This Thursday, like each Thursday, I ask you to tug up a seat alongside my bulging, bulbous sack and watch me shoot a load of gooey, salty reality proper into the faces of boxing’s purveyors of ignorance. This week, we have now questions/feedback relating to flak for fighters transferring up, dissing Japanese Europeans, the demise of Olympic boxing, having dignity within the face of a Saudi buyout.
Have Some Dignity, Boxing!
Hello Chief!
I cannot consider what I’m witnessing, relating to absolutely the lack of dignity of many individuals concerned within the boxing business. It’s astonishing, to say the least. In fact, I’m speaking in regards to the Saudi man assuming the position of boxing dictator.
Many issues have me astonished. However what actually caught my consideration was his induction into the Nevada Corridor of Fame.
In fact you’re gonna be on the best facet of historical past as soon as this nonsensical Saudi fest is over. However seeing Oscar de la Hoya and Roberto Duran on his knees, adulating a man simply due to his cash, is absolutely, actually unhappy.
Think about being ODH. You gained every little thing. You’re a legend. Your model means gold. Within the case of Mano de Piedra, you’re most likely the perfect light-weight ever and possibly the perfect athlete within the historical past of your nation. And but, you conform to devalue your self by appearing like a wealthy man’s pet. By the best way, it’s unfathomable, unattainable, a real check to at least one’s endurance, to see somebody inform this man “your excellency”. Come-fucking-on!!!! Thanks Canelo, by the best way, for not leaping into the Saudi wagon (for now, at the least).
Sorry for the rant. It’s simply that this matter is as apparent, as it’s unattainable to consider. Boxing is promoting its collective soul.
– Carlos, from Hermosillo, Mexico
Hey Carlos.
I’m on the level the place I’ve no phrases for boxing’s lack of dignity and painfully shortsighted “take the money now, overlook about tomorrow” enterprise technique. Persons are most likely bored with me speaking about it, too.
It’s simply completely befuddling that boxing businessmen can’t see the place all this might be headed (and possibly IS headed). Turki shouldn’t be right here to “save” boxing, he’s right here to TAKE boxing– or at the least take sufficient of it again residence to assist in his nation’s efforts to show Riyadh right into a worldwide vacationer attraction and sports activities/leisure hub. He’s right here for that goal, solely, and boxing individuals are shoving the keys to the enterprise in his arms, getting their guys beat and their very own plans upended for a fast buck. I’ve stated it earlier than, however all of those people– promoters, managers, networks, even media– they’re all placing themselves out of enterprise by working with the Saudis.
Yeah, within the brief time period we’re getting some first rate fights, however turning issues over to a murderous dictator with no historical past of enterprise honest play and no long-term dedication to the game, who’s exterior of our jurisdiction, is simply not good for the long-term well being of the game. And we’ll all see that quickly sufficient.
Shifting Up, Taking Flak
Hey Paul,
Why do some fighters catch flak for not trying as nice once they step up in weight class/competitors? To me it is just logical that your fights are going to be extra aggressive. I am positive that I’m within the minority, however for my greenback, I really like aggressive fights. As a fighter, you aren’t going to look nice towards all opponents. Benavidez, Morrell, Crawford and now Vergil Ortiz are all being scrutinized for his or her newest performances. I really loved the Ortiz-Bohachuk scrap, whatever the controversy. It jogged my memory slightly of Corrales-Castillo I.
I want we had extra entertaining fights, and fighters that problem themselves to be nice.!
Regards.
–Reggie Cannon
Hey Reggie.
It’s simply followers being fickle. Boxing followers are particularly fickle. Individuals simply wish to bitch about stuff and social media has given everybody a platform for doing that. What you’ll normally discover is that the folks speaking crap about how unhealthy a fighter appeared are those that wielded some type of agenda towards him/her anyway. Everybody’s simply operating round with raging affirmation bias, seeking to reverse engineer themselves into being proper.
Simply do what I do and what good boxing folks do– ignore them. The griping and the criticism means nothing.
No Respect For Japanese Europeans
Paul,
It ought to hassle battle followers that very gifted Japanese European expertise goes unnoticed or blackballed.
Now that Madrimov fought so effectively towards Bud, Madrimov is now within the no-fly zone for any American/British promoter. Heck, Uzbek [Olympic] boxers struck gold in 5 of the seven males’s classes. I doubt any of them, in addition to probably Jalolov, go onto something substantial within the skilled ranks. Not as a consequence of skillset, however as a consequence of alternative. What are your ideas on that?
This naturally segues into my subsequent query. What is going on on with Olympic Boxing? Is it even going to be a sport? No headgear? Jalolov who’s 14-0 with 14 KO’s successful with ease. I simply do not get what Olympic Boxing has become. I do know there’s points with it even being a sport within the subsequent Olympics. I bear in mind when the Olympics have been a gateway for the skilled ranks. What has occurred?
– Greg
Hey Greg.
I occur to suppose that Japanese European fighters get proven an inordinate quantity of deference by boxing media. Sadly for a few of these fighters, media love doesn’t have any connection to bankability or marketability.
As a lot as we’d wish to suppose in any other case, boxing stardom shouldn’t be essentially a meritocracy. The perfect fighters aren’t at all times the most important fighters. Followers will purchase what excites and entertains them and a number of the Japanese European fighters simply don’t encourage shopper pleasure within the West. Consider me, if there have been cash in these guys, boxing folks could be falling throughout themselves to get them on the primary stage.
There are a number of issue at play relating to these fighters and their lack of salability. Language points come into play. Sometimes being extra reserved, much less outgoing can also be an element. Even one thing as foolish as having hard-to-spell names is usually a issue.
Within the case of Madrimov, doing effectively towards Crawford did virtually nothing to spice up his personal field workplace attraction. If something, it harm his means to get large fights down the street since he’s now established himself as a excessive danger opponent that brings low reward. The Saudis might hold him in large fights, however these guys function at a loss and their enterprise mannequin is most positively not a practical boxing enterprise mannequin.
As for Olympic boxing? Newbie boxing did themselves a number of enormous disservices through the years, in the end ensuing within the sport now not being an Olympic occasion. The implementation of the punch level system strangled the life power from the beginner game– in addition to resulting in a crop of touch-touch-touch, points-first professionals. The removing of headgear was a step in the best course, nevertheless it was too little, too late. In the end, their incapability to curtail corruption lastly delivered the demise blow for boxing.
It’s an actual disgrace. The lack of the Olympics goes to harm fighter growth drastically. And, simply symbolically, the loss is a troublesome one.
Bought a query (or hate mail) for Magno’s Bulging Mail Sack? The perfect of the perfect will get included within the weekly mailbag phase proper right here at FightHype. Ship your stuff right here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com.
