By G Bell: There used to be a time when boxers had a lot more heart, pride and honor. Compared to today’s crop of fighters, I would say the general boxing public is getting a mucho watered down version of what the sweet science is really all about. Gone are the days when like gladiators of yore, fighters proudly stepped into the arena, proudly willing to do battle until there was only one standing.
Gone are the Roberto Duran vs. Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De la Hoya vs. Fernando Vargas, Evander Holyfield vs. Riddick Bowe, awe inspiring type of bouts. Today’s warriors, with the exception of a very small group, are mainly concerned with the dollars and rankings, more so than fighting the best, and wanting to be the best in their respective divisions. When you get retired boxers and boxers well below the fighting weight, challenging a fighter like Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, while the fighters in his division, jam the door, trying to escape from getting in the ring with him, there is something very very wrong with our sport.
These fighters should be ashamed of themselves, they are subsequently ruining the sport. No wonder boxing now languishes behind MMA, in terms of excitement and great fighters. It’s truly sad to see boxers from all weight divisions fighting amongst themselves, to fight one fighter, not because they necessarily want to be the man to beat him, no, primarily because if they get the fight, it would amount to a huge payday. The fighters of yesterday made probably a quarter of what fighters make today, but they fought for entirely different reasons, I believe. They fought first and foremost for the love of the sport. Sure it’s called prize fighting, and one would be a fool to think that money does not factor into a fighter’s decision to get in the ring, but way too much emphasis is now placed on the “prize” and very little on the fight. If boxing is going to survive as a sport, the fighters need to show the public they have a love and passion for the sport, fighters need to step up, and fight the best instead of making weak excuses ” he’s never fought anyone, he’s not ranked high enough, the moneys funny” otherwise you can say goodbye to boxing within the next 10 to 15 years.
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