Sentence:  Kushner expects his boxers to make nasty remarks, scripted or otherwise, to <WSD>Barnumize</WSD> their sport in the manner of Bob Luce's version of wrestling promising gore for the paying fools. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To dumb down, cheapen, or vulgarize something, especially to create entertainment that appeals to coarse or unsophisticated tastes.