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I've been wondering this for a while.
Obviously coming out of the 92 Olympics, it's quite easy to understand why he was so marketable. He was a great boxer with a deadly punch, he had looks, charisma, a dual heritage, he'd won gold for his dead mother et cetera.
It's pretty easy to see why Oscar was such a PPV kingpin in the nineties. He had Arum behind him (I'd say the best promoter when it comes to making his guy look invincible), he went unbeaten(until 99), he beat a lot of good fighters, he fought in an exciting style. He was involved in some big, well-marketed fights like with Whitaker, Quartey, he was in commercials, linked to big products, great sponsorship deals...
Into the 2000s he'd bounced back from the tenuous defeat to Trinidad, but in his next really big fight he got beat by a welterweight newbie, Shane Mosley. Great fight, great promo, so ok Oscar continues putting bums on seats and pulling in huge PPV numbers....but, my question is, why has this continued into 2008? He used to be involved in exciting fights, not really any more. His fight against Forbes? Nah. The 2nd with Mosley? Nah. Hopkins? Borefest. Campas? Nah. His last exciting fight was against Vargas. Pacquiao decimated him. I don't understand why Oscar's such a huge draw. There are much more exciting fighters, with great stories, backgrounds, prospects, you watch a guy like Cotto or Margarito and you're guaranteed a great fight, a battle, you watch Oscar and it's like, he is skirting around the ring popping jabs and he's what, 35 now, he's still commanding mega money and people are still shelling out for PPV...I'm kinda baffled by it. Even the Mayweather jr fight was boring. Oscar gassed out. The Mayorga fight I guess was a pretty good fight, but we all knew Ricardo had no chance, the guy's star burned bright for about a year before he fell off completely....I think it's almost like, Oscar uses his oratorial skills and marketing, his partnership with HBO, he now owns The Ring magazine too, all these factors just almost...con the people to buy into him, he is a fantastic talker, you listen to him and believe him, he said he would beat Mayweather, he was in fantastic shape, every training camp he goes through he claims is the best, then after he loses he blaims trainers - blamed Roach, blamed Alcazar, I'm surprised he hasn't heaped blaim on Beristain for this recent defeat....
Oscar was a great fighter, a great champion, I just don't understand why people shell out PPV for a spent star who has been, in terms of entertainment value in fights, a pretty average performer in the past half-decade
Obviously coming out of the 92 Olympics, it's quite easy to understand why he was so marketable. He was a great boxer with a deadly punch, he had looks, charisma, a dual heritage, he'd won gold for his dead mother et cetera.
It's pretty easy to see why Oscar was such a PPV kingpin in the nineties. He had Arum behind him (I'd say the best promoter when it comes to making his guy look invincible), he went unbeaten(until 99), he beat a lot of good fighters, he fought in an exciting style. He was involved in some big, well-marketed fights like with Whitaker, Quartey, he was in commercials, linked to big products, great sponsorship deals...
Into the 2000s he'd bounced back from the tenuous defeat to Trinidad, but in his next really big fight he got beat by a welterweight newbie, Shane Mosley. Great fight, great promo, so ok Oscar continues putting bums on seats and pulling in huge PPV numbers....but, my question is, why has this continued into 2008? He used to be involved in exciting fights, not really any more. His fight against Forbes? Nah. The 2nd with Mosley? Nah. Hopkins? Borefest. Campas? Nah. His last exciting fight was against Vargas. Pacquiao decimated him. I don't understand why Oscar's such a huge draw. There are much more exciting fighters, with great stories, backgrounds, prospects, you watch a guy like Cotto or Margarito and you're guaranteed a great fight, a battle, you watch Oscar and it's like, he is skirting around the ring popping jabs and he's what, 35 now, he's still commanding mega money and people are still shelling out for PPV...I'm kinda baffled by it. Even the Mayweather jr fight was boring. Oscar gassed out. The Mayorga fight I guess was a pretty good fight, but we all knew Ricardo had no chance, the guy's star burned bright for about a year before he fell off completely....I think it's almost like, Oscar uses his oratorial skills and marketing, his partnership with HBO, he now owns The Ring magazine too, all these factors just almost...con the people to buy into him, he is a fantastic talker, you listen to him and believe him, he said he would beat Mayweather, he was in fantastic shape, every training camp he goes through he claims is the best, then after he loses he blaims trainers - blamed Roach, blamed Alcazar, I'm surprised he hasn't heaped blaim on Beristain for this recent defeat....
Oscar was a great fighter, a great champion, I just don't understand why people shell out PPV for a spent star who has been, in terms of entertainment value in fights, a pretty average performer in the past half-decade
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