After watching boxing for several decades, why fight any tough opponents?

[Boxing fan1981]

I’ve noticed fighters can become hype machines and make millions if they get matched up with cans and taxi drivers for a majority of their career. Build your name by viciously knocking out opponents.

Berlanga, Benavidez and Tank Davis are going this route. GGG and Lemiux did this as well. You can look amazing, get fans invested in your career and you’ve got yourself a boxing career. Sure you’ll lose when you eventually have to fight a legit boxer, but over the course of many years you’ve made more money than you could have working a day job and could probably retire in your 30’s.

Why take on tough opponents in your 20’s or even early 30’s?

There is no glory in fighting tough, because you’ll just start collecting haters that pick at your resume, point out fights where you looked like dog **** against a tough opponent, and you won’t win at convincing them, as they take to social media and blast you as a fighter.

Haters will ask you to fight this guy after you beat the other guy who was supposed to beat you. And after you beat them all, they’ll start asking you to beat the bigger guys so that eventually down the line, somewhere there will be a guy that can finally take you out and beat you. After this loss you’ll finally go away or so they hope.

[Nash out]

I’ve noticed fighters can become hype machines and make millions if they get matched up with cans and taxi drivers for a majority of their career. Build your name by viciously knocking out opponents.

Berlanga, Benavidez and Tank Davis are going this route. GGG and Lemiux did this as well. You can look amazing, get fans invested in your career and you’ve got yourself a boxing career. Sure you’ll lose when you eventually have to fight a legit boxer, but over the course of many years you’ve made more money than you could have working a day job and could probably retire in your 30’s.

Why take on tough opponents in your 20’s or even early 30’s?

There is no glory in fighting tough, because you’ll just start collecting haters that pick at your resume, point out fights where you looked like dog **** against a tough opponent, and you won’t win at convincing them, as they take to social media and blast you as a fighter.

Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. was the King of this, and look how highly he is regarded? He beat up 40 debutants, 40 journeyman, and 10 literal punching bags, to get to 90-0 or whatever it was. If his son retired when he was unbeaten, when around 49-0, he would be seen as a legend now as well, and look at the reality of him. Jr is barely better than chump Sr was. Nash out.

[SplitSecond]

Golovkin was fighting the best available opposition at middleweight. He wasn’t ducking the top 10 like Gervonta Davis.

[Boxing fan1981]

Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. was the King of this, and look how highly he is regarded? He beat up 40 debutants, 40 journeyman, and 10 literal punching bags, to get to 90-0 or whatever it was. If his son retired when he was unbeaten, when around 49-0, he would be seen as a legend now as well, and look at the reality of him. Jr is barely better than chump Sr was. Nash out.

The list is endless

[Smash]

if u hold the belts u have fought some good guys in your division

[PBR Streetgang]

Eh, it's complicated and it's different strokes for different folks. It's prizefighting and it makes sense to maximize the profit and minimize the punishment of you can. At some point the undefeated and gaudy records translated into revenue. It doesn't work for everyone....Raymi Ali was 25-0 with 25 KOs before his unfortunate demise. I doubt half the posters on NSB remember him.

[Nash out]

Eh, it's complicated and it's different strokes for different folks. It's prizefighting and it makes sense to maximize the profit and minimize the punishment of you can. At some point the undefeated and gaudy records translated into revenue. It doesn't work for everyone....Raymi Ali was 25-0 with 25 KOs before his unfortunate demise. I doubt half the posters on NSB remember him.

Yeah, I remember Raymi Ali, like a smaller smaller, crapper version of Alen Babic. I remember some thinking he had faked his death. Nash out.

[PBR Streetgang]

Yeah, I remember Raymi Ali, like a smaller smaller, crapper version of Alen Babic. I remember some thinking he had faked his death. Nash out.

That's a pretty accurate description of Raymi's fighting style. Ali was a character, he'd fight the same Filipino or ****ladeshi construction worker 2-3 times in some dimly lit gym racking up those KO wins.

Off topic but I was talking to someone who was friends with Edwin Valero's wife. I always thought he commit suicide after killing his wife but the wife's friend was convinced it was the Venezuelan authorities. Who knows...anyway, I digress.

[Boxing fan1981]

if u hold the belts u have fought some good guys in your division

True, although it’s not out of the realm of possibility that a promoter can move some chess pieces around for you to get you a strap through an easy route. Say a vacant title vs an easy opponent.

[PBR Streetgang]

Another fighter who racked up wins against soft or washed up competition was the Danish pastry "Super" Brian Nielsen. He almost eclipsed Marciano's streak but was upended by ****y "Raging Bull" Ryan. The Danish fighter suffered cramps and dehydration late in a fight he was dominating and ended up getting TKO'd. Wonder how we would have celebrated Nielsen had he won and promptly retired with a 50-0 record.