By: By Sean Crose
The United States has long been known as the unofficial home of top-level professional boxing. However, with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia offering untold amounts of money to host fights on its own soil, things may begin to change. While it’s true that big fights have long taken place outside of the United States (Ali-Foreman, anyone?), it’s unclear whether contemporary American fans will sit down and watch fight cards featuring American fighters in the midst of the Saturday afternoon, which is the time when A large portion of Saudi Arabia’s cards have tended to be made. Most major fights broadcast from the United Kingdom, for example, do not feature American fighters. They don’t cost American fans any money either.
And there may lie the difference. Cards like Saturday’s Saudi Arabian Spectacular featuring Deontay Wilder against Joseph Parker and Anthony Joshua against Otto Wallin, among other ring practitioners, are wonderful for the sport. While Joshua, Wilder and Parker are all former heavyweight champions, they are still near the top, and at least any of the three can (very feasible) become a heavyweight champion again. Wallin can also earn his second shot at a world title if he beats Joshua. So, it’s easy to understand why this card is relevant. What’s more, many of the wrestlers involved are just plain fun to watch.
However, there are two obstacles to the United States achieving success on Saturday. The first is that the entire event begins at eleven a.m. Eastern Time and is likely to last up to eight hours or more. That’s a lot of boxing on the Saturday before Christmas, especially when you can find things like college football. The other obstacle is the price. While this stacked event won’t cost a fortune, it will still cost American viewers. Again, this is the Saturday before Christmas, at a time of year packed with other sports, and it’s going to cost money to watch.
It’s easy to imagine this card being a hit on regular network television, like a PGA tournament that can last for hours and still get good ratings. However, this is boxing, where big-name fighters bring in a lot of money, money that has to come from somewhere. Last but not least, there is the question of the change of era. Boxing used to be a big hit when it aired on weekend afternoons on network television. Those days, however, are long gone. American fans now expect most big fights to be in prime time.
Taking into consideration timing, alternative options and, of course, cost, it’s easy to conclude that Saturday’s card won’t attract an excessive number of American fans. And that’s a shame, because man, this card is loaded.
