Michelle Beadle Fighting to Make a Difference on The Fight Game

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Michelle Beadle Jim Lampley has been hosting “The Fight Game” for nearly three years now, and the show has offered up some great moments in that time. There have definitely been some misses in the show with segments that didn’t play out as well on camera as they probably appeared on the storyboard. I’ll admit that the bright spots are similar to the candid moments that we’ve come to expect from Lampley during live events.

Still, I don’t fully understand the disdain that some people find with the show. There are more detractors than the show actually deserves, but even if you aren’t impressed with the overall production of the show, as a boxing fan you have to love the dedicated half hour boxing gets.

Some of the show’s hiccups are just plain flaws. Early on, it was easy to suggest that the show simply needed more time before it could fix the dull moments, but it’s clear that the lagging we experience is part of the show’s ultimate structure, but I’m okay with that.

The show is meant to be an educated, methodical look at the current events and the overall tone of the sport at the point of taping. If you don’t watch similar programs in other areas of covered news, then it is hard to appreciate what Lampley and HBO are attempting. If you do watch programs with a similar style, then you know how far off the show is at this point.

The one high hope I had was the introduction of Michelle Beadle last season. Her role was needed, and it gave the show an HBO Sports programming feel. Beadle was brought on to get deeper looks into specific fighters and other key players in the sport.

Her segments have been lagging, maintaining the theme of the show overall, but it hasn’t been Beadle’s fault. Her first interview was with the excruciatingly dull Terrance Crawford, and it was a bad start to a good idea. Beadle’s hands were tied, and she couldn’t fully flex her journalistic abilities.

So far, the most memorable moment for Beadle was her one-on-one with Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym. It was a decent spot, but it is pretty difficult to not take away something from a Roach interview.

Her latest segment was an interview with Manny Pacquiao, and it probably seemed like a sure fire hit on paper. Beadle had the May 2nd fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and all the nuances that come with making the fight as her lead. But Manny never interviews well, unless it is for the comedic value.

I won’t say that Beadle has been set up for failure, but her job hasn’t been made easy thus far. She has the skills to make some great segments and offer up a genuine look for the commercial audience. That is really her job in the end, to offer up a general appeal to fans that aren’t as familiar with the subject of a specific interview.

Time isn’t the only factor; Beadle needs the perfect scenario but once she gets it I expect she’ll gain enough momentum to get in a constant groove. If you’re unfamiliar with Beadle’s work, then I only ask you give her the chance to surprise you. It’s obvious that she isn’t as familiar with boxing as she is other areas of sports that she’s previously worked on.

Still, given the right subject I believe she can create television worthy moments for fight fans of all interest levels.