Hall of Fame promoter Russell Peltz remembers the great Tuesday Night Fights series: On this day in 1998, USA Network ended its popular Tuesday Night Fights series. To me, it was the first nail in boxing's coffin. I wrote about it in my book, Thirty Dollars and a Cut Eye: "USA Network terminated its Tuesday Night Fights series in the summer of 1998. It was a major blow to boxing and to promoters trying to establish or maintain a foothold in the sport. Other television outlets tried to fill the void, but none with the quality or consistency of the USA series. It had been one of the longest continuously running boxing programs on television since its debut in 1982. Unlike ESPN, which had dealt exclusively with Bob Arum’s Top Rank, Inc., from 1980 to 1996, USA was not a closed shop. It dealt with promoters around the country.
"Promoters like me, Art Pelullo, Mike Acri, Bill Kozerski, Murad Muhammad, Ron Weathers, Rock Newman, Houston Boxing Association, Rick Parker, Dan Goossen, Square Ring, Main Events and Cedric Kushner had benefitted from USA. Top Rank got an occasional slot. It was smart to spread the wealth. While it had telecast fights from the casino capitals of Las Vegas and Atlantic City, USA also traveled to Galveston, Texas; Steubenville, Ohio; Cherokee, North Carolina; Erie, Pennsylvania; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Bismarck, North Dakota; Long Beach, California; Flint, Michigan; Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and Washington, DC. Fights were held in arenas, National Guard armories, hotel ballrooms and one on the deck of an aircraft carrier. The Blue Horizon [in Phiadelphia] was a regular stop. USA went twice to England, once to Mexico.
Appearances by George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Hector Camacho and Roberto Duran (in his 100th fight), who were trying to prolong their careers and catapult themselves into major events, were showcased. So were future champions like Riddick Bowe, Bernard Hopkins, Lennox Lewis, Arturo Gatti, Oscar De La Hoya and Roy Jones, Jr. World championship fights were rare but ratings were solid.
“USA pulled the plug because people who watched boxing on USA on Tuesday nights did not watch anything else on the network,” said Brad Jacobs, its program consultant, “and the people who watched everything else on the network were not necessarily a boxing demographic. The finale, on August 25, 1998, featured two staples of USA: Butterbean and the Blue Horizon. Arizona senator John McCain joined Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge at ringside with (Pensylvania boxing commissioner] Greg Sirb. It was a celebration and a wake. Georgia-born Eric Esch was a five-time world Toughman heavyweight champion. He was nicknamed 'Butterbean' after he went on a diet of chicken and butterbeans to meet the 400-pound Toughman limit. He was 5-foot-11 and his trunks resembled the American flag. He went from being a cartoon character to a cult hero. Though I was old school, I couldn’t help but like him. He gave me a ceramic statue of himself for my memorabilia collection.
"Butterbean was known as the King of the 4 Rounders. He turned pro in 1994 and by the time he got to the Blue Horizon he was 39-1-1, 32 K0s, against so-so opposition. No one complained. Tim Pollard, of Louisville, Kentucky, never had a chance. Except for a quick loss to a 54-year-old Ron Lyle, Pollard’s 6-4-2 record had been against foes on the same level as Bean’s. It was over in 97 seconds. The crowd loved it. At the end of the night, fans looking for autographs surrounded Bean on the steps leading from the Blue Horizon to North Broad Street. It was the end of our own 'Era of Good Feelings.'”
