By Luis Sandoval
Newly formed SMS Promotions which is headed by rap artist turned boxing promoter 50 Cent has created a huge buzz within the boxing industry. Many are curious to see what exactly 50 Cent can bring to the sport and most importantly if he can be successful in his new venture.
50 Cent spoke exclusively to BoxingScene’s official radio show The Boxing Lab and talked about the problems he’s seen in the sport and how he plans to address them. One of the major problems 50 sees is promoters not wanting to match up their fighters with other good fighters. Don’t expect 50 to be afraid to test his boxing stable against the best as he would certainly welcome it.
“What's wrong with the sport is some of the actual promoters, they think the titles are assets. They hide fighters from other fighters. Neither fights the best possible fights. This is why I wouldn't run from a [Adrien] Broner opportunity for Gamboa. If you feel you have the best fighter in the actual weight class or right now, then what are you ducking and dodging for?” 50 cent would tell The Boxing Lab.
“You got a lot of promoters who won't fight their fighters against certain [fighters]. What you run into when you got the type of talent that Gamboa possesses, people start the conversations and then pull out when they realize it's Gamboa. They don't want to lose the titles that their fighters have and they feel they're going to earn more with the fighter fighting weaker opponents for longer periods. And that's where boxing doesn't have what the UFC has. The UFC having all those fighters be under one promoter’s umbrella, a lot of them will make the matchup when the general public wants it versus having to go through these hassles and having the promoters’ personal assessment of each other prevent great fights from happening”.
What 50 Cent points out is the same thing boxing fans have been complaining about for years. A lot of fights that fans want to see are not coming to fruition and one of the big reasons is due to the promotional feud between Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions.
50 Cent, who is no stranger to beef as he’s had plenty throughout his music career, was asked what he thought about the promotional feud currently going on and if he’d not only be willing to work with Golden Boy, but maybe be the middleman that could finally get both companies to work together again.
“I'd love to be. I don't have anything against -- that's ridiculous to me when promoters have those kind of issues because they have to make the best fights for the general public to keep the sport thriving. If I can be that bridge, I'd like to be” said 50 Cent.
While there is optimism regarding 50 Cent entering the boxing game, there are also some questions if he can truly make it in this business. But 50 isn’t approaching the sport in the same way most promoters do. He’s actually willing to put his fighters in fights everyone wants to see and most importantly, he actually listens to what people want.
“I'd like to see that Gamboa-Brandon Rios fight that was supposed to take place and never took place. There are a lot of other fights out there that are interesting. I mean the general public they'll tell you want they want to see before you get a chance to offer it to them. Like I've heard the Adrien Broner conversation and I think that'll be an exciting fight, right?” said 50 Cent.
Only time will tell how well 50 Cent and SMS Promotions does but they if you’re a fan of the sport, you can’t help but feel they are already on the right track.
To listen to 50 Cent’s interview in its entirety listen to the podcast: http://tobtr.com/s/3978633
You can follow Luis Sandoval on Twitter @truewest007. You can also tune in to BoxingScene’s official audio show The Boxing Lab every Tuesday from 6-8PM PST with hosts Ernest Gabion, Luis Sandoval, and Ryan Burton.
