Al Haymon (my non-racial criticism)

YES I'M AWARE THAT IT'S A PRETTY LONG POST There was an article recently saying Al Haymon only disliked due to racism. I wanted to outline why I am critical of Al Haymon and how it doesn't have to do with race. I'll start with what I like about him. 1. He brings tons more boxing to television. Which I love. That's it. That is the list. There's not much that I really like about him other than that. I hear other people say they love Haymon because of a few reasons: He wants to bring boxing back to mainstream. Yes, I can see wanting boxing to become big so we continue getting the volume of boxing we are getting but other than that, I don't care if the masses watch boxing. If more people start watching then great but I was fine with boxing for many many years without appealing to casuals, I will continue to be just fine without them. Free Boxing. Again, I don't care. I have HBO and SHO, I'm fine with boxing being on those two channels. In fact, when I hear a show is on a different channel its actually worse. I don't like the production on the network and basic cable channels and I don't like commercials. I'm not against free boxing, I'm sure not everyone has HBO and SHO but I'm also not going to sit here and praise him for giving me a product that I enjoy less. He pays his fighters. Again, I just don't care. I'm all for guys making money in their life. However, I don't want guys making a-level money to fight c-level guys. It takes away the incentive to fight real fights. Quillin was recently asked when he is going to fight GGG and his response is he's good he's fighting on free tv for big money. I guarantee that if he wasn't making good money he would be a lot hungrier to get in with the top names. He makes good fights. This one I do care about, very much. The thing is I just don't really agree with it. He has some of the most exciting fighters in the world yet I'm consistently let down when their opponents are picked. What I dislike about him: 1. First is what I mentioned above about how he has essentially created a culture of low risk high reward (as in inflated purses not greater glory) fighters. 2. He is largely responsible for the current boxing political landscape. His fighters can't fight on HBO because he screwed them, can't fight TR fighters bc he won't do business with them, can't fight GB fighter's bc him and Schaefer screwed them, can't fight Roc Nation fighters and tried to block them from the business due to old fueds. And before the current landscape he got GB banned from HBO and him and Schaefer were responsible for the GB and TR cold war. 3. He completely threw away an entire year of boxing. His fighters were not in one competitive fight all year unless it was a mandatory in all of 2014. They set an absolutely new low for boxing in 2014. 4. Lastly is that I don't like what he seems to be aiming for. He is trying to set up his own league of boxing (or set up a monopoly). That just brings more walls and barriers in the way of making the best possible fights and that is the last thing we need in the sport.

Comments (20)

I don't think everybody that is Anti Haymon is racist and I don't think people should feel guilty for not liking what Haymon does. If you don't like Mayweather then naturally you're not going to like anything associated with him and that is understandable. Also take into consideration that UFC President Dana White is Caucasian American read some comments on his videos or look at MMA Forums. Dana White is not well liked! Same for the Commissioner of the NFL Roger Goodell, this man gets booed everywhere he goes and is not liked by the fans or the players who play in the NFL. But that does not keep the NFL from being the #1 Sports in America! So no everybody who dislike Haymon is not Racist, I just think fans don't like whoever is in charge of something like PBC. To be honest, I can think of a Commissioner of a major sports league that is not hated in America? Bud Selig, David Stern was both hated before recently retiring so :dunno: I just want good match ups in the ring, when you deliver that the fans will find something else to complain about but they will continue to watch! That is really all you can ask for because it is no way you're going to make everybody happy.

10y ago

mathed

My main gripe with all of this stands strong.....just go to the PBC website and check out the status of the "Premiere Boxers" on the main page. I dunno, it's maybe 60 or so boxers or whatever it is, mainly the bigger names that have signed and only 20 have fights scheduled. The rest just say, "no fights scheduled" under status. Like I have said..........................a lot of mouths to feed.

10y ago

Chiboxing123

I must admit I'm softening my stance on the pbc.......well because of mares vs leo..... idgaf anymore just make that damn fights uncle al

10y ago

Canelo_Phresh

Al Haymon has that Obama Defense down to a T. Oh, you're criticizing Al Haymon? Your racist!

10y ago

Vasyls_dad

Its funny seeing guys tell the board that posters only hate Haymon because he's black when Haymon being black is the only reason they defend him.

10y ago

AddiX

I see you are avoiding at all costs talking about the MAA cuz you know you 1)ain't even read that mfer probably or 2)have mumbled through it all confused & couldn't find **** Haymon is doing wrong. The Ali act takes 2 seconds to read, yes I've read it. I'm avoiding talking to you about it because debates with lifeforms as low are yourself are pointless. You've never taking any business law classes, you probably haven't passed high school, yet somehow you think the biggest law firms in the nation and the federal government have no clue what there doing when they accepted this case.

10y ago

Chrismart

But he gave us Thurman Vs Guerrero. Apparently, a 'match up for the ages' if you go by what is said on Boxing Scene in any given Haymon thread. http://i58.tinypic.com/2li9834.jpg

10y ago

mlac

clearly killing the sport - the matchups are getting more and more awful. will the bum / tin can / taxi driver win 0 rounds or 1 round? maybe he will win 2!!!!!!!! its on free tv doe!!! no actually its not, im in the uk so shove it up ya arse haymon :fing26:

10y ago

joseph5620

I dislike him for the fact that his attempts at driving out the competition so he can control everything is f*cking things up for everyone else. And the worst thing? The PBC thing is destined to fail, it does not add up at all. It's success is build on the notion of burning through millions of dollars to reach the end game of driving Top Rank, Golden Boy and HBO (and now add ROC) out. It's not going to happen. They might struggle but not to the extent that they will shrivel and die whilst Haymon scoops up deserters. And when it does all end in disaster, what then? What the hell kind of state is Al Haymon going to leave boxing in? Thanks for sharing your Internet expertise on the business side of boxing. I assume your resume is loaded with high profile clients.

10y ago

joseph5620

I don't mind Haymon one bit, I'm just not blinded enough to block out his weaknesses in this sport, or the fact that he first ripped off hbo and there subscribers, than ripped off Showtime and there subscribers, and now is ripping off his investors. Not to mention he's been stealing fighters from promoters since getting in this sport, and quite possibly has been breaking laws while doing it. And I don't hate black people, just the really ignorant ghetto ones. "he black though, real talk yo, real talk yo, they just mad cuz they racist yo, nah I mean?" **** outta here with that bull****. Too stupid to come up with intelligent arguments so you run to the race card. As my best friend who's black always says, "we don't like them ignorant *****s either." Why are you concerned with how HBO, Showtime, or investors that don't even know you exist spend their money? Just come out with the true reasons behind your dislike for Haymon. Because your excuses are pathetic.

10y ago

Sweet_Jones

That's the whole point of the lawsuit genius. Haymon has found loopholes in the Ali Act and exploited them for years. The reason these lawsuits were filed have been talked up for years now, no one is surprised by this. And how he steals fighters is quite simple, he tells them not to fight and not to cooperate until the promoter accepts haymons conditions to allow Haymon full control of the fighter. A manager advising his clients to not participate in the old 'my-promoter-controls-my-career' way of business and advising them against giving up their leverage by locking themselves into multi-fight promotional contracts and all the network entanglements that come with it does not equate to 'stealing' fighters.

10y ago

AddiX

Actually I believe you're to stupid to know anything about the MAA cuz if you did you'd know there isn't anything in the MAA that Haymon is doing wrong. Unless you are completely desperate to stop Haymon (or dumb) like Oscar & Bob than you can suggest he's the "real" promoter but we all know what promoters do & Haymon is no promoter or if he is somehow a defacto non-present promoter than HBO is a defacto non-present promoter too & has been in violation of the MAA for decades & should be stopped also. Stop it, your embarrassing yourself, you sound like the retarded old black guys in the hood who blame everything on the illuminati. You have no clue WTF your talking about.

10y ago

AddiX

Please breakdown these MAA loopholes. I love to hear guys try to break down what Haymon is doing wrong. You mean your too stupid to Understand it so you need me to explain it?

10y ago

PBP

1. First is what I mentioned above about how he has essentially created a culture of low risk high reward (as in inflated purses not greater glory) fighters. 2. He is largely responsible for the current boxing political landscape. His fighters can't fight on HBO because he screwed them, can't fight TR fighters bc he won't do business with them, can't fight GB fighter's bc him and Schaefer screwed them, can't fight Roc Nation fighters and tried to block them from the business due to old fueds. And before the current landscape he got GB banned from HBO and him and Schaefer were responsible for the GB and TR cold war. 3. He completely threw away an entire year of boxing. His fighters were not in one competitive fight all year unless it was a mandatory in all of 2014. They set an absolutely new low for boxing in 2014. 4. Lastly is that I don't like what he seems to be aiming for. He is trying to set up his own league of boxing (or set up a monopoly). That just brings more walls and barriers in the way of making the best possible fights and that is the last thing we need in the sport. 1. Low risk/high reward existed way before Haymon. But I think once Floyd retires and these young guys realize that they won't get that lottery ticket they will start fighting each other. 2. I don't think it's fair to blame the political landscape on him. Arum used this in house fight model for years and often he wants options on you if you take on one of his fighters. 3. Last year was bad and there is no excuse for Garcia/Salka type of cards. I agree with you here. But Showtime and GBP have the power to approve the product they put their name on and they did nothing about this. 4. This is what promoters and sanctioning bodies have been trying to do for years. Haymon has just done what they were all unable to do.

10y ago

AddiX

The ole 'my-best-friend-is-black' claim, eh? Predictable, yet still sad. And by the way, how exactly does a manager/advisor 'steal' a fighter from a promoter, when all I keep hearing from the newfound Ali Act defenders is the demarcated line between the two roles. That's the whole point of the lawsuit genius. Haymon has found loopholes in the Ali Act and exploited them for years. The reason these lawsuits were filed have been talked up for years now, no one is surprised by this. And how he steals fighters is quite simple, he tells them not to fight and not to cooperate until the promoter accepts haymons conditions to allow Haymon full control of the fighter.

10y ago

Sweet_Jones

I don't mind Haymon one bit, I'm just not blinded enough to block out his weaknesses in this sport, or the fact that he first ripped off hbo and there subscribers, than ripped off Showtime and there subscribers, and now is ripping off his investors. Not to mention he's been stealing fighters from promoters since getting in this sport, and quite possibly has been breaking laws while doing it. And I don't hate black people, just the really ignorant ghetto ones. "he black though, real talk yo, real talk yo, they just mad cuz they racist yo, nah I mean?" **** outta here with that bull****. Too stupid to come up with intelligent arguments so you run to the race card. As my best friend who's black always says, "we don't like them ignorant *****s either." The ole 'my-best-friend-is-black' claim, eh? Predictable, yet still sad. And by the way, how exactly does a manager/advisor 'steal' a fighter from a promoter, when all I keep hearing from the newfound Ali Act defenders is the demarcated line between the two roles.

10y ago

AddiX

There is a lot more to Showtime other than boxing, Dylan Roof. Now I understand why Haymon's wealth and power bothers you so much. It makes Don King look like he told the truth which is saying something. I don't mind Haymon one bit, I'm just not blinded enough to block out his weaknesses in this sport, or the fact that he first ripped off hbo and there subscribers, than ripped off Showtime and there subscribers, and now is ripping off his investors. Not to mention he's been stealing fighters from promoters since getting in this sport, and quite possibly has been breaking laws while doing it. And I don't hate black people, just the really ignorant ghetto ones. "he black though, real talk yo, real talk yo, they just mad cuz they racist yo, nah I mean?" **** outta here with that bull****. Too stupid to come up with intelligent arguments so you run to the race card. As my best friend who's black always says, "we don't like them ignorant *****s either."

10y ago

joseph5620

You guys are too stupid to realize that when Haymon was putting all those bad fights on Showtime last year, he was ripping YOU off. You pay for Showtime, that was your money he paid Danny Garcia to fight Salka with. Look at last years Showtime lineup, complete garbage, you paid for it. "Oh but he black, so is ok, when Floyd get paid, it be like, we all get paid." Dumb mother ****ers. There is a lot more to Showtime other than boxing, Dylan Roof. Now I understand why Haymon's wealth and power bothers you so much. It makes Don King look like he told the truth which is saying something.

10y ago

OnePunch1099

Agreed. This is where I think Haymon will come unstuck. Actually building a fighter up from scratch is a real science. Say what you want about a couple of snakes like Don King and Arum but they do know how to build fighters up. So far Haymon's only idea seems to be sign everyone up and chuck them on free TV. I think Golden Boy are probably somewhere between the two. I'll be interested to see where Haymon is in 4 or 5 years. He could well succeed he seems like a fairly clued up guy. The most important thing for me is that there isn't a monopoly from ANY promoter in the sport. Haymon does not have a Bruce Trampler or a Bobby Goodman.........

10y ago

ea22

Haymon ain't do **** to hurt Junior. Junior hurt himself by being the P4P champion of doing dumb ****. Stars build themselves. The best talent Arum has had in boxing is finding talent, not promoting that talent. Oscar made Oscar, Floyd made Floyd, Manny made Manny & Miguel made Miguel, Bob just made money off of them. All 4 of those superstars woulda made themselves with any promoter & 3 of the 4 made themselves bigger without Bob than with Bob. That's not entirely true, bad matchmaking can ruin a fighter, and a lot of Haymon's fighters have lost their luster since riding with him. Garcia, and Stevenson are becoming increasingly irrelevant (especially Adonis) because of bad matchmaking, and what people perceive as easy fights. Adonis from fighter of the year to what he is now, because Kovalev basically cleaned house while Adonis has been getting paid well for easy fights but also meaningless fights.

10y ago