A Message to boxing
By Greg Noble: Nobody who is an avid follower of boxing can begrudge a boxer who risks their lives in the ring to be paid handsomely for doing so. However, what fans can be aggrieved about is boxers being paid millions of pounds for fighting in non-competitive bouts.
The much-respected Floyd Mayweather mastered the art of this and deservedly so after wins against Manny Pacquiao, Canelo Alvarez, Miguel Cotto, and many more highly acclaimed opponents. Floyd Mayweather retired 50-0-0 and following this is now one of the richest athletes ever.
However, he has instilled fear into the best boxers of today that one blemish on your record will result in a loss of relevance at the highest level. This is 2020 and for the last few years has prevented some major fights from occurring.
A Fight between Errol Spence and Terence Crawford springs to mind that has not happened as of yet but is one all of the boxing community are crying for. The boxing community has seemingly lost out on huge fights like Anthony Joshua v Deontay Wilder and Kell Brook v Amir khan.
These fights may still be finalised in the future, but it will not offer all athletes in the peaks of their careers. Being known for always fighting the best in your division will enhance your career more than retiring unbeaten with a padded record.
This is why somebody’s 0 has got to go because it will allow boxing to thrive again because supporters will finally be seeing the best versus the best.
A Message to the Fighters
Fighters in 2020 understand that if they lose it damages their chances of earning the top scale money and becoming a pay-per-view star.
The biggest fights of the year all end up on PPV but each year you can only have a certain number of these which means each year eagerly anticipated fights do not come to fruition.
Following Dillian Whyte’s loss to Alexander Povetkin, many in the boxing world are calling out for him to retire after two losses. A fighter like Dillian Whyte who has consistently been in 50/50 fights should not be told to hang up his gloves.
Whyte who has fought two former world champions in Joseph Parker and Lucas Browne, Oscar Rivas, and Povetkin when these fights were not a necessity to him.
This kind of bravery should be respected and be considered the new norm for current fighters. For fighters, it should feel like the end of the world if you inflict a loss, but it should not result in the conclusion of your career.
Boxers especially have unparalleled egos but if a fighter is too scared to battle with their fiercest rivals it will hinder their chance of stabilising a great dynasty for themselves more than actually losing against them.
Although Dillian Whyte may not be the most attractive boxer to watch and has come up short in two of his fights so far, it is clear he will be remembered as a fighter that never hesitated to fight the best in the division.
Fighters need to take an example of Whyte and look to form the most competitive fights in their weight category for the improvement of their own legacies.
A message to Promoters
During the crazy year which has been 2020, the boxing world is finally starting to see the best fight the best. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in no attendance at sporting events which means no easy fights can be produced because they are not financially viable.
With no gate toll, boxing events are missing out on a huge proportion of its revenue especially for stars like AJ who can consistently fill out Wembley Stadium.
These circumstances have led to a blockbuster end to the calendar year with fights such as Errol Spence versus Danny Garcia, AJ versus Pulev, and Canelo versus Callum Smith.
All mouth-watering ties but it is a rare occurrence to see this number of significant matchups. The message to promoters is to continue with these cut-throat fights as it will improve boxing’s reputation again around the globe and help fighters create their own special dynasties.