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by David P. Greisman - Given the impatience that has caused this society to be ruled by instant gratification, it seems astounding that boxing fans can find the will to wait for big fights to take place.
Yet that waiting often comes with an end date attached. A bout is announced. Anticipation builds. And the tension peaks in those final seconds as the fighters stand in their corners, ready for the opening bell.
What’s much more difficult is the wait for a big fight that has not yet been signed — and might not happen at all.
That feeling isn’t necessarily applicable to matches such as Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao or Nonito Donaire vs. Abner Mares — these pairings were made impossible by contractual demands or promotional difficulties.
Rather, the pain comes with a fight that easily could happen. Fans had once clamored for Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa to collide, only to be told by Bob Arum of promoter Top Rank that the featherweight fight needed to “marinate” — that more time was necessary to build the anticipation to the point where both boxers would get the amount of money and attention he felt they deserved.
But then Lopez was knocked out by Orlando Salido in 2011 — and then it happened again in a rematch a year later. By the time Gamboa left the Top Rank promotional stable, any plans of Gamboa vs. Lopez had been rendered moot.
Now Arum is telling boxing fans and observers that they will need to wait for a third fight between junior welterweights Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado.
“Are these guys going to fight again? Of course they will,” Arum was quoted as saying in an article on this website shortly after the March 30 rematch between Rios and Alvarado, which Alvarado won by unanimous decision to even up their rivalry at one victory apiece. [Click Here To Read More]
Yet that waiting often comes with an end date attached. A bout is announced. Anticipation builds. And the tension peaks in those final seconds as the fighters stand in their corners, ready for the opening bell.
What’s much more difficult is the wait for a big fight that has not yet been signed — and might not happen at all.
That feeling isn’t necessarily applicable to matches such as Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao or Nonito Donaire vs. Abner Mares — these pairings were made impossible by contractual demands or promotional difficulties.
Rather, the pain comes with a fight that easily could happen. Fans had once clamored for Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa to collide, only to be told by Bob Arum of promoter Top Rank that the featherweight fight needed to “marinate” — that more time was necessary to build the anticipation to the point where both boxers would get the amount of money and attention he felt they deserved.
But then Lopez was knocked out by Orlando Salido in 2011 — and then it happened again in a rematch a year later. By the time Gamboa left the Top Rank promotional stable, any plans of Gamboa vs. Lopez had been rendered moot.
Now Arum is telling boxing fans and observers that they will need to wait for a third fight between junior welterweights Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado.
“Are these guys going to fight again? Of course they will,” Arum was quoted as saying in an article on this website shortly after the March 30 rematch between Rios and Alvarado, which Alvarado won by unanimous decision to even up their rivalry at one victory apiece. [Click Here To Read More]
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