By Sean Campbell: Anyone who saw the Paulie Malignaggi/Juan Diaz fight enjoyed a good, close, competitive bout, with Paulie giving the best performance of his career. But what one of the judges saw was a good, competitive fight, but not a close one. Gale Van Hoy bizarrely scored the bout 118-110 in favour of Diaz. There was no way that the margin between the fighters was that much, let alone Diaz being the winner. Many saw Malignaggi getting robed that night.
It’s no coincidence that a Texas judge scored the bout to a Texas fighter, with a bout that was fought in Texas.
The politics in boxing are becoming worryingly larger. They are having a bigger factor on match-making and results. Recently Zab Judah pulled out of a bout with Matthew Hatton. Judah, who is the bigger name fighter, decided after agreeing that the fight would be at welterweight, he wanted to change it to the 140 weight limit. Matthew Hatton has never fought below 143 pounds. It’s disgraceful the way Judah’s camp decided to “move the goalposts”. How are young amateur stars meant to stay enthusiastic when the know if the succeed in turning professional, they’ll have to encounter these unfair and despicable politics?
With so much controversy in America at this time, is there ever a chance that Britain could become the boxing capital of the world? Already two massive names in the boxing world have set up their own promotional companies. Ricky Hatton’s ‘Hatton Promotions’ and Joe Calzaghe’s ‘Calzaghe Promotions’ are already making waves on the domestic scene in Britain. David Haye has also set up Haymaker Promotions.
Obviously there will always be controversial decisions wherever you are in the world, but it seems to be more common in the USA. Why is it a British boxer can never be considered a “big name” until he fights in America? But an American fight can spend his whole career fighting in his own country and no one asks why he doesn’t fight abroad.
With the popularity of MMA and UFC rapidly increasing in America, there is already talk that it has over-taken boxing. However in Britain, boxing is the number one combat sport. Even on this website BoxingNews24, there are articles about MMA. Now call me mad, but I thought this site was meant to be purely about boxing given the name BoxingNews24?
Ricky Hatton has signed some top class young fighters, and some former champions looking to get back on track. Tony Oakey and Michael Broadie are two fighters under Hatton Promotions that are looking for British title shots in upcoming months. Young fighters that look to be future champions are Joe Murray and Danny Butler.
The reputation of British boxing if arguably increasing as long as Ricky Hatton and Joe Calzaghe continue to be involved in it. But the reputation of American boxing is taking a knock. The politics in boxing are always going to be a problem, you have to ask yourself why it took so long for Britain to have a fighter named “Ring Magazines Fight Of The Year”? Ricky Hatton was named it after wins against Kostya Tszyu and Carlos Maussa. Why are ‘fights of the year’ only seen in America? American boxing isn’t dying, it’s killing itself.
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