I think for most people (including myself) this is the first series of fight-after-fight weeks on end that they've gone through, correct? The only exceptions are those of us who were reading OP every week back during Alabasta, a number that I'm guessing is very small. As such, needing to wait week after week for these fights might make them seem worse, but I bet that once Enies Lobby is over and people re-read, they'll like these fights a lot more.
That said, I've liked all of the fights so far a lot and I think people are just tired of waiting every week for more of the same even though in a couple months when the volumes come out, people will think they're great.
Well said, yeah I was far more interested in the Alabasta fights because I never had to wait a week for them like I do now.