These Panto match ups have to stop!

[Primo Carnera]

It's about time the governing bodies fucking grew a pair. How can you sanction meaningless bullshit fights like Canelo v Khan, Brook v GGG and Bellew v Haye? These fights are made for money and money only. They do absolutely fuck all for the sport.
And what is even more disturbing is that fans are accepting it . Basically anyone who paid for tonight is a mug, and anyone who paid for tonight and is happy with what they got is watching the wrong sport. It's getting more like Wrestling every fucking day.
With the exception of old Ginge and his cross dressing promoter , it's the Brits who are guilty of these joke fights. To be be fair to the Yanks, you've got a genuine 50/50 unification fight tonight between Garcia and Thurman, and it doesn't get half the exposure because they haven't thrown tables at each other!
You have to seriously ask yourself, are you interested in Boxing as a sport, or more interested in the hype that surrounds it?

[Batman]

It's about time the governing bodies fucking grew a pair. How can you sanction meaningless bullshit fights like Canelo v Khan, Brook v GGG and Bellew v Haye? These fights are made for money and money only. They do absolutely fuck all for the sport.
And what is even more disturbing is that fans are accepting it . Basically anyone who paid for tonight is a mug, and anyone who paid for tonight and is happy with what they got is watching the wrong sport. It's getting more like Wrestling every fucking day.
With the exception of old Ginge and his cross dressing promoter , it's the Brits who are guilty of these joke fights. To be be fair to the Yanks, you've got a genuine 50/50 unification fight tonight between Garcia and Thurman, and it doesn't get half the exposure because they haven't thrown tables at each other!
You have to seriously ask yourself, are you interested in Boxing as a sport, or more interested in the hype that surrounds it?

Only problem is that the result of tonight's match up will be seen as a reason for the mismatches to continue, if Bellew would have been brutally KO'd in the first then maybe people would have said 'I'm getting a wee bit tired of this' but now that Bellew has won it'll always be referred back to as a victory for the little guy and used as a justification for the mismatches.

[Master]

Big matches are hyped up but these are simply manufactured mis matches and will not stop because people buy them in bucketloads

[ono]

Big matches are hyped up but these are simply manufactured mis matches and will not stop because people buy them in bucketloads

A mismatch which the underdog won in the 11th round?

The fight was easily close enough before the injury. Acting like the fight was Pac -Algieri mark 2

[Beanz]

It is called prize fighting for a reason. From the very bottom rungs of the sport to the top there has always been and always will be mismatches, bad decisions, robberies and pantomine fights. Thinking otherwise actually demonstrates a lack of insight into how boxing works. At the lower levels in amateur contests it is sometimes hard to match make with a limited pool of fighters willing to come and risk their records at your club/region/association and so mismatches often happen where someone in a different league blows away their opponent and robberies where the house fighter is given the decision over the traveling fighter, either because of ineptitude, random interpretation or outright favoritism happen regularly.Sanctioning bodies do not co-operate from different countries and your dumb idea that it is the Brits who are guilty of these charades and not the Americans based on one night of boxing smacks of self depreciation or loathing in an effort to appear fair. Seriously huge over compensation.Despite how Boxing operates the British Domestic scene at the upper end of the amateurs and pros is and always has been ultra competitive. Iaminuit (God rest his blessed soul) often used to comment on it, and he was not alone in tuning in from abroad to watch UK cards stacked with genuine 50/50 fights. There are numerous protected American prospects who have fought anyone including the local dustman to avoid a meaningful challenge and plenty of Pantomine fights where 'world champions' have yet to fight outside of their comfort zone.Not every fight can be a decider to see who the best in a weight division might be, or two thin out and exclude the best from a pool of excellence. It is an inexact blend of science, art, sport, will power. show business, sheer bloody mindedness and inspiration that allows us all the privilege to witness the entire gamut from one extreme to the other. It is not just another sport and any move to sanitize and codify it in a manner that will neuter or censor it should be vehemently opposed. It is one of the least sanitized and most organic spectacles one can witness and whilst I have not see tonight's latest debacle I can not imagine it to be any worse than many that have gone before or may happen after.It's madness. You can't logically defend it in anyway and that is why we love it. Spectator, supporter, participant , trainer, manager, promoter etc all realise this at a very deep and innate level and so it will go on...despite everything. And thank God for that

[Batman]

Good post Beanz but I think it is the fact that the biggest UK fights over the last 12 months or so have been Khan and ginger pubes, Brook and GGG and Bellew v haye.

They are not just mismatches they are people moving up 2 weights in some cases.

[ono]

Good post Beanz but I think it is the fact that the biggest UK fights over the last 12 months or so have been Khan and ginger pubes, Brook and GGG and Bellew v haye.

They are not just mismatches they are people moving up 2 weights in some cases.

Maybe, just maybe, if the boxing world didn't react so hysterically to a defeat, the best would fight the best more often.

[Gandalf]

I agree, Primo. I refused to even find a way to watch the Haye fight for free as it's wrong to endorse mismatches and despite the result, I still think it was a mismatch. Apparently Haye was winning, got injured and Bellew took advantage. Sounds more of a circus than anything. The thing is if you criticize it and call people mugs for buying into it, then you get called a cunt and not a boxing fan by those who seem to enjoy 20 predictable circus events just to occasionally have the penguin peck on the lame tiger. You are right, GGG/Brook and Khan/Canelo were exactly the same and 4 of the 6 fighters were Brits, suggesting that they do like to be mugged. It isn't good for the sport and there are far better fights like the next one we have coming up today.

[ryanman]

Basically what Ono said. He speaks for every person I know. Normal people you know

[ono]

Basically what Ono said. He speaks for every person I know. Normal people you know

Thank you. Everyone's acting like we've paid £50 quid to watch Shannon Briggs fight Roy Jones Jr.

[ryanman]

Basically what Ono said. He speaks for every person I know. Normal people you know

Thank you. Everyone's acting like we've paid £50 quid to watch Shannon Briggs fight Roy Jones Jr.

It's a farce we all take part in. Djok, Nadal, Murray, Fed all lose every other other week.

[Fenster]

It is called prize fighting for a reason. From the very bottom rungs of the sport to the top there has always been and always will be mismatches, bad decisions, robberies and pantomine fights. Thinking otherwise actually demonstrates a lack of insight into how boxing works. At the lower levels in amateur contests it is sometimes hard to match make with a limited pool of fighters willing to come and risk their records at your club/region/association and so mismatches often happen where someone in a different league blows away their opponent and robberies where the house fighter is given the decision over the traveling fighter, either because of ineptitude, random interpretation or outright favoritism happen regularly.

Sanctioning bodies do not co-operate from different countries and your dumb idea that it is the Brits who are guilty of these charades and not the Americans based on one night of boxing smacks of self depreciation or loathing in an effort to appear fair. Seriously huge over compensation.

Despite how Boxing operates the British Domestic scene at the upper end of the amateurs and pros is and always has been ultra competitive. Iaminuit (God rest his blessed soul) often used to comment on it, and he was not alone in tuning in from abroad to watch UK cards stacked with genuine 50/50 fights.

There are numerous protected American prospects who have fought anyone including the local dustman to avoid a meaningful challenge and plenty of Pantomine fights where 'world champions' have yet to fight outside of their comfort zone. Not every fight can be a decider to see who the best in a weight division might be, or two thin out and exclude the best from a pool of excellence.

It is an inexact blend of science, art, sport, will power, show business, sheer bloody mindedness and inspiration that allows us all the privilege to witness the entire gamut from one extreme to the other. It is not just another sport and any move to sanitize and codify it in a manner that will neuter or censor it should be vehemently opposed. It is one of the least sanitized and most organic spectacles one can witness.

And whilst I have not see tonight's latest debacle I can not imagine it to be any worse than many that have gone before or may happen after. It's madness. You can't logically defend it in anyway and that is why we love it. Spectator, supporter, participant , trainer, manager, promoter etc all realise this at a very deep and innate level and so it will go on...despite everything. And thank God for that

Very well said.

Far from a debacle, the so-called "mismatch" produced a HUGE upset and a supposed "lily-livered fake celebrity boxer" showed incredible courage beyond the call of duty.

Your post captured it perfectly. Pure madness.

[powerpuncher]

I think that there is a place for sideshows in this sport. The place though is on free TV. I just can't fathom why anybody would pay money to see haye and bellew fight. It makes absolutely no sense. I understand if it's free. That's fine.

I don't like any PPV, but at least when the best fights the best, it's entertaining. It's very rare that I see two good fighters fight and I don't enjoy the match thoroughly. I just love watching smart boxing with each fighter adjusting.

Maybe I'm just different, but I like boxing for the boxing. Trash talk can definitely help, but that alone doesn't matter. I'm way more into good fights being made. I would never spend money for good trash talk, but I would be willing to spend money on good craft.

[powerpuncher]

It all goes back to paying for circus fights. I have zero problem with them. They are fine and attract certain positive attention to the sport. I just don't get why fans actually pay for this stuff. I mean honestly, some of you are willing to fork out money to watch these circus fights?

I just feel like if we accepted these sideshows for what they are and refused to actually pay extra money for them, then we would get more mainstream fights and the sport would be bigger.

Maybe the UK is different, but where I live in America, boxing isn't big whatsoever. I never run into people who actually watch boxing. Most people are shocked when I say boxing is my favorite sport. Most people's excuse for not watching is that it isn't accessible. That's because it's generally on HBO or Showtime or a PPV fight.

That's how a sport dies out. It becomes inaccessible because us as fans are willing to pay for a bad product. If nobody bought the hate and bellew fight, then they would understand that us fans won't buy into awful products. They keep selling it because we keep buying it.

[ono]

It all goes back to paying for circus fights. I have zero problem with them. They are fine and attract certain positive attention to the sport. I just don't get why fans actually pay for this stuff. I mean honestly, some of you are willing to fork out money to watch these circus fights?

I just feel like if we accepted these sideshows for what they are and refused to actually pay extra money for them, then we would get more mainstream fights and the sport would be bigger.

Maybe the UK is different, but where I live in America, boxing isn't big whatsoever. I never run into people who actually watch boxing. Most people are shocked when I say boxing is my favorite sport. Most people's excuse for not watching is that it isn't accessible. That's because it's generally on HBO or Showtime or a PPV fight.

That's how a sport dies out. It becomes inaccessible because us as fans are willing to pay for a bad product. If nobody bought the hate and bellew fight, then they would understand that us fans won't buy into awful products. They keep selling it because we keep buying it.

People pay for it because they don't mind doing so. It's 20 quid at the end of the day. I think amongst the younger adult generation there's a tendency to group together with friends and all chip in a couple of quid. That's what I've always done with ppv boxing.

At the end of the day, PPV raises the importance of the event to the extent where a group of friends will decide to get together and make a proper night of it, and the money it generates also allows a promoter to usually get a few fairly high profile fighters on the card. PPV cards in Britain are usually fairly ok value content wise.

I'd prefer it was free, but it's not. And I don't think many will have felt short changed by midnight on Saturday.