Quote Originally Posted by Kirkland Laing View Post
Boxing is a business. Big stars like Alvarez keep the paydays coming for everybody involved from promoters to the Vegas guys in red jackets working for the Nevada commission. It's in everybody's interest that the guys who generate the revenue continue to win so they're always going to get the decision unless they lose almost every round. Look at the Bivol scores for instance. Every judge gave Alvarez the first three or four rounds. Impossible that happened without the judges doing what they know they're there to do which is if at all possible give Alvarez the win. Somebody who scored that fight accurately would never judge a top level fight again because they did not understand their job.

Same with prospects getting derailed. Imagine some new Mexican or Hispanic-American prospect coming along who already has lots of fans and a talent for generating headlines and content and looks to be a future huge revenue generator for everybody involved. The guy has an off night against some old veteran or is exposed a little but basically loses. If you judge that accurately and the prospect loses that's you off the list of judges who get hired because you didn't do your job correctly.

Boxing is an entertainment business first and foremost. Upsets in the ring are bad for business and it's the judges' job to minimise the upsets and that's all there is to it.

Boxing is a competitive sport. Money... and greed... have obviously turned it into big business. Yes, Canelo is in a privileged position, which he's been in almost from the start. TV saw a "handsome", red-headed Mexican who would pull in a large part of the huge Hispanic market... including the women... and they've brought him along carefully and gingerly since Day One. And yes, judges are "encouraged" to keep the gravy train going. Canelo has been the beneficiary of more shady decisions than probably any other boxer in history. Bivol was (almost) a prime example. A complete shutout of Canelo... and Bivol got the decision by incredibly narrow margins. Which is why I only half-jokingly say that the judges were in tears when they turned in their scorecards.

I'm not disagreeing with anything you said. I'm just adding the perspective that boxing will eventually just end up shooting itself in the foot. I'm not an MMA fan, but I'm glad MMA exists... if only to provide an alternative to those fans who get sick and tired of the "big business of boxing." See, the thing is... not all of us are ok with everything you've put forth. Some yes. Some don't mind being dragged by the nose ring through the circus that is boxing today... with Canelo sitting untouchable on a golden throne... and young punks like Ryan Garcia caring more about jawing and posing for Instagram than actually going through the normal growing process in professional boxing. To some boxing "fans" today, it's ok to have fixed decisions, bought judges, marinated fights, endless catchweights and rehydration clauses, incessant jawing and little actual fighting, Instagram posting, soap opera back-and-forths between fighters, etc, etc. They could care less about the boxing of the past. So they see nothing wrong with what's going on.

It's too bad, really. Eventually I might turn to MMA as well.