HBO Boxing Finale deserved better

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Just a guy
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HBO Boxing Finale deserved better

Post by Just a guy »

Am I alone in thinking that the last episode of HBO Boxing deserved a better card?

I apologize if I missed somebody's post, but I watched and found myself thinking that I was not watching a fight that was thrilling or an appropriate capturing of the legacy of HBO Boxing.

I remember watching a number of Boxing After Dark cards when they had caught lightning in a bottle and had a run of exciting, banger-type, drama-filled fights that delivered on the adrenaline producing aspect of boxing. I remember when there were huge matchups that nobody else could have delivered where I found myself nervous at the anticipation of two fighters in the ring that I never thought I would see mix it up. I also remember some of the farces - the matchups where HBO was building up a fighter who wasn't who they said he was, but still was being fed club fighters with built-up records so that he was more easily marketed.

Mostly, though, I remember the early days where I could count on HBO having a fight about every month that captured my attention and that I couldn't wait to get together with my cousins, friends, fellow soldiers, other patrons at the bar or others to watch and comment on. I remember looking on the internet to find that sports bar that might be showing the fight so that I could drop in, even though I had an HBO subscription, so that I could watch with other fight fans.

Sadly, that excitement wasn't there for me with that last card... or even close. No disrespect to Cecllia Braekhus, but is that really the best that you could do with your final episode? Couldn't we go out with... no pun intended... a bang?

I have been disappointed in places with HBO the past few years... but I don't think that I have been as disappointed with HBO nearly as much over that time as I was with the final episode. Maybe that was just the natural conclusion of the direction that HBO was heading and it was a metaphor for the popularity of their brand in terms of where it would wind up, but the fans deserved better. I deserved better. Cecilia Braekhus deserved better - because I am not blaming her for getting in there and doing what she does or for taking the spot when offered. I think she would have been better served as a co-feature on a thrilling, huge card that people would remember. Frankly, I won't even be thinking about her fight this time next week - but I will be missing the occasional boxing card automatically recorded on my DVR from HBO and both of those things are a shame. Just my opinion.
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yoloswaggy911
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Re: HBO Boxing Finale deserved better

Post by yoloswaggy911 »

Maybe it was supposed to be some sort of message or some bullshit. Who knows?

It does show HBO is serious about their break from Boxing at least in the near term. Perhaps they were worried a great fight would just make it harder to divorce themselves from the sport. Kind of a dumb model if you ask me, considering the tides they're trying to wade into with streeming model. Might as well hold onto an investment, even if you just pull some of your risk in it.

Anyways, boxing is dead on HBO for now. I truly hope it comes back, but I find it hard to believe it will have the same class or luster it had in this incarnation, if it ever does.
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Tocsin
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Re: HBO Boxing Finale deserved better

Post by Tocsin »

It was a joke
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the13r
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Re: HBO Boxing Finale deserved better

Post by the13r »

I thought maybe they'd try to talk about how women boxing had evolved and would be more present in America in the future... But it was BAD... not in a boxing after dark kind of way... Just Bad.
Tocsin
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Re: HBO Boxing Finale deserved better

Post by Tocsin »

The fights were weak even for women's boxing. Two 10-0 uneventful mismatches.
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the13r
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Re: HBO Boxing Finale deserved better

Post by the13r »

yeah agree... If they wanted top notch women boxing, i would've preferred to see something similar to what Mathis vs Holm looked like... heart, war, guts, brutality...

i just don't see the point though... i guess they made the exit with little substance reflecting the importance the sport was given at the end of it's life on the network.

HBO ended with mismatches
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J.J.Dillon
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Re: HBO Boxing Finale deserved better

Post by J.J.Dillon »

Maybe they could have brought Ann Wolfe and Vonda Ward out of retirement to re-enact their instant classic fight.
Danielk015
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Re: HBO Boxing Finale deserved better

Post by Danielk015 »

HBO is putting all their eggs in the basket of original content to save their lives. Even with Boxing on the decline on HBO, HBO subscribers have grown in the face of an onslaught from Netflix and to a lesser extent Hulu, Prime Video. the only way to compete against Netflix is to create many more Game of Thrones types of shows and movies. HBO may eventually lose this fight, but they are doing the right thing and trying to save their business by cutting any underperforming businesses.
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Just a guy
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Re: HBO Boxing Finale deserved better

Post by Just a guy »

J.J.Dillon wrote:Maybe they could have brought Ann Wolfe and Vonda Ward out of retirement to re-enact their instant classic fight.
They could have had George Foreman and Larry Holmes and it would have probably had more excitement than what they put forth.

Heck, I would have been okay with Rocky versus Thunderlips - that would have provided more drama.

I am just disappointed - I would not be surprised if I wasn't the only one that pretty much forgot that it would even be on or the final broadcast. I wasn't looking forward to it and there was a really good reason why after watching it.
I believe that children are our future. Unless we stop them now.

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Hillsinitialrebirth
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Re: HBO Boxing Finale deserved better

Post by Hillsinitialrebirth »

HBO boxing deserved exactly what it was putting out for the last few years, and that's been stir fried shit. No better way to go out than with, twice cooked turd-ala-king, with nobody watching.

HBO didn't care about us as the fans, why should we care about HBO???

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