WASSERMAN Boxing have agreed a long-term, multi-fight deal to be the exclusive provider of boxing content for terrestrial TV broadcaster Channel 5.
Promoter Kalle Sauerland has a vision for how Wasserman will approach these broadcasts. โI think the match-makingโs been very good, thereโs been some big names on Channel 5 but itโs the consistency that we would like to bring to it,โ he told Boxing News. โOur challenge will be to keep the quiz show/movie/documentary/whatever theyโre showing before the boxing [audience] and fight for each one of those viewers to stay on and watch our beautiful sport. How we do that, weโll see on the numbers. We have few things up our sleeve, using that Wasserman world.โ
โWeโre going to have to think a little bit outside the box,โ he added. โAn exciting challenge in winning those fans over and making them boxing fans.โ
Wassermanโs run on Channel 5 is likely to kick off in May. The broadcast will screen the main event and a co-feature. Sauerlandโs unwritten rule is to try to ensure a minimum of at least seven rounds of live action on the broadcast. โYou need a certain amount of rounds for it to be interesting,โ Kalle said. โThere are those first round knockouts, spectacular ones sometimes in evenly match fights, you have to guard against that with a ย strong co-feature.โ
Sauerland has experience of successful free to air boxing broadcasting in Europe. โWe had 78% of the Danish population above the age of 16 watching [Mikkel] Kessler fights,โ he pointed out. โ[At] 22 million, we still hold the viewing figure record in Germany. So if we can get 10% of the 22 million, I will be doing cartwheels.โ
Heโs learned lessons from that experience. โKeep the names on it as consistent as possible. Sometimes you might not get the best viewing figures with a boxer on one show but you stick with them and you build. Thatโs one thing weโve learned,โ he said. โYouโve got to hook them with something in the first two or three minutes of the broadcast, so high spec documentaries, those are the things people want to see to keep them on air.
โYouโve got to give them a feeling of the characters around it. Thatโs what boxing does so beautifully. It is all about the characters as well as the sport.
โThe athletes’ personalities are important.โ
There are a number of Wasserman fighters who can be expected to appear on Channel 5. โJosh Kelly and Nathan Gorman, who featured on Sky in the past, youโve got Harlem Eubank, Linus Udofia, whoโs got that fantastic British title fight with Denzel Bentley now. Another layer youโre looking at the heavyweight prospects, Matty Harris, Hosea Stewart, then youโre looking at Brad Pauls, Razor Ali, fantastic story line there, Chloe Watson training with Ricky Hatton. Thereโs all different layers to the UK stable and that stable believe me will grow in the next days, weeks and months,โ Sauerland said.
Wasserman are in a position where they can work with different broadcasters and promoters. Their heavyweight Filip Hrgovic is on the cusp, finally, of getting his eliminator for the IBF belt with Zhang Zhilei signed. Thatโs likely to go to DAZN. The April 2 Sky Sports show in Newcastle will be a co-promotion with Boxxer. Chris Eubank Jnr, whom Wasserman promote, will have his next fight on Sky Sports Box Office.
โ[Gennady] Golovkin confirmed with [Ryota] Murata, takes two options off the table [for Eubank Jnr]. Weโre going to start talking to [Kell] Brook next week. Iโve got Eddie [Hearn] apparently coming back on Conor Benn, which I donโt think is going to happen now. If they want to do it, we do it, but I canโt see it happening. Billy Joe [Saunders], heโs nowhere near ready for it as the next fight so that ainโt going to happen next,โ Kalle said. โJunior did pick up that hand injury. Heโs recovering. Just takes a few weeks off and gets back in the swing of things, weโre looking for the summer so itโs okay.โ
โWeโre not preaching but we do it, in terms of working with other promoters,โ Sauerland concludes. โThatโs the route.
โYou have to do it.โ