With mere days left until Bernard Hopkins steps into the ring to face Jean Pascal in a rematch of their controversial 2010 draw the two men were set to speak to the media at the final fight press conference. It’s the last major moment for fighters to sell a fight, hooking the media and getting the story of the fight out for the public. Instead of following through on their responsibility to promote the bout, both men kept the media waiting for 45 minutes before showing up and speaking a combined nine words.
Bernard Hopkins And Jean Pascal Fail To Promote Rematch At Press Conference
And then, finally, following a 45-minute delay waiting for each to arrive, Hopkins arose, went to the dais and proclaimed, as he had in Quebec: “Enjoy the fight.”
Moments later, Pascal rose, went up and made two statements. “Three days left,” the 175-pound champ said in French. That was followed in English by: “Enjoy the fight.”
There would be no media scrums. No more talking. Hopkins escaped through a back entrance into a waiting limousine. Pascal, at least, went out the front door, reportedly signing autographs before being whisked away.
This is how you sell a fight? We waited 45 minutes for this?
Zurkosky is, of course, correct. What’s the hook to get viewers to tune in to HBO for the bout? The days old story of Hopkins’ racially loaded comments about NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb was good enough to get people talking about the fight, but not enough to sell the idea that you needed to see it.
With the media waiting for them to give them a story worth telling, they tell us to “enjoy the fight”?
Compare that to the presser for Saturday’s British card featuring Nathan Cleverly vs. Tony Bellew and James DeGale vs George Groves. DeGale vs. Groves is a true grudge match but Cleverly and Bellew stole the show as the presser. It’s all good but the truly great stuff comes around the four minute mark (language NSFW):
I can tell you right now which fight is going to get talked about in papers and on websites in a way that makes people think there is something worth tuning in to see.
For all of Pascal and Hopkins’ genuine dislike for each other they gave the world nothing more than a reminder to “enjoy.”
Now I have to wonder, other than a nice live gate, who is going to be watching to enjoy it?
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