You've Got to be an Idiot if You Think This Stuff Isn't Set Up

[uppercut510]

oh boy..... here we go

[carter steel]

I did read there was a substantial amount of last minute bets on Ward just before the fight.

[GhostofDempsey]

There's no doubt that there have been and continues to be, fixed fights in boxing. Outcomes are predetermined and certain fighters are protected and pushed to the top. I'm not sure why Ward continues to get away with his tactics for his entire career, but I won't go so far as to say that the Ward/Kov fights were fixed. First fight was just a bad decision, a robbery--which could very well be the product of corruption by judges. Second fight Kov lost. Bad stoppage? Yes. Lots of low-blows that aren't penalized? Yup. Conspiracy? I can't see it, only because Ward just isn't a money guy. He's not going to make anyone (networks, venues, Vegas, promoters) any big money. That doesn't mean he doesn't have a guardian angel over his shoulder in boxing, but I think this fight was just a perfect storm of Ward making needed adjustments from first fight, Kovalev not making adjustments, low-blows, and poor refereeing.

Where I do believe in a conspiracy was Ali-Liston. There was absolutely no money to be made with Liston. Fans didn't embrace ex-convicts during that time. Liston wasn't appreciated nor respected. Sports writers like Larry Merchant were very unfair to Liston. Ali was the rising star, charismatic, and had the persona to lift boxing out of its slump during the 1960s.

[Metho_4u]

You kovalev fans are the most pathetic I've seen

[Kagami Taiga]

Lol, my guy doesn't win so boxing is rigged. Lol. Every single fight ppl pointed to were fight where they wanted the other guy to win. Coincidence? No. Conspiracy? Yes. Lmfaoooo

[eco1]

You take the Duran-Leonard rematch. It made no sense money wise for Duran to win. If he did, what was next? No, the Leonard-Hearns fight had to happen- too much money for it not to and I'm very happy it did. Was excellent. Duran vs. Hearns was a blowout and while I think Duran could have done better had he been focused, but the interest just wasn't there.

I can attest to that.
Durán was in the DR singing Salsa and getting drunk just a few weeks before the Hearns fight.

There is footage of him in a show called "el Show del mediodia" singing with a salsa band.

And I saw it live while I was growing up in the Island.

[mlac]

"Been a fan for a long time now."

Followed by claiming Leonard-Duran rematch was rigged.

ridiculus (dwyer voice)

boxing is a clean sport, all these conspiracy theories are just ridicolos smh

just butthurt crybabies, ward ruined their lives.

amirite or amirite?

[ironmt]

Lol, my guy doesn't win so boxing is rigged. Lol. Every single fight ppl pointed to were fight where they wanted the other guy to win. Coincidence? No. Conspiracy? Yes. Lmfaoooo

Neither guy was "my guy" and I picked Ward to win. That doesn't change the fact that boxing has been corrupt from day one and fighters admitting to taking a dive for the right payoff.

[kilojay505]

Boxing has a long ugly history of fixing fights unfortunately it will never go away and its the easiest sport to fix, it only take 1 person

[AllBoxingAD]

I've been a fan for a long time now and I have to say, it definitely is. When you follow the money, it's very obvious. It just makes no sense for boxing to leave everything to chance. Fighters don't fight often enough to take a chance anymore.

The storyline to Ward-Kovalev only works with a Ward victory. Kovalev is the bully and the racist and the bad guy and the foreign guy who doesn't bring in a lot of money. He was the perfect foil. Ward is the Olympic medalist who all kinds of money has gone into. This was exactly what his career needed- especially a knockout. Now they're looking at cruiserweight and what better division to have a well-known recognizable guy inject much needed money fights in the division? Kovalev wouldn't be able to do that.

You take the Duran-Leonard rematch. It made no sense money wise for Duran to win. If he did, what was next? No, the Leonard-Hearns fight had to happen- too much money for it not to and I'm very happy it did. Was excellent. Duran vs. Hearns was a blowout and while I think Duran could have done better had he been focused, but the interest just wasn't there.

Come on, folks. There's no way they leave all of this to chance. Boxing's got a long history of being set up and nothing changes. Ali-Liston being a prime example. So many others have been as well. I can't explain it all and I don't have all the answers of course, but from a money standpoint, it makes no sense not to fix these fights. And are both guys in on it? I think so. They're selling you a much more realistic version of WWE.

Who is this 'they' you keep referring to?