By Brian Garnett: As we rapidly approach the end of 2016, boxing fans can only hope that we get better matchups in 2017. We, as boxing fans have had to endure many lulls through the years but 2016 brought new levels of inactivity amongst the top tier fighters. The heavyweight division, which was poised for a reemergence as the premier division in boxing, was hurt badly by the inactivity of Tyson Fury whom owns the WBA, WBO after being stripped of the IBF. Injuries and cancellations limited Deontay Wilder as well this year leaving only Anthony Joshua as the only active heavyweight champion. The welterweight and junior middleweight divisions were even more inactive despite none of the major players being sidelined due to injury.
The PBC seems to be the party most responsible for this most recent lull in good fights being made due to the fact that most of Al Haymon’s stable has taken 2016 off for the most part. Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter, Adrien Broner, Jermell and Jermall Charlo, Julian Williams, and Erislandy Lara have all fought only once this year and none of these fighters have dates for the last quarter of the year.
I don’t understand how the PBC is going to grow the brand of these fighters without them fighting. And what’s worse is when they do fight they have been given soft touches or fading former champs. How many more times are they going to trot Robert Guerrero out for a championship fight?
The plight of the Charlo brothers, Julian Williams and Erislandy Lara are even more perplexing due to the fact that they are in the same division as Canelo, the biggest draw in boxing at the moment. One would think that they would be trying to separate themselves from the pack and align themselves with a big payday but they seem content to fight lower tier guys and hold on to the belts they currently have. It shouldn’t take mandatory challengers to make the best fight to be made but it really has come to that.
Floyd Mayweather recently stated that fighters are being paid too much money in today’s boxing and on the surface it seems like Floyd is just wearing his promoter’s hat while trying to save a few bucks himself but when you think about the money that Haymon is giving his fighters it does seem to deter his fighters from taking on the tougher competition. If Danny Garcia can make $750,000 for fighting Rod Salka then why would he fight Keith Thurman or Shawn Porter? These young fighters want to be at the level of Mayweather and Pacquiao but they seem to forget that Floyd was champion for nine years before his first PPV and even then he was the B side to Oscar De La Hoya. Fighting once or twice a year will against lackluster competition will not get you to be a household name.
I can’t say that there is too much money being paid to these fighters but I can say with certainty that the lack of good fights being made and the lack of fighters actually fighting is hurting the sport. Boxing fans need more than the occasional super fight like Ward vs Kovalev and the sport is set up right now for success. Outside of the Leonard-Hearns-Hagler era, I can’t recall a time when we have had such a deep talent pool but if they aren’t going to fight each other it doesn’t matter.