By Jonathan Elliott: “Boxing Politics” a phrase which is heard more often than not, a phrase which many believe is killing the sport which so many fans adore or at least once did. So why has the popularity of boxing dropped to an all time low, much of the blame has to lie with the promoters who seem to dictate the sport and are to afraid to let their up and coming prospects etch a loss on their record at least until they can cash in on them.
Now I’m not stating that fighters early in their careers shouldn’t be protected, they should to a certain degree until they gain experience and learn their trade, but being protected for such a long time and then suddenly thrown in at the deep end will do nothing for their chances at world or even European level.
Fighters need tests along the way and need to learn from their mistakes in order to make it to the top, i was one of the few people that believed George Groves would beat James DeGale why? Because Groves had been in the trenches with Kenny Anderson and had to learn how to dig deep and show heart so he knew what to do if that situation arose.
DeGale however had never been there, he was sailing through his opposition and you could say that’s because he’s so good he’ll never be troubled but those boxers are far and few between, of course both these fighters are still learning but as I said they need tests and they certainly gave each other that and now DeGale is European champion and Groves will be fighting shortly for a world title.
Bob Arum is an example of the dark side of boxing as I genuinely believe he is holding Pacquiao back from the richest fight in history with Mayweather, he Knows Pacquiao is coming to the end of his career so will probably wait until his last fight and then let him have it, Pacquiao’s his cash cow and he will want to squeeze every penny out of him before risking him with Mayweather.
This however is a dangerous game as if he is beat before the Mayweather fight (if it ever happens) the fight will instantly lose it’s appeal and the money that goes with it. Take Pacquiaos next fight against Timothy Bradley a shrewd move by Arum as both are part of his stable so he’ll reap all the benefits and even if Pacquiao does lose which he won’t want to happen he’ll have a new superstar in Bradley, If Pacquiao wins he’s still in line for the mega bucks showdown and Bradley can still go on to big things as losing to Pacquiao is nothing to be ashamed of.
As fans we deserve better, in every sport we see the best take on the best so why should boxing be any different?
The best in every sport get beat and a few career losses shouldn’t mean the end of a boxers career, which seems to be what is happening so I do sympathize with the boxers, however there is no excuse for well established and world level fighters to be avoiding each other.
As for boxers worrying about their legacies, Ali had losses Calzage didn’t, but who is known as the greatest?