The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Even on its biggest night, boxing makes the same mistakes

Floyd and Manny will go head to head in the 'Fight of the Century'. (AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK)
Roar Guru
22nd April, 2015
5

It is the fight that is meant to save boxing, and as one of its biggest fans, I hope it does, but the fact the public have been priced out of witnessing the ‘fight of the century’, shows everything currently wrong with the sport.

What a way to reward fight fans for their patience: increase pay-per-view costs and ensure that the general public can’t even find their way into the arena to witness it.

We’re a week or so out from fight night and you still can’t buy a ticket, even if you could afford it.

Sure, if I was in the position to hand over $250,000 for a ringside seat, I would. But let’s face it, writing about the sport I love hasn’t exactly made me that rich.

Instead I’ve been the guy watching every Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao fight over the last 10 years.

Yes, every one.

I witnessed the great nights – Miguel Cotto, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Juan Manuel Márquez – and the not so great – Victor Ortiz, Brandon Rios and Chris Algieri.

I’ve seen it all, as have millions around the world.

Advertisement

I’m glad Manny and Floyd are finally squaring off, but honestly the fight should have happened years ago. The only reason it didn’t was greed.

No one was willing to put everything on the line to see who was the better man, and boxing lost in the process. Instead we had two men, claiming to be the best, fighting boxers generally under the same promotional stable as themselves – Pacquiao almost exclusively with Top Rank and Mayweather almost exclusively with Golden Boy.

While they were both winning we kept paying to see it, hoping the gripping narrative would one day lead into a battle for the ages.

But then it didn’t.

Instead, both sides were content to continue fighting guys that at times weren’t in the same weight division, let alone the same calibre. Ageing fighters were trumpeted as a real threat and countless others ready to shock the world.

Sure we had some good fights, but others left a bitter taste. That’s not how it was done in days gone by.

Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier wasn’t about getting rich. It was about two men lacing the gloves and finding out who was the best. Sure, both were handsomely paid in the process, but a want to reign supreme ran through the veins of both men.

Advertisement

Mayweather vs Pacquiao isn’t happening because both men finally found a sense of ambition, it’s happening because there were simply no other options.

Mayweather is still undefeated at 47-0 and has cast aside all the greats. Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, Marquez, Cotto, even the next great hope in ‘Canelo’, plus Marcos Maidana, Robert Guerrero and Ortiz, all world champions.

Next in line for a fight was probably Amir Khan, had Pacquiao not agreed terms. But Khan has lost two of his last six fights. He’s flashy, yet his chin is questionable. He needs to topple a big name before he lands his big shot.

The boxing public aren’t ready to give it to him either. He lost out to Marcos Maidana in a twitter popularity poll when Mayweather was deciding his most recent opponent.

Pacquiao has also beaten the greats. De La Hoya, Mosley, Cotto, Marquez, plus throw in Timothy Bradley, Antonio Margarito and Marco Antonio Barrera, all big names.

But recently the Filipino has been giving us the short straw. Fights with Brandon Rios and Chris Algieri resembled PR exercises in the hope of restoring the Pacquiao brand to its former heights. He won both easily, knocking Algieri down six times in his most recent.

In the meantime Mixed Martial Arts has exploded, spearheaded by the UFC.

Advertisement

There’s no denying MMA has picked up many a disillusioned boxing fan, as well as those who kept the faith, but are now happy to pay to watch both, like myself.

The man pulling the strings, Dana White – a big boxing fan – knows how to sell a fight. The UFC offers the best against the best. No questions asked.

Sure, when you’ve got nearly every star in the MMA business under your stable, it’s easy to do, but the formula is still relatively simple: give the fans what they want.

White is described by some as a promotional genius, but he simply services the fans needs.

“We didn’t buy this (UFC) to make billions of dollars. We saw something in this sport and in the fighters that we thought was incredible. We thought if we got it to the mainstream people would enjoy it,” said White.

Such a trait isn’t unique to fans of MMA. It is also the fundamental appeal of boxing.

Some say Mayweather-Pacquiao is the biggest fight of all, yet it will be held in a 16,000 seat arena. Sure it’s supply and demand in business, but there’s something not quite right in limiting the supply and then charging over 100 times what you have previously, in a sport where you’re lucky fans are still around.

Advertisement

Nearly every set of eyes on the planet will be glued to Mayweather-Pacquiao on May 2. But what boxing needs to be concerned about is what happens next.

Who are the new stars that you will look to in the future? Who will pick up the baton when Mayweather and Pacquiao call it a day?

Wouldn’t it be a great opportunity to sell these future stars to the billions of fans watching, particularly those watching your sport for the first time? You’d think so. But look at the undercard and tell me if you think it’s worthy.

Both men are expected to make over $100 million for this fight, and fair play to them. They’ll walk out rich men, win or lose, as will the managers, promoters, TV companies and many at the pointy end of the sport.

But once again it’s the fans that are asked to dig that little bit deeper.

Even on its grandest night, boxing is still punching itself in the face.

close