Things that make the sport today worst then it was in the past

[sterling]

hiphop...

music for ****ing idiots.

what a dum ass lol

[Allucard]

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.

I couldn't have said it better. This is exactly what's wrong with boxing. May i add (...) and then we have to see 40 year olds still fighting in ppv like they're gonna win and you buy it! You also have 36 year olds virtually unknown fighters coming out of nowhere to the top 10 p4p for fighting these 40 year olds. You're feeding the beast when you pay for these bouts.
I've made a decision since Lewis retired which was not to pay for boxing anymore until i felt good about it. I want it to be more like K-1 or MMA are today. That is competitive and exciting. You don't have many 23423-0 records there (if any) and all the top 10 guys have like 4 or 5 defeats sometimes more. You get a good show every month of the year!! And that's just one ORG, you have 3 more so virtually when i check my favorite MMA blog there's always new EXCITING fights for me there. People don't fight bum until they're 30 because THEY WOULD GET FIRED. Yes they are under contract and no manager can pick their opponents. The matchmaker is the contract provider.

[Allucard]

too much money. leads to corrupt refs (see Hatton/Mayweather)

The ref wasn't biased nor corrupt. Stop making that **** up. Watch the fight again. Hatton was warned he couldn't do "his thing" which in all fairness is !ILLEGAL!, in the states.

Aside, you must be pretty naive to believe the corruption acts against Ricky. Ask yourself this: Who would the majority of people would like to see holding the p4p crown? A black guy who talks smack or "good guy" white, undefeated Ricky Hatton? Think of Hatton as Calzaghe, only he failed. This is pretty much in your face if you study boxing and how the matchmakers think. It has nothing to do with race in the terms of where are the better fighters, even Don King is going to to Europe to find big heavyweights, it's just that people want Rocky and Rocky sells. Apolo Creed doesn't sell that good so all managers want more Calzaghes and Ricky Hattons and (the next one, i've said it first) Arthur Abrahams coming here. They sell better.

Is there any doubt in your mind Ricky would be p4p n1 i he had beat mayweather?

[FUC_U_PAYME]

boxers being more businesmen than boxers. its fine to be both but when you forsake the fans who made you a millionaire, that **** aint right.

cosigned :chickenboy:

[Clegg]

The ref wasn't biased nor corrupt. Stop making that **** up. Watch the fight again. Hatton was warned he couldn't do "his thing" which in all fairness is !ILLEGAL!, in the states.

Aside, you must be pretty naive to believe the corruption acts against Ricky. Ask yourself this: Who would the majority of people would like to see holding the p4p crown? A black guy who talks smack or "good guy" white, undefeated Ricky Hatton? Think of Hatton as Calzaghe, only he failed. This is pretty much in your face if you study boxing and how the matchmakers think. It has nothing to do with race in the terms of where are the better fighters, even Don King is going to to Europe to find big heavyweights, it's just that people want Rocky and Rocky sells. Apolo Creed doesn't sell that good so all managers want more Calzaghes and Ricky Hattons and (the next one, i've said it first) Arthur Abrahams coming here. They sell better.

Is there any doubt in your mind Ricky would be p4p n1 i he had beat mayweather?

Yeah, if only little-known boxers such as Tyson and de la Hoya were blonde haired, blue eyed Swedes, then maybe they'd be on PPV in America as much as Arthur Abraham.

Good call on Calzaghe, too. He just fought live on HBO for the first time at the age of only 36, and had 45 wins on his record. If he was black they would've made him wait until he was 56 and 95-0, like they did on Saturday with Gamboa.

Is this a joke post? Arthur Abraham ffs...

[Feint]

Everyone has a right to their own opinion, but I tend to be an optimist and believe that the sport is greater than ever. I don’t blame boxing fans for doing it because all sports fan do it, but the sport had problems in the past just as it does now. People complain about the same problems then as they do now but people tend to look at the past with “rose colored glasses”. For example, people complain about corruption being in boxing. Back in the 1950's and prior the Mafia basically controlled boxing the United States. People complain about the level of competition champions would face but mandatory are a relatively new thing. People say that the amount of money boxers make is ludicrous and has led to laziness in the sport but I think it’s great that boxers finally have the ability to retire comfortably (if they handle their money correctly). Would you rather see former greats making clowns of themselves like many had to do because they were cheated out of the money they had rightfully earned?

Is boxing perfect? No, of course not. Nothing is. But it is still a great sport and it keeps getting better. And lamenting for the past is not only a waste, but counter-productive. So instead of complaining let’s do something to help improve the sport. Write a letter to the various boxing organizations when you see something you don’t like. Write a letter to the politicians in your area that you would like to see more athletic events, specifically boxing. The “powers that be” estimate for every one letter they receive there are at least a thousand other people who feel the same. We not only have the opportunity to help improve this great sport become even better, we have a responsibility to do so in that we can pass down an even greater product to our children, just as our fathers did for us.