Some time ago I tendered my resignation as an online columnist for The Fight Network after a disagreement involving one of the TFN executives' deliberate and premeditated decision to present a substandard product to viewers (and his subsequent efforts to cover up that decision). Since then, I have not included TFN on my cable package in silent protest of its apparent unwillingness to live up to its potential. Recently, a promotion during which TFN was presented free of charge gave me a chance to take a second look, but unfortunately, it appears that nothing important has changed.

While the look of the station has improved with new graphics and promotional videos, the overall feel is the same as always--that is to say, TFN has the air of a network that is just going through the motions. It has always appeared to me that TFN is ultimately run by people with no knowledge of what fight fans do and don't want , and no particular desire to find out. Instead, they seem to be happy to simply fill their broadcast schedule with any footage that is both cheap and involves two people hitting one another, regardless of actual quality.

What few changes have been made are not all good. A huge misfire is the new info bar which appears at the base of the screen at all times, displaying trivia, current rankings, news updates, and (bafflingly) scores from other major sports such as football and baseball. The fight-related stuff may seem like a good idea, but only until you consider that the info bar actually obscures many of the subtitles and/or graphics that are featured onscreen in several TFN programs. This makes watching shows such as "Fight Girls" tremendously frustrating, even before you consider that having NFL, MLB and NBA scores constantly running on a station called "The Fight Network" is a FANTASTIC way to tell viewers that your product is second-rate, and that the real action is going on elsewhere.

It's unconscionable that TFN could remain so willfully obtuse at this stage of its development, especially with such a talent as Mauro Ranallo on its staff. It's with 100% sincerity that I say that I'd LOVE to see TFN make the changes necessary to step up and become truly credible and relevant, but sadly I don't expect that to happen any time soon.

Until the suits start listening to people who actually know how to do things RIGHT, TFN will always be a poor imitation of what it has always shown the potential to be.