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Problems With Boxing
There are numerous problems with Boxing that have helped put the sport on ice.
* The best fights don't happen - In today's boxing world ducking and handpicking are as certain and common as death and taxes. The majority of fighters and promoters only make fights with fighters they believe they can beat and continually make excuses as to why their guy can't fight so and so. It's more about making the money now than it is about putting forth effort and fighting.
Example - Pavlik Vs. Hopkins: Why is an undefeated Middleweight Champion fighting a fighter who's time passed a long time ago? Furthermore why is a champion fighting someone who's coming off a loss? With numerous opponents like Aurthur Abraham and Joe Calzaghe who are champions either in their own right or literally why wasn't a fight made with a more prevalent fighter? While Hopkins is indeed a legend it's a true shame that he was chosen as Pavlik's next opponent when there is much younger and more exciting/dangerous opponents out there.
* Mismatches Galore - This ties in with the best fights never happening. Mismatches pitting the very young against the very old, or the talented against the less than talented runs rampant in today's boxing. I blame the fighters and well as their promoters for mismatches and it's clear that so long as fighters are allowed to make money their first and only goal mismatches will certainly keep happening. Even hardcore fight fans have a hard time justifying and watching these types of fights.
Example - De La Hoya Vs. Pacquiao: Even though Oscar is riding the coattails of his own career Oscars face and name will allow this fight to make a ton of money. Though there are some fans who have justified this fight to themselves and for the sport it's a bad fight. A fight like this is better left in the realm of fantasy fights. In this fight both men are after one thing...money, when they should be, as boxers, after the best possible challenge instead. Pacman may well pull off an upset however that's unlikely as it's clear Oscar picked a fighter whom he believes he can beat without to much trouble. Oscar wants one last big payday and wants to go out with a win, regardless of how people perceive him or his legacy. This type of fight is bad for boxing and demonstrates just how much control money has over the sport.
* The Fighters - The majority of today's boxers, with the exception of a very few talented and hungry competitors enjoy playing it safe in the ring and are content just going for the decision. While a knockouts aren't necessary in a great fights, many of today's fights are mired by fighters who are overly cautious, don't take risks, don't go for the finish, and simply want to win on the scorecards. As many of us know some of the greatest fights in history are fights that have gone the distance but those fights had knockdown's, bloodied fighters, and passionate performance where both men let their hands go and came out swinging in each round. These types of fights and performances are rare in today's boxing world. Overly cautious fighters and fighters who either lack power or choose not to use it are bad for the sport. The danger and threat of a possible knockout is what attracts many people to boxing. Knowing that a fight is likely going to go the distance because there's no possibility of a KO is hard even for hardcore fans to swallow sometimes. It's a major turnoff however to casual fans or those curious about the sport.
* Lack of Commitment - Many fighters, especially those of the heavyweight persuasion show up to fights out of shape and turn in performances that reflect their lack of conditioning. A casual viewer or someone who's curious about the sport is turned off by watching one or two bloated men plod around the ring huffing and puffing. Those who tune into boxing expect to see athletes who take their commitment to the sport seriously. Showing up for a fight with a spare tire above your trunks shows you aren't committed and makes it hard for those who might be interested in the sport to take it seriously.
Solution - Boxing needs fitness requirements that all fighters should have to meet. There are weight requirements, why not BMI requirements, among others? By implementing such requirements those that don't take the fight game as serious as they should, or those that hang around way past their prime would either be discouraged and go away, saving us the hassle of having to watch their boring fights, or would motivate them to get in shape and show up ready to fight. Every other profession, whether a sport or not, has requirements one must meet before they can do their job. Why does boxing allow non athletes, and uncommitted out of shape men to show up for work?
* Old Fighters - If George Foreman proved anything it's that anything can and will happen in the sport of boxing, even when you're past your prime. With Foreman being the exception rather than the rule however, most over the hill fighters are allowed to fight on well into their 40's and as a result take unnecessary beatings and usually turn in sub par performances. As a long time boxing fan, I hate seeing great fighters retire as much as any other fan but it seems yesterday's greats don't know how to make a graceful exit in today's sport. If boxing wants to grow their fan base the sport needs age restrictions in addition to conditioning requirements. Watching the old guys fight is usually boring and more often than not the old timers take up fights with today's young hot champions, which keeps more competitive fights from happening, which in turn hurts the sport. It doesn't matter how great you once where, people want to see the best fights happen. Allowing 40+ fighters to continue fighting makes the sport look less like a sport and more like professional wrestling.
Solution - Every governing body within the sport of boxing needs a rule that prohibits fighters over 40 from stepping into the ring. This would keep the sport fresh, competitive, energetic, and make it more attractive to fans and those who might want to become fans. If those over 40 must fight create a senior division. I'm sure there would be a huge market for that.
* Making Great Fights - With all of the money to be had in boxing it's clear that neither fighters nor their promoters are going to after fights that pose a threat to their standing within the sport. As their focus is more about holding onto titles through handpicks and setups, governing bodies in boxing need to adapt policies that force fighters to fight the only the best. A policy such as this would certainly create some interesting and exciting match ups which would make the sport look a lot more attractive to casuals and non fans, than it currently does.
Example - A tiered system by which a guy ranked 10 in the world must fight the guy who's ranked 9 in the world if he wants a shot at the guy who's 8 in the world. This forces the best to fight someone who's better and forces the higher ranked fighter to defend their position and/or earn a shot at the guy above him.
* Inactive Fighters - I remember a time when fighters, even those at the top of the sport fought with a much higher frequency than the majority of the fighters do today. Mike Tyson comes to mind when I think of inactive vs. active and hungry fighters as a fighter in sharp contrast to today's fighter work rate and ethic. Tyson fought as often as he could and took on all opponents on his way up. These days fans are lucky if their favorite fighters puts the gloves on three times a year. This inactivity makes it hard for people to get and stay behind fighters and makes the sport even more difficult for casual fans to follow. Boxing's governing bodies need to implement a mandatory number of fights per year that all boxers must meet or exceed so that fans have something to look forward to and so that they don't have to wait months on end to see their fighters again.
* Sideshows - Back in the 90's most of us loved Butterbean fights. I don't recall anyone in my circle of friends who wasn't excited when he was appearing on an under card. If Butterbean where boxing today he'd likely appear in the Heavyweight division rather than in 4 round tough man contests. I look at a fighter like Nikolai Valuev and wonder how he ever got licensed to fight at Heavyweight. With minimal boxing skills, and bad conditioning he's relies on his shear size and weight to win. This type of fighter is bad for boxing. Boxing organizations and governing bodies need to create or recreate a Super Heavyweight or Toughman style division where a Butterbean or Valuev type fighter can compete with their own kind. Market this division as a fun under card type of thing and let these sloppy overgrown and fat guys have at it. Valuev is not an athlete, nor is he a boxer. He's simply a giant with gloves on. His fights are long, boring and lack any kind of excitement whatsoever. A division like this might make for an entertaining under card on huge pay per view events. Everyone likes the sideshow.
There are numerous problems with Boxing that have helped put the sport on ice.
* The best fights don't happen - In today's boxing world ducking and handpicking are as certain and common as death and taxes. The majority of fighters and promoters only make fights with fighters they believe they can beat and continually make excuses as to why their guy can't fight so and so. It's more about making the money now than it is about putting forth effort and fighting.
Example - Pavlik Vs. Hopkins: Why is an undefeated Middleweight Champion fighting a fighter who's time passed a long time ago? Furthermore why is a champion fighting someone who's coming off a loss? With numerous opponents like Aurthur Abraham and Joe Calzaghe who are champions either in their own right or literally why wasn't a fight made with a more prevalent fighter? While Hopkins is indeed a legend it's a true shame that he was chosen as Pavlik's next opponent when there is much younger and more exciting/dangerous opponents out there.
* Mismatches Galore - This ties in with the best fights never happening. Mismatches pitting the very young against the very old, or the talented against the less than talented runs rampant in today's boxing. I blame the fighters and well as their promoters for mismatches and it's clear that so long as fighters are allowed to make money their first and only goal mismatches will certainly keep happening. Even hardcore fight fans have a hard time justifying and watching these types of fights.
Example - De La Hoya Vs. Pacquiao: Even though Oscar is riding the coattails of his own career Oscars face and name will allow this fight to make a ton of money. Though there are some fans who have justified this fight to themselves and for the sport it's a bad fight. A fight like this is better left in the realm of fantasy fights. In this fight both men are after one thing...money, when they should be, as boxers, after the best possible challenge instead. Pacman may well pull off an upset however that's unlikely as it's clear Oscar picked a fighter whom he believes he can beat without to much trouble. Oscar wants one last big payday and wants to go out with a win, regardless of how people perceive him or his legacy. This type of fight is bad for boxing and demonstrates just how much control money has over the sport.
* The Fighters - The majority of today's boxers, with the exception of a very few talented and hungry competitors enjoy playing it safe in the ring and are content just going for the decision. While a knockouts aren't necessary in a great fights, many of today's fights are mired by fighters who are overly cautious, don't take risks, don't go for the finish, and simply want to win on the scorecards. As many of us know some of the greatest fights in history are fights that have gone the distance but those fights had knockdown's, bloodied fighters, and passionate performance where both men let their hands go and came out swinging in each round. These types of fights and performances are rare in today's boxing world. Overly cautious fighters and fighters who either lack power or choose not to use it are bad for the sport. The danger and threat of a possible knockout is what attracts many people to boxing. Knowing that a fight is likely going to go the distance because there's no possibility of a KO is hard even for hardcore fans to swallow sometimes. It's a major turnoff however to casual fans or those curious about the sport.
* Lack of Commitment - Many fighters, especially those of the heavyweight persuasion show up to fights out of shape and turn in performances that reflect their lack of conditioning. A casual viewer or someone who's curious about the sport is turned off by watching one or two bloated men plod around the ring huffing and puffing. Those who tune into boxing expect to see athletes who take their commitment to the sport seriously. Showing up for a fight with a spare tire above your trunks shows you aren't committed and makes it hard for those who might be interested in the sport to take it seriously.
Solution - Boxing needs fitness requirements that all fighters should have to meet. There are weight requirements, why not BMI requirements, among others? By implementing such requirements those that don't take the fight game as serious as they should, or those that hang around way past their prime would either be discouraged and go away, saving us the hassle of having to watch their boring fights, or would motivate them to get in shape and show up ready to fight. Every other profession, whether a sport or not, has requirements one must meet before they can do their job. Why does boxing allow non athletes, and uncommitted out of shape men to show up for work?
* Old Fighters - If George Foreman proved anything it's that anything can and will happen in the sport of boxing, even when you're past your prime. With Foreman being the exception rather than the rule however, most over the hill fighters are allowed to fight on well into their 40's and as a result take unnecessary beatings and usually turn in sub par performances. As a long time boxing fan, I hate seeing great fighters retire as much as any other fan but it seems yesterday's greats don't know how to make a graceful exit in today's sport. If boxing wants to grow their fan base the sport needs age restrictions in addition to conditioning requirements. Watching the old guys fight is usually boring and more often than not the old timers take up fights with today's young hot champions, which keeps more competitive fights from happening, which in turn hurts the sport. It doesn't matter how great you once where, people want to see the best fights happen. Allowing 40+ fighters to continue fighting makes the sport look less like a sport and more like professional wrestling.
Solution - Every governing body within the sport of boxing needs a rule that prohibits fighters over 40 from stepping into the ring. This would keep the sport fresh, competitive, energetic, and make it more attractive to fans and those who might want to become fans. If those over 40 must fight create a senior division. I'm sure there would be a huge market for that.
* Making Great Fights - With all of the money to be had in boxing it's clear that neither fighters nor their promoters are going to after fights that pose a threat to their standing within the sport. As their focus is more about holding onto titles through handpicks and setups, governing bodies in boxing need to adapt policies that force fighters to fight the only the best. A policy such as this would certainly create some interesting and exciting match ups which would make the sport look a lot more attractive to casuals and non fans, than it currently does.
Example - A tiered system by which a guy ranked 10 in the world must fight the guy who's ranked 9 in the world if he wants a shot at the guy who's 8 in the world. This forces the best to fight someone who's better and forces the higher ranked fighter to defend their position and/or earn a shot at the guy above him.
* Inactive Fighters - I remember a time when fighters, even those at the top of the sport fought with a much higher frequency than the majority of the fighters do today. Mike Tyson comes to mind when I think of inactive vs. active and hungry fighters as a fighter in sharp contrast to today's fighter work rate and ethic. Tyson fought as often as he could and took on all opponents on his way up. These days fans are lucky if their favorite fighters puts the gloves on three times a year. This inactivity makes it hard for people to get and stay behind fighters and makes the sport even more difficult for casual fans to follow. Boxing's governing bodies need to implement a mandatory number of fights per year that all boxers must meet or exceed so that fans have something to look forward to and so that they don't have to wait months on end to see their fighters again.
* Sideshows - Back in the 90's most of us loved Butterbean fights. I don't recall anyone in my circle of friends who wasn't excited when he was appearing on an under card. If Butterbean where boxing today he'd likely appear in the Heavyweight division rather than in 4 round tough man contests. I look at a fighter like Nikolai Valuev and wonder how he ever got licensed to fight at Heavyweight. With minimal boxing skills, and bad conditioning he's relies on his shear size and weight to win. This type of fighter is bad for boxing. Boxing organizations and governing bodies need to create or recreate a Super Heavyweight or Toughman style division where a Butterbean or Valuev type fighter can compete with their own kind. Market this division as a fun under card type of thing and let these sloppy overgrown and fat guys have at it. Valuev is not an athlete, nor is he a boxer. He's simply a giant with gloves on. His fights are long, boring and lack any kind of excitement whatsoever. A division like this might make for an entertaining under card on huge pay per view events. Everyone likes the sideshow.
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