PBC DONE ON SPIKE! OR NOT?

Dan Rafael wrote a post which spoke on the ending of PBC content on Spike.

The aimed at lads network is going to undergoing a makeover and will still be running fight-sports but not for now boxing.

Parent company Viacom owns Bellator MMA so MMA stays.

The Spike news kicked off a new spate of  “Is PBC  almost dead?” Fewer shows on the networks, and with ESPN saddling up with Golden Boy that leads some to surmise Al Haymon’s quest to restore pugilism to its glory days place in the public’s hearts and minds is nearing the end of a fascinating run which has had mixed results.

PBC spokesman Tim Smith told me PBC is still on firm ground and committed to their mission. He pointed to “5 fights on FS1 and 1 on Showtime in April. 4 on FS1 and 2 on Showtime in May” as proof of that. “We’ve done 15 fights in the last 90 days and the biggest fight on the networks in the last 18 years!”

Some folks feel PBC gets unduly hammered in relation to other outfits, and note that similar critiquing isn’t done consistently across all boards. “What happened to the boxing programming on TruTV, Estrella TV and BET? It’s as if none of that ever happened. Why is that? Why wasn’t that widely reported on ESPN.com? Why don’t we ever see those stories,” I was asked by a pro PBC in regards to this SPIKE situation.

The SPIKE  folks sent out this release which offered more meat to the item presented by Rafael:
“Spike and the PBC have enjoyed a very successful relationship with great fights featuring high production values. The network was very satisfied with the quality of fights that produced strong ratings and many memorable moments- any inference to the contrary is inaccurate. Now that our 2 year-deal is complete – we are having ongoing discussions to potentially air future events that make sense for both parties.”