Boxing is a niche sport. The key to being a niche sport is carving out a niche to make money. The easiest way to do that is to have local guys fight locally. When guys get big, the easiest way to rile up a fan base is to bring in a guy from somewhere else to fight your local guy. That's why Ward fights in Oakland. You guys don't care, but here in the Bay Area, Ward fights are a big deal. Yeah it's a niche, but that's how the Goosens make money. That's also why the rest of the country doesn't care about Ward. There aren't many crossover stars in boxing, so you have to capitalize locally on guys because your only going to make good money on a fighter for 5 or 6 fights for your typical champion. It's about money and it's not just East Germans so don't judge too harshly.