By Luke Orem – We enter into a new decade with boxing rising out of the subconscious of casual fans and back into the mainstream. We have negotiations taking place for a mega fight, which stands to make both fighters in the area of 40 million dollars each. The buzz around this fight has only been heightened by a steroid controversy that seems as if it’s been thrown in as pure fight hype. We have exciting fighters in most of the weight divisions and the emergence of David Haye as a title holder in the heavyweight division does ignite a certain spark we have all been waiting for, for some years. Boxing does look promising and even strong right now..
The question rises if boxing has slipped into complete sports entertainment, or does it still remain a competitive sport? With the popularity of the internet, all of the fans are now in the know for every detail of every boxing match. We know who said what, who requested what size gloves or what size ring. We know who is getting what cut of the purse before the contract is even signed. The boxers know that the fans are more educated now than ever, and the promotions do as well. We only have to read how many times fights don’t happen over purse splits and negotiations to know that the business of boxing is taking over the sport. We rarely see 2 competitive men wanting to square off to prove who is better. We mostly have boxers coming through the ranks taking soft opponents and cherry picking matches they know they will win, so they can have a record that catches the eye and gives the impression you’re watching someone amazing.
We use the term “throw back” to describe fighters who will take on all comers and like to actually fight. Most of us respect and enjoy these types of fighters, as it is becoming more and more rare to actually see a man who is worried about his place in boxing history over his place in Forbes magazine. Has boxing started to generate so much money that the fighters forget why they box? Is the desire to be the best stamped out by the desire to be richest? I believe greed is replacing pride in the sport of boxing, I think the business of boxing needs to have more of It’s roots planted firmly in It’s competitive history. I believe when the fans start talking about PPV buy rates over Punchstat numbers, we should look at ourselves as fans and ask why we cheer who we cheer. Is the better boxer the man who draws more revenue, or is the man who fights better fights? I think I have the answer.
I think the men who fight the best fighters out there can be the cash cows of the business, if the business knew how to market them correctly. I think the emergence of 30-0 fighters who want to make a quick buck should stop being rewarded by the business with a shift in attention. HBO, Showtime and ESPN can all play a part in changing the collective mindset of the boxing audience to refocus their energies into the fighters who fight, against the fighters who talk. This just gives us the opportunity to have more Sugar Ray Leonards and Muhammad Alis. The guys who can box well will stand out, but the guys who can box well and sell themselves will become the superstars they deserve to be. I believe we have all taken too many steps towards the sizzle and left the steak behind. The business of boxing is trying to create revenue instead of trying to create real boxing superstars. If we ever want to see boxing boom like it has, we have to take a step back and look at what caused our favorite eras to take place. Protected boxers with undefeated records do nothing but provide short term interest that does nothing for the sport of boxing, just the business. We can fix this. We can root for the warriors and not buy into the propaganda to promote sub-par fights. Boxing greatness should be earned in the ring, not negotiated in contracts.