Hype or skills?

By Elton Jackson - 10/03/2013 - Comments

canelo878By Elton Jackson: What is happening to the sport of boxing? Blind judges, trumpeted up fighters and fighters with real talent but no personality never get a fair shot in the sport. I know, I know, boxing is a business and those who can draw the fans bring money to the sport.

What we have witnessed in the Bryan Vera vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. fight, and Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez match suggest poor judging and “fighter fluffing.” In the case of Vera-Chavez Junior, Vera pulled off a win in most people’s eyes, but the fight was given to the fighter with the larger following.

Mayweather-Alvarez, one of the judges ruled the match a draw. In this case one can only assume that there was intent to place a blemish on Mayweather’s record, and/or to keep Alvarez’s fan base high, making them believe he did better than what he actually did in the fight.

Many fighters are highly publicized as the next big thing; but, have not faced any true opposition to substantiate their belonging in a class of elite boxers.

This leaves fighters with great potential and talent, but no or minimal promotion and/or personality, left out in the cold with no chance of reaching a higher platform.

Let’s face it; there are quite a few boxers in this era that are not as good as the media would have you to believe. With gifts from judges, proper promotion, and a gimmick to attract attention, one could make it further in their boxing career than they should. A hard luck story always helps too.

We have seen plenty come, and plenty go, some of them are seldom heard from again after a big pay day. As a fan of boxing I want to see the best possible match ups. This would require two fighters that are truly confident in their skills and committed to their career as a professional. Not some fly by night popular guy verse a true champion; this will yield the same results, complaining fans stating that a champion is fighting bums. Well guess what? It is the boxing fans that buy into the hype of some of these “bums. How many guys can you think of that fit these criteria?



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