Boxing lost value by not having Wilder v Joshua when we wanted it

[Mark TKO]

Protecting the '0' is too important these days. And why have 3/4 fights in a year when you can hype up one big one and make as much money.

Back in my day it didn't matter if one guy had beaten by this guy and that guy had beaten by another etc you just wanted to see them fight regardless. Hagler, Hearns, Leonard, Duran - Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Norton.

Those days will never come back sadly.

Wonder how many true boxing fans there are out there these days like I was in my mid twenties - knew who everyone was, who'd beaten who etc and when they were fighting etc ? I dare say there won't be many out there.

[Spicoli]

Yeh I'm still not over missing Lewis v Bowe . Hindsight is often 20-20. Buit also, there are times when things play out exactly as they intended to play out. I mean the fight not happening certainly did not cost both Wilder and AJ multiple follow up big opportunities. A critic...and I've been that of Wilder for the longest...can say that Joshua simply had the overall lasting ability career wise. Also have to acknowledge that Wilder also talked and priced himself out of other big fights with then top contenders also. Now granted, I get the lost value angle. It was one where factors came in like nationality, historic heavyweight matches, and it was one where fans would feel noy just financially invested but invested as fans. Overall, that is a feeling we seem to be losing because frankly platforms and the sport on whole do not "build" fights as we used to see back in different eras. Networks don't tell stories and think long term now. For the most part. Fans had a genuine feeling of investment with a Wilder-Joshua mega fight. But again that hindsight comes in...Wilder ultimately proved to be a bit of an explosive tin man who made some bad business decisions and remained badly flawed. I can actually see a scenario where let's say Joshua was sparked by Wilder at some point. And still see him exactly where he is today and Wilder where he is currently. Different path but same arrival. We'll never know. Interesting to mull over.

[Mark TKO]

There's another angle here re when they get a fight on several years later when one of both are on the slide. It's more often than not for them to cash in but their levels, and let's face it their hunger, is more often than not not what it was.

Floyd v Manny for example was a poor spectacle. We all wanted the Manny that did Hatton but he was no more.

Fury v Joshua will probably happen in a couple of years time when they're way past their best. Prime battles of the main men are rare. And getting rarer. The fans lose and will continue to do so.