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By Nigel Collins
Despite what some media types would have you believe, THE RING Championship Policy does matter, and what is more, it’s making a difference. True, we are fortunate to have a powerful ally in ESPN, but by and large, it is the fans and the fighters who have been our greatest supporters.
Most readers have been in our corner from the start, but as time passes more and more fighters are starting to see things our way.
It has been the fighters who command the largest purses who have been the most supportive, which makes perfect sense. After all, they are the ones with the most to lose, the ones who have to fork over hundreds of thousands of dollars in so-called sanctioning fees, the ones who are forced to make mandatory defenses against undeserving challengers in matches the fans don’t want to see. The ones the parasitic alphabet organizations squeeze the hardest.
Consider, for instance, the wonderful endorsement THE RING received from Oscar De La Hoya during a doghouseboxing.com interview conducted by Coyote Duran in early-August.
“THE RING magazine, first of all, with no sanctioning fees, and obviously with THE RING magazine being so prestigious and its history with boxing, I would say that it’s the leader or the Number One,” said De La Hoya. “I wouldn’t call it an organizational body, but I would say that if you want to look up who the champion is, then go to THE RING magazine. They’re the ones who can really do what no other organizational body can do, and that is bring back fans and make them aware of who the champion is.”
“The Golden Boy” isn’t the only major player who understands what THE RING is trying to do and believes that it is a workable alternative to the alphabet chaos that continues to denigrate boxing. In the past six months, I have received inquiries about fighting for THE RING championship from the representatives of De La Hoya, Wladimir Klitschko, Manny Pacquiao, Marco Antonio Barrera, and Clinton Woods. With the exception of Woods, these are the biggest attractions in the sport, and if they want to be on THE RING’s side, we must be doing something right.
A few updates regarding THE RING Championship Policy:
• We have continued to list Bernard Hopkins as world light heavyweight champion despite his insistence that he is retired. But it’s been less than four months since Hopkins beat Antonio Tarver for the title, and we all know how impermanent retirement can be for many fighters.
There has already been Internet chatter about B-Hop wanting to fight WBC heavyweight titleholder Oleg Maskaev, so it makes sense to keep “The Executioner” as top dog at 175, at least for a little while. But this state of affairs can’t last forever. If no further bouts for Hopkins are announced in the near future, Bernard will be asked to officially relinquish THE RING title, as it would be unfair to active light heavyweights to sit on it indefinitely.
• While 175-pound title might soon be vacant, another championship void is about to be filled: Roberto Vasquez has relinquished his junior flyweight alphabet belt to compete as a full-fledged flyweight. As a consequence, Hugo Cazares and Nelson Dieppa, formerly ranked second and third, respectively, have moved up to numbers one and two. If things go as planned, the Cazares-Dieppa match, scheduled for September 30, will result in the crowning of THE RING’S first 108-pound champion since Rosendo Alvarez.
Despite what some media types would have you believe, THE RING Championship Policy does matter, and what is more, it’s making a difference. True, we are fortunate to have a powerful ally in ESPN, but by and large, it is the fans and the fighters who have been our greatest supporters.
Most readers have been in our corner from the start, but as time passes more and more fighters are starting to see things our way.
It has been the fighters who command the largest purses who have been the most supportive, which makes perfect sense. After all, they are the ones with the most to lose, the ones who have to fork over hundreds of thousands of dollars in so-called sanctioning fees, the ones who are forced to make mandatory defenses against undeserving challengers in matches the fans don’t want to see. The ones the parasitic alphabet organizations squeeze the hardest.
Consider, for instance, the wonderful endorsement THE RING received from Oscar De La Hoya during a doghouseboxing.com interview conducted by Coyote Duran in early-August.
“THE RING magazine, first of all, with no sanctioning fees, and obviously with THE RING magazine being so prestigious and its history with boxing, I would say that it’s the leader or the Number One,” said De La Hoya. “I wouldn’t call it an organizational body, but I would say that if you want to look up who the champion is, then go to THE RING magazine. They’re the ones who can really do what no other organizational body can do, and that is bring back fans and make them aware of who the champion is.”
“The Golden Boy” isn’t the only major player who understands what THE RING is trying to do and believes that it is a workable alternative to the alphabet chaos that continues to denigrate boxing. In the past six months, I have received inquiries about fighting for THE RING championship from the representatives of De La Hoya, Wladimir Klitschko, Manny Pacquiao, Marco Antonio Barrera, and Clinton Woods. With the exception of Woods, these are the biggest attractions in the sport, and if they want to be on THE RING’s side, we must be doing something right.
* * *
A few updates regarding THE RING Championship Policy:
• We have continued to list Bernard Hopkins as world light heavyweight champion despite his insistence that he is retired. But it’s been less than four months since Hopkins beat Antonio Tarver for the title, and we all know how impermanent retirement can be for many fighters.
There has already been Internet chatter about B-Hop wanting to fight WBC heavyweight titleholder Oleg Maskaev, so it makes sense to keep “The Executioner” as top dog at 175, at least for a little while. But this state of affairs can’t last forever. If no further bouts for Hopkins are announced in the near future, Bernard will be asked to officially relinquish THE RING title, as it would be unfair to active light heavyweights to sit on it indefinitely.
• While 175-pound title might soon be vacant, another championship void is about to be filled: Roberto Vasquez has relinquished his junior flyweight alphabet belt to compete as a full-fledged flyweight. As a consequence, Hugo Cazares and Nelson Dieppa, formerly ranked second and third, respectively, have moved up to numbers one and two. If things go as planned, the Cazares-Dieppa match, scheduled for September 30, will result in the crowning of THE RING’S first 108-pound champion since Rosendo Alvarez.
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