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America's gonna America. This is not a post about wanting or expecting them to change. For whatever reason, Americans en masse prefer style over substance. Hence Jake Paul being one of the highest paid boxers, a former wrestler being one of their favourite actors and the Kardashians being a thing.
"Ordinary ass" (in reference to Bivol), "random Euros holding titles" (Janibek) and "Eurobums" are some of the comments seen from Americans. And yet, an American can put an undefeated run together against a string of cans, have tattoos and gold teeth, and suddenly they're on the verge of P4P lists.
It's notable that the Saudi project has had few Americans involved with it. This is opening opportunities for non-US boxers to make good money and showcase their skills: Opetaia is a recent example. I'm dubious how long this will last though.
I think there needs to be more cross promotion. The Germans had a strong scene and put on some great events during the Klitschko era. The Japanese have had a strong scene for several decades with a commission that prioritises quality over quantity, hence for a long time only recognising WBC/WBA titles. Bringing more Japanese boxers to the UK would be great.
In terms of media we need more magazines (online or otherwise) which prioritise raising the profile of non-US boxers. Language barriers make things difficult but are far from insurmountable. If you know of anyone already doing such work, feel free to comment below.
"Ordinary ass" (in reference to Bivol), "random Euros holding titles" (Janibek) and "Eurobums" are some of the comments seen from Americans. And yet, an American can put an undefeated run together against a string of cans, have tattoos and gold teeth, and suddenly they're on the verge of P4P lists.
It's notable that the Saudi project has had few Americans involved with it. This is opening opportunities for non-US boxers to make good money and showcase their skills: Opetaia is a recent example. I'm dubious how long this will last though.
I think there needs to be more cross promotion. The Germans had a strong scene and put on some great events during the Klitschko era. The Japanese have had a strong scene for several decades with a commission that prioritises quality over quantity, hence for a long time only recognising WBC/WBA titles. Bringing more Japanese boxers to the UK would be great.
In terms of media we need more magazines (online or otherwise) which prioritise raising the profile of non-US boxers. Language barriers make things difficult but are far from insurmountable. If you know of anyone already doing such work, feel free to comment below.
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