Today's Boxing Problem

[JUYJUY]

Nigel Benn quote -

"Fighters these days aren't busy enough, they do not keep the public interested.

I think that rather than fighting every six to eight months a world champion should defend his crown every three to four months.

This would liven things up and keep boxing in the public eye.

When I had some great scraps with Chris Eubank and Michael Watson the bouts were on terrestrial television and they seemed to capture the public imagination.

Now it seems boxers try to pick their next opponents with one eye on the rankings and an eventual big pay-day.

Making the fights happen that the public wants to see seems so difficult - it's sad but that's how it is." - Nigel Benn
link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/1524960.stm

Nice little quote that

Benn wanted to fight ROY JONES JR RIGHT AFTER GERALD MCCLELLAN.

[ICEMAN JOHN SCULLY]

See... you asked if it was draining etc. to be in fights THAT big... and you said I didn't know what that would be like......... And I am saying that my fight with Maske was a HUGE event there and because of that I experienced eveything that Hopkins and Taylor did the other night (in front of a much bigger audience at that. Do you think I was less mentally and physically drained because more americans didnt know Maske? If Maske fought Roccigianni and they wanted him to fight Roy Jones right afterwards and he said that he couldnt fight RJ so quickly because he just came off the fight with Roccigianni you would probably be inclined to say "it was nonsense because who is Roccigianni,anyway? Hes no Roy Jones or Hopkins or Lacy." BUT what you would have to understand is that Maske-Rocigianni in Germany (and europe) was big enough BY COMPARISON to make Hopkins-Taylor look like a 4 round undercard match in New Jersey.

[THE REAL NINJA]

i agree this is definitely a problem i hate that i have to wait a year or 2 just to see a good fight with the best boxers in it ..but i also think greed and to many titles are the biggest problem ...most of all the greed

[vB Martin]

John, I defeinitely agree. The reason that there are so many "legends" of yesteryear and so few in the last 15 years is that fighters used to fight as much for pride as they did for money, taking on the best in their divisions consistently and fighting 3 and 4 (or more) times per year. Yes, they had shorter careers, but a candle that burns brightly burns faster.

Nowadays everything seems to be geared towards lengthening careers by fighting nobodies twice a year and occasionally stepping in against someone who might be a challenge, but only if the purse is 8 figures. This is why people like Winky Wright and Vernon Forrest fought for years in obscurity. They presented a real threat, so no one at the top wanted to step in against them until they had to, and even though they had great skills, they weren't a money draw because they were forced into obscurity.

On a side note, it has been kinda cool hearing your name on TV the past few weeks.
Every time I think, "Hey, I sorta peripherally know him!"

[Grimgash]

I think you all look too deeply in this. If he fights a mandatory "which in todays terms 90% are tomato cans" then fights wright followed by the next big star, will you really complain? He's in the same boat as Bernard was not much to go with, he said he'll fight Wright in the summer, and a fight inbetween that means hes fighting every 3-4 months is it not? Look at PBF's recent resume and jump all over him, I just dont think it's fair to jump all over a guy until you see what he does for 1-2 years. If he ends up not fighting wright, not fighting lacy, or anyone else important for that matter, then by all means tear him apart. For now just sit back and see what transpires.

[ICEMAN JOHN SCULLY]

I think its fait to jump all over a promoter who outright says as a fact that he plans to have his boxer, a WORLD CHAMPION MIND YOU- take a tune up fight. Tune up fights arent million dollar fights on HBO. If he wants him to have a tune up fight then dont tie up an HBO date with it and take away from a Castillo or Corrales who would gladly fight ion that network against KING KONG for much less money

[The Golden Boy]

Well that has been a problem for a while now.Atleast there is a couple of old-school fighters left.The kind that doesnt duck anyone and run their mouth all over the place.

"Left Hook" mutha phukkers!!!

[Bombardier]

I wouldn't mind them taking the odd tomato can if the top fighters fought more frequently. Sugar Ray Robinson would take on nobodies pretty much as pratice, sometimes several in a row, once a week, to stay in game shape for the big fights.

When a guy takes five months off and then fights some nobody mandatory, and then waits another five months and takes on another one, and then only five months after that does he match up again with a live opponent, it becomes very frustrating for the fans who he picked up when he scored his first big win.

As for only matching up with top-flight fighters, though, I don't necessarily think that that's necessary. Hell, the best NFL teams get the odd week off when they face weak divisional opponents, or whatever. But they also have to play a game every week.

[monkeyboy]

What is the bonus to taking an easier fight? We're not talking Gatti-Ward here. Gatti gets mauled and virtually dies in the ring. Hey Arturo, please, take an easy one.
But c'mon, the most draining thing about this second Hopkins fight was the fact that it went 12 rounds. Yes the mental pressure is high and the preparation is intense. But that's why training takes months.
Take a month off, hey take 3, give yourself time, then fight someone worthwhile.
Feel free not to, but don't expect to be respected or paid much for this fight.
Yes, I believe he beat Hopkins and when he fights a CHALLENGER I'll watch his fights. Otherwize, it's sparring. Unless he's fighting Sturm, Winky or others that are actually contenders, there's no prestige, no challenge and no point.
A title is an obligation and a privilage. Taking it from someone is not enough.

[scap]

I would agree that if a fighter fights Tomato can followed by tomato can that hurts the sport but using Jermain as the example is WRONG.

If Jermain Taylor fights Hopkins twice, 1 tomato can then Winky Wright all in the span of about a year he is the model for boxing success and he has nothing to do with what has been described in the thread topic.