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Now as i type this, of course I realize Ennis is a legit threat and a deserving contender.
But...
..and we all know nothing before the "but" matters...
When the IBF sanctioned the unification, did they NOT know along with the rest of the entire boxing world that can read that the loser of the long wanted Crawford-Spence fight would get a rematch? Of course they did. So stripping the winner had to be something they always planned. This is why this sport is a niche afterthought compared to so many other sports. It is driven by petty decisions and bad politics. The IBF is nowhere near the worst offender, but it is at it's heart an "us first, the sport and boxers second and third" organization like every other sanctioning organization and promotion.
Sanction the rematch, require the Ennis fight immediately afterwards, strip if the winner avoids Ennis then. I think most of us surviving boxing fans would deem the "reasonable" while that same group of shrinking fan base looks at this and deems it "pretty freaking petty".
But...
..and we all know nothing before the "but" matters...
When the IBF sanctioned the unification, did they NOT know along with the rest of the entire boxing world that can read that the loser of the long wanted Crawford-Spence fight would get a rematch? Of course they did. So stripping the winner had to be something they always planned. This is why this sport is a niche afterthought compared to so many other sports. It is driven by petty decisions and bad politics. The IBF is nowhere near the worst offender, but it is at it's heart an "us first, the sport and boxers second and third" organization like every other sanctioning organization and promotion.
Sanction the rematch, require the Ennis fight immediately afterwards, strip if the winner avoids Ennis then. I think most of us surviving boxing fans would deem the "reasonable" while that same group of shrinking fan base looks at this and deems it "pretty freaking petty".
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