Tweet
by David P. Greisman - The whole is not always greater than the sum of the parts. Sometimes the sum of the parts is indeed greater than the whole.
That would be an unfortunate truth in Saturday’s fight between Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander.
The bout turned out to be a struggle between what each boxer wanted to do and what he would actually be able to do.
It proved to be a conflict between expectations and reality.
It wound up with an imbalance between what people paid for and what they received.
You pay to win, but that is never a guarantee. As my father reminded me every time a scratch-off lottery ticket failed to reveal winning numbers – you play to lose.
Everyone lost on Saturday.
Bradley and Alexander, as two of the top three boxers in the junior-welterweight division, were fighting for the right to be called the consensus No. 1 man at 140 pounds. The winner would have momentum carrying him toward a clash with the other of the three, Amir Khan. And the victor of that bout would be seen as the undisputed champion. The loser could take some consolation were he to be competitive in defeat.
HBO had paid a few million dollars and received a major fight with multiple natural storylines. The network had reportedly given itself a contractual option for a rematch and also had guaranteed money for subsequent HBO fights for both Bradley and Alexander. And after paying considerable cash to build Amir Khan, HBO had all three top junior welterweights to put its marketing muscle behind.
Promoters Gary Shaw and Thompson Boxing (Bradley) and Don King (Alexander) had put their fighters in the toughest matches of their careers, hoping for their guy to win and to become more of a star (and, hence, make them more money) – but also taking the chance that their guy would lose his world title and, hence, lose some luster.
The fight wasn’t good.
Such an outcome had been possible. Bradley is orthodox, a right-handed fighter. Alexander is a southpaw, a left-handed fighter. Such a pairing alone can lead to heads clashing accidentally. Throw in Bradley’s propensity for leading with his head, and the likelihood of ugliness became even greater. [Click Here To Read More]
That would be an unfortunate truth in Saturday’s fight between Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander.
The bout turned out to be a struggle between what each boxer wanted to do and what he would actually be able to do.
It proved to be a conflict between expectations and reality.
It wound up with an imbalance between what people paid for and what they received.
You pay to win, but that is never a guarantee. As my father reminded me every time a scratch-off lottery ticket failed to reveal winning numbers – you play to lose.
Everyone lost on Saturday.
Bradley and Alexander, as two of the top three boxers in the junior-welterweight division, were fighting for the right to be called the consensus No. 1 man at 140 pounds. The winner would have momentum carrying him toward a clash with the other of the three, Amir Khan. And the victor of that bout would be seen as the undisputed champion. The loser could take some consolation were he to be competitive in defeat.
HBO had paid a few million dollars and received a major fight with multiple natural storylines. The network had reportedly given itself a contractual option for a rematch and also had guaranteed money for subsequent HBO fights for both Bradley and Alexander. And after paying considerable cash to build Amir Khan, HBO had all three top junior welterweights to put its marketing muscle behind.
Promoters Gary Shaw and Thompson Boxing (Bradley) and Don King (Alexander) had put their fighters in the toughest matches of their careers, hoping for their guy to win and to become more of a star (and, hence, make them more money) – but also taking the chance that their guy would lose his world title and, hence, lose some luster.
The fight wasn’t good.
Such an outcome had been possible. Bradley is orthodox, a right-handed fighter. Alexander is a southpaw, a left-handed fighter. Such a pairing alone can lead to heads clashing accidentally. Throw in Bradley’s propensity for leading with his head, and the likelihood of ugliness became even greater. [Click Here To Read More]
Comment