I started to think about the present state of boxing with the recent death of Ken Norton (RIP!). A lot has changed over the years in this sport. Boxing offered kids from the inner city a path to work hard and make a name for themselves. If they paid their dues maybe one day they could get that title fight. Today this career choice seems to have hit a snag. Let’s look at the reasons why.
As a kid I could name every champion in every weight class. It was easy to do because there were only a few sanctioning bodies: WBC and WBA. Ali, Frazier, Hagler, Hearns, Leonard, Holmes, Mancini and Little Red Lopez were the marquee names (I know I went old school with that last one). As time went on the IBF, WBO and a slew of other acronyms started to pop up overnight. These bodies afforded more boxers a chance to be a champion. In my mind, this started to water down the product.
When Ali was the face of the boxing world his fights were televised for all to see. Wide World of Sports and the major networks fought to get the rights to show every fight he had. Somewhere along the way Pay TV reared its ugly head. The Mayweather fight last week cost $75 for the High-Def version to hit your living room. When you limit the exposure of a product because of situational marketing and outrageous cost, people will find a rerun of the Beverly Hillbillies to pass the time.
The greatest shill and huckster ever to grace the boxing world helped boxing and hurt it at the same time. Don King’s persona and antics alienated people from staying engaged in the sweet science. King had his hand in everyone’s pocket. The public had their doubts about this snake oil salesman. When he promoted a fight, he had a piece of the champion. If the challenger beat his champion, King had the rights to the new champion’s next three fights. He could not lose even when he lost. Boxing had since its inception always been a little shady. King made sure we all knew that for sure.
Boxing has lost a lot of luster over the years. Pay- Per- View, unscrupulous promoters, reduced marquee talent, and too many sanctioning bodies decimated this once beloved fan favorite sport. Mike Tyson biting a piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear off did not sit well with most fans. A deeper analysis reveals that the newer generations desire instant gratification. The life of a boxer commands hard work, discipline, and focus. Today’s youth would rather play video games than sweat in a smelly gym.
Boxing will go on but its best days are behind it. It saddens me to see the sport I loved in my youth reduced to an afterthought. The Raging Bull depicted the brutal and violent life of a boxer. Rocky gave us the hope of the underdog reaching the pinnacle of the sport. Now we wait for the next big fight that will be underwhelming and overhyped. Cut me Mick.
Where have you gone Pepino Cuevas?
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