Mark
Taffet: At the beginning of 2007 all of us at HBO set out a mission statement
for the need to get some big live fights back on the HBO service and to do
everything we could in conjunction with all the parties in this business -
promoters/fighters/managers/sponsors/distributors/the media etc to revitalise
and re-invigorate the sport that we love so much and get it back on the
platform it deserves.
The De La
Hoya/Mayweather fight was announced back in January and from the moment it was
announced and the moment we went on that 13-city press tour across the country
it became a catalyst for a year the like of which we haven't seen in well over
a decade. The best fought the best month after month after month, and when the
best fight the best there are no losers. The fans got exactly what they wanted
and exactly what they deserve - an incredible string of fights on HBO and on
HBO PPV that made this year one of the most memorable in recent memory and
truly one of the great years in the sport.
Every major
fighter in the sport fought in a meaningful competitive fight and the fans
responded in record numbers. On HBO we had Klitschko/Brewster,
Calzaghe/Kessler, Taylor/Pavlik, Williams/Margarito, Diaz/Diaz, Guzman/Soto,
Hatton/Castillo - just an incredible year of exciting and important fights in
all weight classes, brought to the broadest possible audience on HBO.
In addition
on HBO PPV we had an incredible line-up - Barrera/Marquez, De La
Hoya/Mayweather, Cotto/Judah, Hopkins/Wright, Erik Morales' final fight against
David Diaz, Pacquiao/Barrera II, Cotto/Mosley and then the huge megafight to
finish the year in Mayweather/Hatton.
So on every
front we set out on a mission and we accomplished it. And when I say we I don't
just mean we at HBO but we all across the boxing landscape. That, combined with
the introduction of 24/7, which I know was also seen in the
UK, reinvigorated the sport and brought in a
whole new audience, brought in people from new markets, urban markets, big
cities all around
America.
We brought in a younger audience with a lot of the programming - a lot of the
credit for that goes to 24/7. It set the stage for momentum that is continuing
into 2008. Promoters are making fights where the best fight the best every
month.
If you look
ahead we begin the year with Trinidad/Jones, then move to Pavlik/Taylor rematch
and then a phenomenal rematch between Pacquiao and Marquez. People are talking
about
Hopkins
fighting Calzaghe and hopefully that deal will come to fruition soon. Oscar De
La Hoya is going to fight, Floyd Mayweather is going to fight, Miguel Cotto,
Shane Mosley - the list goes on and on.
We think
the sport is on a roll with momentum that frankly I haven't seen in my 16 years
in the business. It's just refreshing because this sport is so rich in history
and tradition.
And it's
truly a worldwide medium now. These aren't just fights taking place in the
US - look at
fighters like Klitschko, Calzaghe, Kessler and Hatton. Great fights taking
place in the
US
and overseas in front of tens of thousands of people. Just a phenomenal
resurgence in 2007 and we know it's going to continue for years to come.
Mark,
you've talked about the importance of De La Hoya/Mayweather. It was a fight
that really had to succeed?
MT: That
was the catalyst. It took boxing from the back pages and the sports section to
the front page and the news section. Boxing became bigger than sport - it
became news and entertainment again.
You can
tell by the celebrity turnout at fights now, and the passion from the fans, and
the big media outlets well beyond the sports pages that now cover the sport,
that everybody succeed magnificently on those fronts.
How much
credit do you think 24/7 deserves for bringing boxing back to the public?
MT: 24/7
was a show that featured boxers, but it wasn't about boxers or boxing. It was
about people. It was about two men, their lives, their hearts, what makes them
tick, and their commitment to their trade and their passion and drive for
excellence.
It was
about the human spirit - everybody can connect with a story about the human
spirit. It just so happens that like an artist paints with the brush, these
artists do their work with gloves on in the ring, and that show made such a
connection with fans, not just boxing fans that came back, but sports fans and
general public who hadn't seen or touched boxing because of the connection they
now had with the athletes - they had to see them ply their craft and see what
the outcome was of all the adventures that took place on the shows.
So we know
24/7 was a very very important factor in the success of 2007.
Any plans
to do anything similar to 24/7 on a more regular basis, or is it something that
really works best around a massive promotion?
MT: The
truth is 24/7 interestingly enough has nothing to do with promotion. It's a
programme on the HBO network subject completely to the highest quality
standards of the HBO television network. It has nothing to do with PPV and
promotion - it has everything to do with quality on an important network. And
when it was seen in the
UK
on Sky it was the same thing. The fact it takes place around a fight is
coincidence. It's really only about making a great programme for television
that brings people to the screen. And we know it's succeeded magnificently in
doing that.
Source: Sportinglife.com
