14 Feb 2021 12:45:46
Sky's contract with AJ and Matchroom both run out this year although there is a guarantee that the Fury v Joshua fight will be on Sky box office. I really hope Sky don't sign a new exclusive contract with Matchroom again and they probably won't as matchroom r looking to push this DAZN UK.
Think Sky Sports boxing has suffered to a degree to accommodate Joshua. Its no wonder the only fight in the UK since the C.V. started to have fans attend was Joshua's fight. Think he takes too much of the overall pot that the undercards for his shows r poor.
I really hope Sky start to work with different promoters from around the world and give us more variety in our viewing.

1.) 14 Feb 2021
14 Feb 2021 20:10:20
I see what you're saying. The problem is that Joshua is too big of a draw, much like Canelo. You don't buy their PPV events for the undercard, plus where are they going to pull the money from?

For the most part, Matchroom/ Sky fight cards are pretty good. We get a good balance of prospects, contenders and champions on almost all cards. Occasionally you get a stinker but that's bound to happen at some point.

Sky do show events from around the world, but there seems to be a very specific crtiera for it.
- A big name (Wilder, Inoue, Canelo, Golovkin etc) .
- To get a fighter known in the UK for their next fight against a Brit
- To promote a rivalry (Joshua vs Wilder for example) .

I would assume the reason for this is because of costs. For example Eddie has been getting asked a lot about fights from abroad not being picked up by Sky, more specifically the Lomachenko vs Lopez fight and he's saying they're cost cutting so any offers will be less than they would normally offer.

2.) 15 Feb 2021
15 Feb 2021 11:07:27
The undercard when Joshua fights r terrible mate. I tell u the undercard here if he fights Fury; Lawrence Okolie v journeyman, Joshua Buatsi v same, then Warren and Arum will put a fight on it possibly Nathan Gorman or Dubois vs limited opposition.

I remember sky used to have good quality domestic nearly every week. Friday Fight Nights, then they moved it to Saturday fight nights and they have been getting fewer and fewer every year. Wheres prizefighter? Wheres Ringside Show? Imo Sky has started to cater for casual boxing fans. I have afew friends who r causal boxing fans and I asked them would u pay £50 to watch Fury v Joshua, not one of them said yes, so it's not even working for Sky.
They react to social media with how they get on in the studio. One of the best things I used to love about Sky sports boxing was their commentary and punditry. Now it's the worst in the sport. I can listen to Johnny Nelson, Bellew or Adam Smith talk absolute bias rubbish.

3.) 15 Feb 2021
15 Feb 2021 11:42:30
Listening to Hearn the other day and he said about Warrington giving up his belt. Just imagine Hearn govimg this advice to Joshua. Hearn said that Warrington didn't want to give his belt up, Hearn " just give your belt up" Warrington "then I'll not be champion" hearn " Who's gives a f**k? ".
That's how Hearn said the conversation with Warrington went.

4.) 16 Feb 2021
16 Feb 2021 00:14:56
I already pay 90 quid to sky I'm not paying anymore for ppv it's a joke.

5.) 17 Feb 2021
17 Feb 2021 12:02:56
It's all well and good bemoaning Sky, they're far from perfect, but where else are we going to watch boxing? BT Sport is just the same only less frequent. Or will we have to fork out another subcription fee to the likes of ESPN or DAZN? I'd rather not.

Sky might not be brilliant but be careful what you wish for!

6.) 17 Feb 2021
17 Feb 2021 22:30:34
DAZN is very cheap on the subscription fee, but it shows with their presentations. The commentary is just awful and if the event is a DAZN exclusive, the venue looks tacky and the set up is a bit questionable. The fights are usually pretty good though and you do get an awful lot for what you're paying for.

BT Sport probably has the best punditry and commentary in the UK, but the cards are usually very thin and half the fights are a bit meh. The set up looks nice and also the promotional videos they do are usually very good. I feel that they put more effort into UFC events though as it probably makes them more money.

Sky Sports is by far the leading broadcaster in the UK for Boxing, they have the biggest names in the UK, the best production and arguably the best fight cards in the UK. The commentary is the worst by a long way though, Adam Smith has a great voice for commentary and has had some epic moments, but the bias toward their own fighters is probably the worst in the world and more recently, we're starting to see more and more dodgy scorecards.
Also you would expect their pricing to be higher than the rest, given the quality of production and the value on the fight cards (AJ cards excluded) but it's a very high price and in my opinion is not worth it.

Personally, I would like to see DAZN step up their production value and replace their commentary and punditry teams, also hire someone like Boxing Legends TV or Motividia to do their promo work. I think they could make a push for the #1 spot if they do that.

7.) 18 Feb 2021
18 Feb 2021 16:07:25
I agree Sky r the biggest platform over here and Matchroom r the biggest promoters and they have both used each other to good effect. My problem is when Anthony Joshua came on the scene they saw the appeal he had across the general public and to cash in on this they started catering for causal fans. Throwing in these back stories and plotlines, it's like watching a pantomime at times.
Matchrooms business model was come sign for us we get u on sky sports box office which has ultimately damaged them. Take last year for example, they passed up on the chance to buy the lomachenko v Lopez fight and decided to throw out three ppv events from Oct to Dec instead (one was worthy of ppv) . Bt sports on the other hand put Dubois v Joyce on their normal channel.
It's ok bringing these casual fans in and trying to grow the sport around Joshua but u have to be careful u don't hinder the sport by not showing the fights the fans want. Also, after AJ leaves r the causal fans going to stick around? It's ok for them paying £50 to watch fury but will they pay for the next up and coming star? I don't think they will so matchroom and sky's current model is for short time gain. That's why I want Sky sports to get back to being about the boxers and fights not the back story.

8.) 18 Feb 2021
18 Feb 2021 17:56:44
Maybe it's me. Boxing hasn't seemed the same last few years for me. I gravitate to the history of the sport more these days rather than the current.