Debate Starter? :)

[ICEMAN JOHN SCULLY]

What are your thoughts on the current state of boxing?

ICE: It's hard to say. I mean, it isn't exactly one of the Golden Era's of boxing right now but there are some very god fighters and very good potential fights to be made with them. I think one big thing that needs to be rectified is the way in which boxing is promoted. I think it has lost something in the media and because of that the great potential fights, like Cotto and Mayweather, are taking too long to make. There is no public outcry for them to fight because nobody knows them. Back in the early 1980's the result of Holmes-Cooney, Leonard-Hearns, Leonard-Duran and Ali-Holmes were on page 1 of the newspaper. Not just the Sports section, but the front page of the actual newspaper. Now, in 2008, Floyd versus Cotto might not even make your local paper anywhere.

[gazdastrip]

True. Holmes-Cooney, and even up until Tyson big fights were national news. Not even local anymore often.

[danny stash]

Hey John,

I think people like Don King, Bob Arum and the crooked judges turned the masses off to boxing. I really had a hard time stomaching some decisions and fights that should of happened but did not because of politics. Fighting used to be fighting pure and simple now it is a huge business. Also the dawn of pay per view had a HUGE effect on it. Boxing has been a working mans sport for eons and joe Q farmer etc.. cant afford 60 bucks to see his favorite fighters duke it out. Back in the day Ali fought on CBS with Cosell speaking to all america not just the financially priveledged...

My 2 cents

Danny

[Silencers]

Promoters are definitely part of the problem, corrupt sanctioning bodies are a big part of the problem as well. The best pound for pound fighter fighting the guy that brings the most money over the guy that gives him the biggest threat doesn't help as well.

Although I do think that a Mayweather-Cotto fight would be talked about on the news. Especially if Cotto beats Margarito and goes on to beat DLH in December, if they do fight.

[Hitman932]

Not just the Sports section, but the front page of the actual newspaper. Now, in 2008, Floyd versus Cotto might not even make your local paper anywhere. [/I]

I work for a mid sized newspaper here in MI. Floyd is from MI and when he fought De La Hoya the only mention in our paper was a 1 paragraph "In Brief" saying there was a fight on HBO on Saturday night.

[abadger]

As boxing fans in the modern era we are being robbed on a daily basis. I hadn't really thought that much about whether boxiing was 'good' or not until I started getting into it more seriously, and going back and watching older fights. It was way better back then, the boxers fought more, and most importantly they fought the right people. This on its own lead to more entertaining fights, and it helped show who the best boxers were. That fed back and kept boxing popular.

I lay the blame for boxings decline squarely at the door of the promoters. As the money involved in the sport went up they realised they could make a ton out of mediocre boxers by artificially inflating their records through slowing the number of fights down to a crawl, and picking and choosing easy opponents, who of course also had blown up reputations too. Throw in multiple corrupt sanctioning bodies and suddenly virtually any fighter can be a an undefeated champ and make massive paydays beating mediocre opposition.

The situation we find ourselves in now is ludicrous. Even B-Level fights take aeons to be made, with umming and ahhing over choice of opponents and purse bids on what should be routine, brisk mandatory defences and eliminator bouts. Prospects don't fight anyone until they are approaching thirty, and our creme de la creme tend to be in their mid thirties, way past it back in the day, and in the modern era in reality, but safe with their sheltered reputations because they only fight each other while the young lions who would probably beat them are busy knocking over tomato cans. Even when we get a real exception to this rule, say Mayweather or De La Hoya, both of whom were at the top of the game while very young, by the time they reach veteran status they have given up the legitimate defending and winnning of titles in favour of once yearly exhibition bouts.

In short, modern boxing is a travesty, and we fans put up with it because its all we have. The spectacle and product is so glossy and well put together, the hype so overwhelming, that even the most cynical of us fall for the bait come fight night. Well they'll keep doing it while we keep cheering, and as boxing fans, I'm afraid, we ain't going to stop.

[KING •]

I read the NY Post they'll run a story on Friday and Saturday leading up to a fight.

That's about it.

I do like there coverage of the Golden Gloves competition.

But outside of that the media has completely turned there back on boxing.

[Haglerwins]

Visibility visibility visibility

I agree with the aforementioned. Promoters. Corruption. Greed. I'm not a fan of these premium cable stables either, too much blatant bias that can sometimes get conspiracy theories going when it comes to close fights with the house fighter. I honestly think that the only thing that will turn the state of boxing around is for the budding stars of the sport to get their own agents and really push to get bouts on network television. With struggling plain jane tv networks out there hungry for something to bring in ratings I can't see why it would be all that difficult. Circumvent all the dirty hands and the current climate of bull**** altogether. We don't need crooked sanctioning bodies. We don't need any belts or rankings other than The Ring's anyway.

TV people won't turn away a big ratings event I don't think. A fight like Mayweather/Cotto could bring boxing out of its current notoriety dark age. We just need something to get the TV ball rolling.

[rj_ct]

even if boxing isn't in a golden age right now i still feel lucky to have grown up with and been able to watch guys like mayweather, cotto, corrales, lewis, gatti, pacquiao, morales, whitaker, holyfield, vazquez, the marquez bros, etc.

just because boxing isn't as popular with networks like espn, abc, or cbs anymore doesn't mean the skill level or excitement level is any less than it was in any other era. in time a dynamic heavyweight champ will come along, but for now i'm not stressing it.

[abadger]

I agree with the aforementioned. Promoters. Corruption. Greed. I'm not a fan of these premium cable stables either, too much blatant bias that can sometimes get conspiracy theories going when it comes to close fights with the house fighter. I honestly think that the only thing that will turn the state of boxing around is for the budding stars of the sport to get their own agents and really push to get bouts on network television. With struggling plain jane tv networks out there hungry for something to bring in ratings I can't see why it would be all that difficult. Circumvent all the dirty hands and the current climate of bull**** altogether. We don't need crooked sanctioning bodies. We don't need any belts or rankings other than The Ring's anyway.

TV people won't turn away a big ratings event I don't think. A fight like Mayweather/Cotto could bring boxing out of its current notoriety dark age. We just need something to get the TV ball rolling.

Terrific insight. The poularity of boxing here in the UK waxes and wanes depending on whether our big fights are being shown on free to air TV, which is less and less since PPV and subscription only channels came on the scene in the 90s.

I wish that the scenario you describe could happen, but money talks, and PPV is what delivers it.