Boxing on ITV

In his latest column, Frank Warren has condemned ITV's track record on boxing:
http://www.frankwarren.tv/drill/News/Articles/2008/02/12/text-warren-i-m-disappointed-with-itv.html

I have a few observations to make based on what he's said:

1. I agree the Khan fight should've been shown at 10pm rather than 11. That would've added another 3 million to the audience and maximised the beneifts of ITV's investment.

2. I agree with what Frank Warren says, but he hasn't always helped matters during the course of his ITV contract, with too many one- sided miss-matches, fights being called off at short notice and domestic heavyweight farces.

3. ITV Head of Sport Mark Sharman threatened to drop boxing completely some time ago, but has just last week signed a contract to show Carl Froch's next fight live. This is promoted by Mick Hennessy- could they be dipping their toe in the water here for something more permanent?

4. Jim Rosenthal will continue to present boxing on ITV until the Khan contract expires- and Barry McGuigan has been told he's free to work for other channels, but that doesn't mean to say he won't be free to work at ITV. Besides, he's already been seen on Setanta in recent months. As for Jim, he's been told his contract isn't being renewed and is free to seek work elsewhere, but that doesn't necessarily mean ITV won't retain him on a non- exclusive basis.

Frank Warren was dropped by Sky for the very same reason he has been by ITV- because they were sick of the mis-matches he keeps setting up. Bouts promoted by Hennessy, Hearn, Maloney, Hobson etc tend to be far more evenly balanced and exciting.

Make what you will of his column. I, for one, think it's a bit early in the day to be sounding the death knell for boxing on ITV.

I mean let's face it - the men twiddling their 'tashes over at the ITVaBoardroom will be like: "Amir ... who?" They are all just interested in the obscene amounts of money paid by advertisers which will soon find its way fluttering into their pockets.

Frank Warren is in no position to complain about ITV scheduling a fight at 11pm when he arranged for Joe Calazaghe's biggest fight of his career to take place at around 1-2am in Cardiff to satisfy the American audience.


The likes of Frank Warren have been so focused on getting the cash from HBO in America they've completely neglected the British audience, and really don't deserve the terrestrial audience ITV offers.

My problem is when fighters such as Amir Khan are on, the fight usually seems to end before two minutes, which has happened on several occassions. Now I'm not being funny but if I had paid to watch that fight, I'd ask for my money back, as there's very little fighting coming from the main star. Where as if you're watching at home on ITV, at least then it's free.

You cannot blaim ITV really, they've scheduled many fights around 10.00pm and they're always well promoted, tend to have a strong lead in and provide extra on ITV4, but at the end of the day if the public don't want to watch Boxing, well you cannot blaim ITV for that and there decision not to show as much of it, which has been rumoured pretty recently.