SEVEN WEEKS AND COUNTING: THE HUGE ALA EVENT AT THE STUBHUB
By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 05 Sep 2015
It has been said that all things sweet and good takes time to assume a physical form.
Such is the case of the inaugural ALA Boxing Promotions in the US aptly dubbed as the ?Philippines vs. The World?.
The event is happening at the StubHub Center in Carson, CA a few freeway miles east from downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, October 17, 2015.
Since it was initially announced by the good folks at ALA Boxing Promotions in Cebu several weeks ago, slowly but surely it has been building up attention particularly from the true boxing fans from the Philippines. Even the Philippine media has caught up with it spitting out so far over 100 articles related to the event and the fighters involved who will be showcased to the US boxing world for the first time.
The exposure in the Philippines largely through this website, and the local print media will without doubt generate a lot of response which will eventually translate into viewers on television via the TFC, the famed international TV outlet of all things related in some form or another to the Philippines.
That in it self is well and good but a lot more needs to be done if the same enthusiasm from boxing fans is to be generated from the US market.
It's heartwarming to know that slowly but surely the spin makers from ALA Promotions and the foremost TV station in the Philippines, ABS-CBN has been doing their jobs.
Most noteworthy is the announcement that tickets to the event are now available from the ?TicketMaster?, one of the largest ticket distributors in the US.
Sooner or later, we expect to see more announcements and advertisement about the event spread all over the greater LA area and the surrounding communities and even States like Nevada and Arizona.
In our mind, a great deal of such marketing should be focused on the non-Latino boxing fans and to the Filipino boxing fans as well because the Latino crowd will take care of itself.
For as long as there are Mexicans in the fight card, the Latino crowd never fails to show up. In fact, many times even without compatriots in the card, Latinos still show up because they are true and dedicated fans of the sweet science. But that does not mean they should not be given proper notices as well.
The reverse is sadly true for the Filipino boxing fans. Only a few of the die-hard fans that really appreciates the sport will come and spend time and resources to come and see a fight. And the promotions must work on them with more attention.
A few are what I personally refer to as ?quasi-boxing fans?. They are coming to the event if they can get free tickets and or make some money off the boxers.
Frankly, we have Manny Pacquiao to blame for this ?culture? that developed amongst the Filipinos particularly in the greater LA area.
Pacquiao spoiled a tremendous amount of people by handing out free tickets and even hotel rooms. The sad part about it is folks who have done more important things for him personally to improve his chances of victory are often times relegated to the ?nose bleed section? or even completely forgotten to be included the so-called list. But the hordes of just nothing more than hangers-on and leeches are first on the list and get better tickets. That is not to mention the movie stars, celebrities and politicians.
But I digress.
ALA and ABS-CBN must now focused on the local communities to generate numbers who will translate into folks that will buy tickets and support the promotions.
The good news is there are hundreds of these folks who will be willing to do that. All that is needed is really to make them aware that the event is set and going for sure on October 17th.
Focus must also be set on the ?other? boxing fans- folks from different nationalities who are often times seen in boxing events. Where these folks congregate must be researched well so that they can be properly advised of the event.
Finally, the boxing media in the US must also be properly given notice. Writers from different boxing sites must be informed of the event via constant press releases and in addition, advised that they are welcomed to cover the event and will be afforded the traditional seats at the ?media section?.
The same must be done with boxing ?photographers?. These folks must also be given appropriate places from where they can cover the event. But I would like to see no more than a dozen assigned at the ringside primarily from the large news outlets like AP, UPI, Reuters and Getty Images. Of course, important media outlets from the Philippines must be afforded a spot as well.
In most boxing events, there are more than 12 photographers wanting to cover the event. At the Stub-Hub this is not an issue because, there are plenty of spots to shoot from at the ?Press-Box? section. These folks can be designated as ?auxiliary photographers? and assigned to the press box.
Finally, it would not hurt if the traditional ?refreshments? for the media be set at the concourse behind the press box. Perhaps a Filipino restaurant or two can sponsor this and provide the food for the media. It would be a nice gesture and a great advertising!
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ed de la Vega, DDS.
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