Bottom line: "Business fights" tarnishes legacies

[KLockard23]

Nothing wrong with making business decisions on occasion, but a lot of fighters and promoters today don't have the right balance between Sport and Business.

[Redd Foxx]

Any time someone tries to make a blanket statement like that, they fail.
"Business" fights often make a fighter look impressive and raise his stock. Business fights in succession without any meat on the bread is what ruins a legacy.

[Guest]

It would be awesome if boxing was like other sports where competition is a requirement. Can you imagine if the Bears refuse to play the Patriots because the Patriots are better or refuse to play Atlanta because they don't have enough fans. LOL

But I know it's a fringe sport where people are always calculating the best ways to get max profit from max risk.

It sucks as a fan but can't say I blame them in the long run.

[Spoon23]

It would be awesome if boxing was like other sports where competition is a requirement. Can you imagine if the Bears refuse to play the Patriots because the Patriots are better or refuse to play Atlanta because they don't have enough fans. LOL

But I know it's a fringe sport where people are always calculating the best ways to get max profit from max risk.

It sucks as a fan but can't say I blame them in the long run.

Can you imagine there is no NBA finals or NFL superbowl for this year since the promoters and team members want to marinate it more for another year or 2?

Imagine that..

Sports is all about competition in winning above all others in the spirit of sportsmanship. Ducking, cherry picking is not what sports is all about.

[Combat Talk Radio]

Here we go.

Joe Calzaghe: Waited until Jones, Hopkins and Eubank were shop worn before fighting them. Especially Jones. Business.

Joe Calzaghe is considered one of the greats of the sport regardless of this.

Don King was notorious for marinating fights. Don't hear anyone talking about that. But he did it all the time, especially with guys like Oli McCall and Hasim Rahman.


My point: one's legacy should not be determined by why or when you fight, but by what you did when you got in there. Period. If we can agree on that, it means Victor Ortiz will forever be a bum, for example.

[elgu]

I didn't finish your book but everyone takes business fights and makes business decisions. Fighters deserve to maximize profits at a point in their career and as long ad when they hang em up and they fought everyone they should have there shall be no tarnishing of legacies.

As to the 1st point
It wasn't that long.

As to the second point.
Boxers deserve sh^t if they can't even do their job.

As to the third point.
The ATG's fight the best at their best. If as a boxer you didn't do that you deserve nothing in terms of legacy.

[elgu]

Here we go.

Joe Calzaghe: Waited until Jones, Hopkins and Eubank were shop worn before fighting them. Especially Jones. Business.

Joe Calzaghe is considered one of the greats of the sport regardless of this.

Don King was notorious for marinating fights. Don't hear anyone talking about that. But he did it all the time, especially with guys like Oli McCall and Hasim Rahman.


My point: one's legacy should not be determined by why or when you fight, but by what you did when you got in there. Period. If we can agree on that, it means Victor Ortiz will forever be a bum, for example.

Calzaghe is not considered one of the greats of the sport precisely because of that.

The best face the best at their best, just like any other athlete. If you like mismatches that's up to you.

Victor Ortiz is a bum.

[Combat Talk Radio]

In my opinion, Calzaghe is not considered one of the greats of the sport precisely because of that.

In my opinion, the best face the best at their best, just like any other athlete. If you like mismatches that's up to you.

Victor Ortiz is a bum.

I fixed those for you.

[elgu]

I fixed those for you.

So the best shouldn't fight the best at their best?

GTFO

No competitiveness gets the sport nowhere. Except if you're a business man. In that case you should just say it, so i don't have to spend my time discussing with people who pretend to be boxing fans.

[Combat Talk Radio]

So the best shouldn't fight the best at their best?

GTFO

No competitiveness gets the sport nowhere. Except if you're a business man. In that case you should just say it, so i don't have to spend my time discussing with people who pretend to be boxing fans.

Let me repeat this again.

One's legacy should have nothing to do with WHEN they fight, but what they do when they get in there.

Would I like to see prime for prime? Sure. But it's not a priority anymore. Here's why.

I'm reminded of Shane Mosley vs. Winky Wright - an example of your "prime vs prime" argument. I'm on record as saying I love one-sided clear dominant victories, but the first fight was a joke. Mosley had no chance against Wright's style and no business in that ring - many people knew it before he took the fight. Same as Crawford/Postol. Only casuals thought Postol had a chance.

Compare that to Mayweather/Mosley, where it was nowhere near a prime vs. prime since Mosley was shopworn (but still a threat). A much better fight to watch overall. Yet Mayweather got all sorts of excuses.

Mayweather/N'Dou was prime for prime yet nobody remembers that fight; everyone remembers Mayweather/Pacquiao despite the fact N'Dou brought it better than Manny.

Mayweather fought Canelo AT his prime yet still got excuses thrown at him.
Mayweather beat Guerrero IN his prime yet still got excuses thrown at him.
Mayweather beat a prime Ortiz yet still got excuses thrown at him.
Mayweather beat a prime Hatton yet still got excuses thrown at him.

So, he stopped. And I don't blame him.

Prime for prime is overrated when fans constantly overrate the quality of opponent, thus resulting in an excuse when their "unstoppable" fighter gets schooled by someone superior.

Meanwhile, some of the best and most notable fights in the past decade have not involved prime-for-prime. That's just the reality of the situation.