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I don't post a lot, and I'm a quiet guy in general, but I noticed I didn't see any mentions of ESPN choosing not to renew Dan Rafel's contract.
I'm a Canadian, and a lot of Canadian boxing fans like myself get the majority of our boxing news from Youtube, BECAUSE of "reporters" like Dan Rafael. For over 15 years he had a position of incredible authority, being the only boxing reporter for ESPN, which is amazing considering his blatant pattern of racism and disdain towards African American fighters.
He constantly criticized skilled,
purely technical boxers while admitting on many occasions that he prefers "come forward" style fighters. He blocked Rigondeaux and Lara on social media, because he considers them "boring." Which is truly baffling, considering these are the kinds of things you'd expect to hear from casuals whose only knowledge of the sweet science comes from Rocky movies.
But the thing that always revealed to me the most about this guy when he was with ESPN, was the way he was so willing to report on and celebrate Eastern European fighters, while doing everything possible to ignore great AMERICAN fighters like Ward and Mayweather (His fellow countrymen.) How do you justify travelling all over the world to watch GGG and Kovalev, but can't travel to the U.K. to support your fellow countryman Spence when he fought Kell Brook? I can list so many other examples.
But I just have one question to ask the real, hardcore American boxing fans: Does anybody take this guy seriously as a journalist?
I'm a Canadian, and a lot of Canadian boxing fans like myself get the majority of our boxing news from Youtube, BECAUSE of "reporters" like Dan Rafael. For over 15 years he had a position of incredible authority, being the only boxing reporter for ESPN, which is amazing considering his blatant pattern of racism and disdain towards African American fighters.
He constantly criticized skilled,
purely technical boxers while admitting on many occasions that he prefers "come forward" style fighters. He blocked Rigondeaux and Lara on social media, because he considers them "boring." Which is truly baffling, considering these are the kinds of things you'd expect to hear from casuals whose only knowledge of the sweet science comes from Rocky movies.
But the thing that always revealed to me the most about this guy when he was with ESPN, was the way he was so willing to report on and celebrate Eastern European fighters, while doing everything possible to ignore great AMERICAN fighters like Ward and Mayweather (His fellow countrymen.) How do you justify travelling all over the world to watch GGG and Kovalev, but can't travel to the U.K. to support your fellow countryman Spence when he fought Kell Brook? I can list so many other examples.
But I just have one question to ask the real, hardcore American boxing fans: Does anybody take this guy seriously as a journalist?