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December 2006:
1. Did the Muhammad Ali Act have significant impact on professional boxing?
ICE: To tell you the truth I cannot really see if it did or not. I mean, I still see fighters getting robbed in the ring and out. If it helped in any way it has helped but it hasn't solved all the problems yet, that's for sure. I think one thing is because many people, especially fighters, have no idea whatsoever what the Ali act even is. The terms of it aren't well known enough for a fighter with questions to even seek help from it.
2. We know that boxing reform comes in cycles, this last wave of good intentions was as much about the safeguarding of the professional fighters financially as anything else... in your view are fighters reaping more rewards today and are the new promotional models of say Golden Boy Promotions and DiBella Entertainment really transforming the landscape... do they, are they making 'transparency' that much repeated refrain a new normal for the sport?
ICE: You know, every once in a while there comes these guys, the saviors with the big plans. Sometimes it is a government investigation into the sport that never, ever turns up anything. The supposedly reach deep down for the dirt and they always come up with lint for some reason. You also always get these guys that say they want to revolutionize the business end of the game and make it better for the fighters. Maybe these guys will have some success, too, but I am sure that fighters will continue to get robbed and misled by others in the sport for a long while. People need to understand that when these guys talk about making it better for the fighters they aren't talking about four round kids from Los Angeles and Newark, New Jersey. They are talking about the kids that they deem worthy of putting money into. The big prospects and the Olympians, etc.
3. And we know that boxing is the free market system meets chaos theory... but... have the major administrative oversight bodies for the sport, the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO reformed at all... stemmed their excesses in areas to do with rankings, title eliminators. etc or is it politics as usual? Explain/sermonize if you will!
ICE: Well I can tell you one thing. I am in a situation right now where a boxer that I train, WBA 154 pound champion Jose Rivera, won his title this past May and he is still waiting to see who he will fight next because the WBA hasn't decided if it will be their mandatory challenger or another guy who they are trying to settle a court case with. We really wanted to fight a Corey Spinks or a Margarito but they say we have to satisfy our mandatory first. At the same time, though, nobody from the WBC ever says Oscar has to satisfy his mandatory at the same weight or else he will be stripped. Why the double standard?
1. Did the Muhammad Ali Act have significant impact on professional boxing?
ICE: To tell you the truth I cannot really see if it did or not. I mean, I still see fighters getting robbed in the ring and out. If it helped in any way it has helped but it hasn't solved all the problems yet, that's for sure. I think one thing is because many people, especially fighters, have no idea whatsoever what the Ali act even is. The terms of it aren't well known enough for a fighter with questions to even seek help from it.
2. We know that boxing reform comes in cycles, this last wave of good intentions was as much about the safeguarding of the professional fighters financially as anything else... in your view are fighters reaping more rewards today and are the new promotional models of say Golden Boy Promotions and DiBella Entertainment really transforming the landscape... do they, are they making 'transparency' that much repeated refrain a new normal for the sport?
ICE: You know, every once in a while there comes these guys, the saviors with the big plans. Sometimes it is a government investigation into the sport that never, ever turns up anything. The supposedly reach deep down for the dirt and they always come up with lint for some reason. You also always get these guys that say they want to revolutionize the business end of the game and make it better for the fighters. Maybe these guys will have some success, too, but I am sure that fighters will continue to get robbed and misled by others in the sport for a long while. People need to understand that when these guys talk about making it better for the fighters they aren't talking about four round kids from Los Angeles and Newark, New Jersey. They are talking about the kids that they deem worthy of putting money into. The big prospects and the Olympians, etc.
3. And we know that boxing is the free market system meets chaos theory... but... have the major administrative oversight bodies for the sport, the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO reformed at all... stemmed their excesses in areas to do with rankings, title eliminators. etc or is it politics as usual? Explain/sermonize if you will!
ICE: Well I can tell you one thing. I am in a situation right now where a boxer that I train, WBA 154 pound champion Jose Rivera, won his title this past May and he is still waiting to see who he will fight next because the WBA hasn't decided if it will be their mandatory challenger or another guy who they are trying to settle a court case with. We really wanted to fight a Corey Spinks or a Margarito but they say we have to satisfy our mandatory first. At the same time, though, nobody from the WBC ever says Oscar has to satisfy his mandatory at the same weight or else he will be stripped. Why the double standard?
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