Double Tap: Golden Boy Takes Fights to Facebook

Golden Boy Takes Fights to Facebook

Los Angeles, (July 02, 2018)- Joining the rest of the boxing world, promoter Golden Boy announced a partnership with Main Events to stream live boxing via Facebook.

In the era of extreme politics in boxing, putting together competitive matchups pitting the top tiers of competition against each other has become increasingly rare and unappealing to network television. Low ratings on Spanish television station EstrellaTV and a failure to connect prospects to a broad audience outside of the Spanish speaking and local community makes streaming fights via Facebook all the more attractive.

Already in practice throughout the club circuits of boxing, Facebook has seen smaller promotional outfits like Thompson Boxing reap success from the web whilst increasing the footprint of their brand with monthly streams of fights to the tune of tens of thousands of live viewers. Nearly an equivalent of EstrellaTV ratings.

You Already Had the Equipment

The owners of Ring TV, Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy already had the equipment necessary to provide a quality stream production. Having streamed much of the undercards and episodes of LA Fight-Club, they have a seasoned crew that’s capable of quality commentary and visual production.

In house production equates to in house savings and less of a loss on low selling shows.

A Big Roof Dries more Heads

Main Events CEO Kathy Duva joins Golden Boy in the venture, bringing Cuban contender Sullivan Barrera to the inaugural card August 11th; headlined by the WBA “Regular” title fight between Joseph Diaz Jr. and Jesus Rojas.

The move to bring on other promoters outside of the “Big Three” is smart considering all of them have a fighter or multiple fighters to bring name brand recognition. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see other promoters join the fray with Golden Boy to build prospects or contenders on the backs of the massive Los Angeles roster of fighters held by Golden Boy.

Temper the expectation

While the announcement to stream is a definitive strategy shift for Golden Boy it means far less to the average fan. Much of the targeted demographic has already been streaming fights for over a year and this will likely be an addition to the fights already watched rather than a replacement of any streamed boxing. The difference will be Golden Boy’s approach to the interactive nature of the stream. An audience that grows on interaction will need recognizable figures from the new era of online boxing media.

The best part about streaming a club card is the interaction with other fans through comments and even the commentary team. Beto Duran and Steve Kim do a masterful job of interacting with an international audience during the Thompson Boxing stream. Giving shout outs and talking to fans on their level leaves the impression that you just finished watching the fights with your friends, even if you were streaming while riding the bus on your way to work.

More Boxing is Better Boxing

The Inaugural show is set for the Avalon Theater in Hollywood where fellow Los Angeles promoter Tom Loeffler of 360 Promotions has seen success with his swagger filled Hollywood Fight Nights Series.

With ESPN charging five dollars monthly for Top Rank fights via an app, streaming fights on Facebook is an attractive option that could earn some solid advertising dollars if the viewership meets expectations. De La Hoya’s star power and reputation in Los Angeles is a draw for advertisers to jump on board.

Golden Boy is the largest company to announce a regular stream via Facebook leaving the feeling that ESPN may be growing weary of its investment in boxing. The winners here are the fans and Golden Boy. Streaming fights at low cost while retaining the rights to all fights is a win for the promoter.

Providing an opportunity for more eyes to focus on boxing is a win for the sport.

The Times Aren’t-A-Changing, They’ve Already Changed for Boxing