Comments Thread For: State of The Game: So Let Me Get This Straight…

[switchsouthpaw]

pac-Flyod disappointment may not kill boxing, but it definitely has not made it stronger.

Boxing will endure, but it has to endure on the strength of competitive matchups, not rely simply on "event" fights, where you have two marquee names face each other, even if you already know that the talent scale is tipped only in one direction.

Pac/Mayweather could have captured mainstream media attention, front page type of coverage on publications like Sports Illustrated for example. HBO in conjunction with Arum and GoldenBoy have ****** the life out of the sport...eff'em all.

[youngswish23]

Floyd just fought 2 months ago. let him take a break he just made a boat load of cash. When his money starts getting short he will come back. In the meantime HBO needs to get out of Bob Arums ******* and start making big fights. Pac vs Pwill should be next. If him and Martinez was so good give him Pac. **** THAT MARG **** PWILL ALREADY BEAT HIM IN LA HOW THE **** CAN YOU EXPLAIN HIM GETTING A SHOT OVER PWILL HOW? ITS UN ****ING FAIR. IM NOT TRYING TO BE MEAN IM JUST CALLING A SPADE A SPADE. THE WINNER VS FLOYD FOR THE P4P TITLE. HOW ABOUT NO MORE EXCUSES FROM THE FANS TO THE PROMOTERS JUST LET THE TOP FIGHTERS FIGHT EACH OTHER. I NEVER SEEN NOTHING LIKE THIS GROWN MEN SCARED LIKE LITTLE KIDS. ITS SAD.

[ghidra]

Great article. Also, I'm really starting to get sick of the whole "I need to make unreasonable amounts of money or I won't fight this challenging dude." Sure, it's a business, but when we fans are struggling in such a crappy economy, it's kind of like getting a stick in the eye.

As far as the Wlad's fight not being shown, I was wondering if that and Lennox not being on BAD anymore as signs that HBO was trying to save as much money as possible to try and make the Floyd/Pac fight. Obviously that's not the case if they payed more for the Ortiz/Campbell matchup. Maybe instead of Wlad they'll pick up the Calderon/Segura fight. Ok, I know that won't happen either.

Maybe once promoters and fighters see the poor PPV numbers the Pac/Margo fight does and read about 20 more of these types of articles they'll get a clue and some balls.

[IMDAZED]

Excellent, Jake. Excellent.

[ghidra]

If someone told me that by late July the best fight of the year would be between John Duddy and Chavez jr. I would have jumped off a bridge!

So true. That is funny and sad at the same time.

[tredh]

I think this article is spot on what is wrong with boxing. All these top athletes, who are so afraid of losing a match makes top fights rare today.
This sport is unique in ways that makes every move you make so intense, every boxing fan knows what a loss means, you simply must not lose in boxing. It's not like in any other sport, it's win or the garbage can for many fighters. A good example is Kesslers loss to Ward, the favourite wins to the more or less unknown fighter, all of a sudden Kessler is in the bottom of the hierachy and Ward is the new king of SMW-tourny.

Basicly I think it's because of the lossfactor that so many elite boxers chooses the easier competetion to stay in the money making business for longer, and to keep on being a top name in the division. Top boxers today should be a lot more like in the old days, and challenge themselves. That is what boxing needs right now, that is what the fans need and basicly I think that is how you reach the top in boxing. Fight the best, become the best. Don't let anything else fool you.

Luckily there's boxers out there who always takes on whatever put in front of them:

Marquez
Kessler
Abraham
Margarito
Froch
Cotto
Wladimir
Vitali
Ward
Mosley

Just to name a few. All these fighters have been great champions, true warriors.

Yes they choose weaker competition but fans know they are choosing the weaker competition so if that is the path the elite are taking and they lose to someone who is not elite to the trash heap they should go. Now knowledgeable fans also know that when the elite match up someone has to lose so and elite losing to anothe elite fighter is not looked up the same as a elite fighter losing to lesser competition.

True fans of boxing love boxing so much they are willing to pay for an inferior product just because they love it so much. In turn promoters and cable compainies and fighter realize this and are milking it for all its worth. I as a businessman can't blame them but as a boxing fan I hate it. Which is why I don't buy every PPV card

[The Big Dunn]

I think this article is spot on what is wrong with boxing. All these top athletes, who are so afraid of losing a match makes top fights rare today.
This sport is unique in ways that makes every move you make so intense, every boxing fan knows what a loss means, you simply must not lose in boxing. It's not like in any other sport, it's win or the garbage can for many fighters. A good example is Kesslers loss to Ward, the favourite wins to the more or less unknown fighter, all of a sudden Kessler is in the bottom of the hierachy and Ward is the new king of SMW-tourny.

Basicly I think it's because of the lossfactor that so many elite boxers chooses the easier competetion to stay in the money making business for longer, and to keep on being a top name in the division. Top boxers today should be a lot more like in the old days, and challenge themselves. That is what boxing needs right now, that is what the fans need and basicly I think that is how you reach the top in boxing. Fight the best, become the best. Don't let anything else fool you.

Luckily there's boxers out there who always takes on whatever put in front of them:

Marquez
Kessler
Abraham
Margarito
Froch
Cotto
Wladimir
Vitali
Ward
Mosley

Just to name a few. All these fighters have been great champions, true warriors.

In theory you are correct. But the guys you listed fight whoever makes them the most money, just like the old days. Its not a case of they are tougher or have a warrior mentality. I think people tend to forget this.

When you don't generate enough on your own, you only have one option, fight the most lucrative fights, which tend to be the toughest. On the other hand, a great champion like sugar ray leonard (not a big fan) can let a hearns fight simmer for 2 years or a hagler fight simmer for 4 yrs (so it pays him more) or not fight aaron pryor at all and still make big money fights.

Maybe other see it differently and they are entitled to. I don't know if boxing is so much different as it used to be.

[tredh]

In theory you are correct. But the guys you listed fight whoever makes them the most money, just like the old days. Its not a case of they are tougher or have a warrior mentality. I think people tend to forget this.

When you don't generate enough on your own, you only have one option, fight the most lucrative fights, which tend to be the toughest. On the other hand, a great champion like sugar ray leonard (not a big fan) can let a hearns fight simmer for 2 years or a hagler fight simmer for 4 yrs (so it pays him more) or not fight aaron pryor at all and still make big money fights.

Maybe other see it differently and they are entitled to. I don't know if boxing is so much different as it used to be.

Very good point but the difference is from back then to today the fights were made eventually when the fighters were still closer to top form in not still in top form. Today fights are either not made altoghter or a one of the fights has lost more than just a step.

[jtiger78]

No, it gave birth to a new species, the *****tards - a unique ***** and ******* breed.

yeah good article the ******* ***** thing is quite annoying i havent read all the comments to this thread yet but im sure an argument has already been established

[jtiger78]

I'm a HUGE boxing fan, 2 years ago a friend of mine told me that the UFC will take over boxing. I laughed so hard becuase I thought he was ******, but now you can never get the fight you are suppose to get MAY/PAC should be over we should be gearing up for MAY/PAC II. Other fights such as Haye vs any Klitchko brother or Bradley/Maidana/Alexander or Khan are well overdue Pavlik/Williams should have happened now you have Martinez as the linear champ after he lost to Williams and beat Pavlik after Pavlik ran from Williams. Now PWill is chasing a wing and a prayer in hopes he will get PAC, when he should fight Martinez in a rematch because there first fight was to damm close. In the UFC everybody wants to see Silva vs St. Pierre I guarantee you if they both win there next fight we get that fight. By the time MAY/PAC happens one of them would have suffered a loss or gotten old I say we all stop buying paperviews until we get what we want I know I'm not paying for another one until it's worth it.!!!!!!

i dont think dana white will put st pierre and silva in the ring but it sounds good, i think boxing promoters and handlers r scared of putting its best stars in the ring angainst the best for money reasons they want to milk these fighters for all they can before they face thier biggest threat not to mention boxers and thier egos are going to damn far...i sure do miss the 80's n 90's man its getting depressing!!!! and i agree im not buying PPV until its worth it!!!!!!