king Deontay Wilder takes on Luis Ortiz in Brooklyn, and no one has lost their mind over that. Yep, it happens, and it has been happening for years.
But just because something keeps happening doesn’t mean it has to be inevitable. And just because forcing fans to choose between Khan and Frampton – two of the biggest draws in British boxing – is not as damaging as, say, using drugs to cheat or bad officiating, doesn’t mean it’s a problem unworthy of our attention.
In the short term, such clashes make the sport appear ludicrously popular. ‘Wow, look at all that boxing on the TV, we’re spoilt for choice,’ some might say. It might even be fun, for a while, as Hearn and Warren attempt to create the mother of all undercards in an effort to pull in the big numbers in the ratings battle. But on the night it will just be annoying. Trying to flick between two live sporting events is never fulfilling, and recording one while hoping to somehow miss the results on the other is harder than it should be.
In the long term, TV bosses may look at the viewing figures and decide to pull the plug on their investment because there simply isn’t the audience to sustain multiple events taking place at the same time.
The sport needs exposure to flourish, yet the rivalry between the two camps - which would be healthy if they could communicate - needs to be managed. The solution to that problem, though, isn’t easy in a sport governed by lots of people pulling in different directions. Such clashes would never occur in football, but the advantage there is the luxury of a fixture list and, in turn, intrinsic scheduling. In contrast, our sport flies by the seat of its pants from one month to the next and, as multiple pilots jostle for control, the odd crash is inevitable.
How much Hearn, or even Warren for that matter, could feasibly have done to avoid the latest collision is arguable. While trying to seal the deal for Khan’s lucrative return, racing against the clock to secure a venue that fits in with the demands of the event and the desired schedule of his new signing, Warren was doing the same to get Frampton-nonito Donaire signed off. Should they have been expected to call each other in the midst of it all? And can you imagine if they did? It’s doubtful one would turn to the other and say, ‘Of course, mate, you take April 21, I’ll scratch around and look for another date.’
For Warren and Hearn, the heads of the UK’S two biggest promotional teams who do not like each other one little bit, such compromise is unrealistic. Yes, Warren is right to be peeved after beating his rival to the announcement by 24 hours, but it’s not a scenario that benefits either party or the fighters they showcase. It’s also a situation that is likely to be repeated given the frosty nature of their relationship.
Perhaps the only solution, and we need one before it all gets too messy, is for BT Sport and Sky Sports to try and come to an agreement. The TV bosses need to regain the power and have the final say, perhaps even thrash out a set of exclusive dates – a fixture list with blanks to be filled in as the year progresses – at the start of the season that will ensure no clashes, maximum exposure for the fighters and one less thing for everyone to moan about.