Who are the current true A-side in Boxing?

Yes, boxing wont die but I dont really want to live in a reality where promoters are literally changing the timing of events/cards to prevent clashing with anything UFC related. I dislike the entire model and culture of spectator MMA immensely so the last thing I want to see is boxing declining stateside. Amen brother, I couldn't agree with you more with this statement.

Fair points but nothing will kill Boxing. It is the older than Football, Basketball & MMA. Every sport is a business and they are all run different based on the rules that fit within their perspective genre. You would never run Football like Boxing and vice versa. Yes, nothing can kill boxing but it can and has been undermined. When a service as big as DAZN is literally holding up cards for UFC events then it should be a concerning reality facing modern boxing, especially in the US where competition from UFC is fiercer. Yes, boxing wont die but I dont really want to live in a reality where promoters are literally changing the timing of events/cards to prevent clashing with anything UFC related. I dislike the entire model and culture of spectator MMA immensely so the last thing I want to see is boxing declining stateside.

My thing is that the best need to fight the best. That used to happen more often in boxing. This A side/B side **** is killing the sport and ruining its legitimacy. Football is a business too, but in the NFL playoffs, you don't get to fight a team coming off of a loss. People need to hold everyone accountable. Your favorite fighter and promoter is guilty. So is mine. So are we as fans for abandoning fighters when they lose every time they step it up. We all have to do better. That's not how it works, Unc. A Side/B Side has been a thing since the days of Ali. When Leonard returned from retiring to fight Haglar, he was the A side even though Haglar hadn't lost a fight in 11 years and was a true middleweight. Same thing for Oscar/Floyd, then Floyd became the A side and did the same to Canelo and now Canelo is the A side and doing the same thing to others. We hate it but boxing is a business and you can't compare other sports business models to Boxing...it doesn't fit that way.

The NFL and NBA, EPL and UFC are also businesses. At least three of them consistently generate higher turnover year on year whilst the players earn more than 99% of boxers. Boxing would benefit greatly from both centralisation and unionisation to prevent abuse/exploitation. I fear that if UFC fighters get their fingers out of their asses and get serious about unionisation, it will likely kill boxing for good. Boxing has been able to retain some pedigree because of UFC/Zuffa's obsession with undermining their talent pools, but if UFC/MMA fighters can command boxing paydays whilst maintaining competitive integrity then it will even further damage boxing US presence. Fair points but nothing will kill Boxing. It is the older than Football, Basketball & MMA. Every sport is a business and they are all run different based on the rules that fit within their perspective genre. You would never run Football like Boxing and vice versa.

The NFL and NBA, EPL and UFC are also businesses. At least three of them consistently generate higher turnover year on year whilst the players earn more than 99% of boxers. Boxing would benefit greatly from both centralisation and unionisation to prevent abuse/exploitation. I fear that if UFC fighters get their fingers out of their asses and get serious about unionisation, it will likely kill boxing for good. Boxing has been able to retain some pedigree because of UFC/Zuffa's obsession with undermining their talent pools, but if UFC/MMA fighters can command boxing paydays whilst maintaining competitive integrity then it will even further damage boxing US presence. UFC works because there is 1 belt, 1 ranking system, and few weight classes. If you are the champ, you have to fight the next best guy. And if you beat him, you fight the next best guy in the next fight. None of this tune up or stay busy bull****. No A side, no B side. And if you don't take the fight, you get stripped.

What does Football have to do with Boxing? Two different types of sports. My thing is that the best need to fight the best. That used to happen more often in boxing. This A side/B side **** is killing the sport and ruining its legitimacy. Football is a business too, but in the NFL playoffs, you don't get to fight a team coming off of a loss. People need to hold everyone accountable. Your favorite fighter and promoter is guilty. So is mine. So are we as fans for abandoning fighters when they lose every time they step it up. We all have to do better.

You don't get punched in the head for a living so you are unaware that Boxing is also a BUSINESS Find another thread that easy going and tickles your fancy! The NFL and NBA, EPL and UFC are also businesses. At least three of them consistently generate higher turnover year on year whilst the players earn more than 99% of boxers. Boxing would benefit greatly from both centralisation and unionisation to prevent abuse/exploitation. I fear that if UFC fighters get their fingers out of their asses and get serious about unionisation, it will likely kill boxing for good. Boxing has been able to retain some pedigree because of UFC/Zuffa's obsession with undermining their talent pools, but if UFC/MMA fighters can command boxing paydays whilst maintaining competitive integrity then it will even further damage boxing US presence.

Boxing is a business but football is not? What does Football have to do with Boxing? Two different types of sports.

You don't get punched in the head for a living so you are unaware that Boxing is also a BUSINESS Find another thread that easy going and tickles your fancy! Boxing is a business but football is not?

Why do people care about this? The A side B side stuff is bull****, the best need to fight the best. I DONT CARE WHO IS A SIDE. In no other legitimate sport is this ok, You don't get punched in the head for a living so you are unaware that Boxing is also a BUSINESS Find another thread that easy going and tickles your fancy!

A+ and A- side list is very accurate I would add Inoue to A- because he is a big deal in Japan and would be the A Side over Casamiro, Ouabaali and the rest of his Division

Boxing and celebrity have pretty much become intertwined. TBH its not a big issue in many sports where sanctioning bodies have pretty much total control over fixtures, nor is it an issue in the UFC where the sole promotional body dictates matchups. The issue with boxing is that said celebrity ties directly into future negotiation for any kind of fight. One can call themselves the "A-side" even if they're coming off a loss to the very opponent they're fighting. Its a double edged sword because whilst I like boxers being paid their worth these days, it does create more complications that ultimately hurt the sport. This is true but the problem with being the A side means not just the bigger draw, but using that status to put your opponent at an unfair advantage, force him to agree to all sorts of unfair stipulations, and basically give yourself as much of an unfair advantage is possible. This isn't right. Maybe the solution lies in creating one promotional body. Or like a league to force mandatories. One thing for sure is we need to get rid of all the extra weight classes and belts. Too many people can call themselves a champion and then use it as an excuse to avoid the real fights. Can you think of any other sport where the best don't go up against the best?

Would you rather be a boxer or a boxing celebrity? Boxing and celebrity have pretty much become intertwined. TBH its not a big issue in many sports where sanctioning bodies have pretty much total control over fixtures, nor is it an issue in the UFC where the sole promotional body dictates matchups. The issue with boxing is that said celebrity ties directly into future negotiation for any kind of fight. One can call themselves the "A-side" even if they're coming off a loss to the very opponent they're fighting. Its a double edged sword because whilst I like boxers being paid their worth these days, it does create more complications that ultimately hurt the sport.

A+ side: meaning they can fight a broomstick & make 8 figures regardless Saul Alvarez Anthony Joshua Honorable mention: Manny Pacquaio A- side: meaning that they need a good dancer partner but will always earn the lion share base on resume, ppv sales, fanbase, etc. Ryan Garcia Errol Spence Gervonta Davis Deontay Wilder/Tyson Fury This is mostly right and 12 months ago I would have said this was the case though I think things might be changing ever so slightly. This recent fight with Pulev generated 600k viewers (a great number when compared to a lot of the meh numbers for cards in the US) which is actually somewhat of a decline. Canelo is on DAZN obviously, but talk of his recent negotiations with PBC make me think he is concerned about exposure. I think before Canelo and Joshua were very much the bearers of boxing but I actually think the public may be getting hungry for some new blood. Tyson Fury would be in a great position to take the mantle but he lacks marketability and has a penchant for taking bum fights in between his big paydays. I actually think Davis and Garcia are very well positioned to be future superstars. I also legit still think Wilder could scrape big numbers in an American heavyweight PPV off of notoriety alone. Spence I think may have hurt himself slightly by not staging this needed showdown with Crawford sooner but I blame both sides for that.

Would you rather be a boxer or a boxing celebrity?

Why do people care about this? The A side B side stuff is bull****, the best need to fight the best. I DONT CARE WHO IS A SIDE. In no other legitimate sport is this ok,

You gotta admit Floyd sold the **** out of that fight though. Also Floyd wanted to be a star. Years of rubbing elbows with the who’s who of sports, music, and other entertainers. Canelo barely does interviews in English anymore. And don’t get me started on those other dudes. Floyd sold that fight, after that matchup, he become the A-side going forward.

Everybody’s a B. I agree. Boxing is a B level now with all the politics. Lots of fighters are rotting. I wanna piss on all promoters and networks. Excuse my language.

Everybody’s a B. Impossible.

A lot of people don’t really understand what A side means, when Oscar fought Mayweather he earned 52m, Mayweather earned 25m (His previous highest was 8m against Baldomir), that is what you can A side, when your opponent can double or almost triple your previous highest payday. Which one of these current boxers can do that for you? Pac? AJ? Canelo? Probably those three are what comes to mind. I doubt anyone else can do that. No one can sell 900k at the moment on their own. You gotta admit Floyd sold the **** out of that fight though. Also Floyd wanted to be a star. Years of rubbing elbows with the who’s who of sports, music, and other entertainers. Canelo barely does interviews in English anymore. And don’t get me started on those other dudes.