Has Boxing become 75% buisness and 25% sport?

[Fenster]

I think it's more like 100% business. When was it not?

How much influence did the mob have in the good old days? How many fixed fights have there been? How many horseshoes in gloves?

The best only fight the best when the MONEY is right.

As James Toney said - "you don't play boxing"

(Ouma stop rolling your eyes.. i can't help repeating myself. Fact.)

I'm not disagreeing with your points, but if boxing is all business, what about other pro sports? Same?

No I don't think other pro sports are the same.

The best in the world would still play their chosen sport without the huge money rewards - Tiger Woods would still play golf, Federer would still play Tennis, Ronaldo would play football (soccer) etc...

Millions of people PLAY these sports everyday for the love of it.

Pro fighters NEED the incentive of big riches/money. You don't put your life on the line for the fun of it. From the best to the worst they don't do it for free, for the love of fighting, getting hurt (well apart from the odd nutter ).

[killersheep]

I think it's more like 100% business. When was it not?

How much influence did the mob have in the good old days? How many fixed fights have there been? How many horseshoes in gloves?

The best only fight the best when the MONEY is right.

As James Toney said - "you don't play boxing"

(Ouma stop rolling your eyes.. i can't help repeating myself. Fact.)

I'm not disagreeing with your points, but if boxing is all business, what about other pro sports? Same?

No I don't think other pro sports are the same.

The best in the world would still play their chosen sport without the huge money rewards - Tiger Woods would still play golf, Federer would still play Tennis, Ronaldo would play football (soccer) etc...

Millions of people PLAY these sports everyday for the love of it.

Pro fighters NEED the incentive of big riches/money. You don't put your life on the line for the fun of it. From the best to the worst they don't do it for free, for the love of fighting, getting hurt (well apart from the odd nutter ).

No offense to Zelenoff

[Fenster]

I'm not disagreeing with your points, but if boxing is all business, what about other pro sports? Same?

No I don't think other pro sports are the same.

The best in the world would still play their chosen sport without the huge money rewards - Tiger Woods would still play golf, Federer would still play Tennis, Ronaldo would play football (soccer) etc...

Millions of people PLAY these sports everyday for the love of it.

Pro fighters NEED the incentive of big riches/money. You don't put your life on the line for the fun of it. From the best to the worst they don't do it for free, for the love of fighting, getting hurt (well apart from the odd nutter ).

No offense to Zelenoff

[Kirkland Laing]

When did it become 25% sport? That's a big jump from zero.

[holmcall]

I think it's more like 100% business. When was it not?

How much influence did the mob have in the good old days? How many fixed fights have there been? How many horseshoes in gloves?

The best only fight the best when the MONEY is right.

As James Toney said - "you don't play boxing"

(Ouma stop rolling your eyes.. i can't help repeating myself. Fact.)

I'm not disagreeing with your points, but if boxing is all business, what about other pro sports? Same?

No I don't think other pro sports are the same.

The best in the world would still play their chosen sport without the huge money rewards - Tiger Woods would still play golf, Federer would still play Tennis, Ronaldo would play football (soccer) etc...

Millions of people PLAY these sports everyday for the love of it.

Pro fighters NEED the incentive of big riches/money. You don't put your life on the line for the fun of it. From the best to the worst they don't do it for free, for the love of fighting, getting hurt (well apart from the odd nutter ).

Good stuff!

[Kev]

I think it's more like 100% business. When was it not?

How much influence did the mob have in the good old days? How many fixed fights have there been? How many horseshoes in gloves?

The best only fight the best when the MONEY is right.

As James Toney said - "you don't play boxing"

(Ouma stop rolling your eyes.. i can't help repeating myself. Fact.)

I'm not disagreeing with your points, but if boxing is all business, what about other pro sports? Same?

No I don't think other pro sports are the same.

The best in the world would still play their chosen sport without the huge money rewards - Tiger Woods would still play golf, Federer would still play Tennis, Ronaldo would play football (soccer) etc...

Millions of people PLAY these sports everyday for the love of it.

Pro fighters NEED the incentive of big riches/money. You don't put your life on the line for the fun of it. From the best to the worst they don't do it for free, for the love of fighting, getting hurt (well apart from the odd nutter ).

Good postings Fenster. Boxing is different from any other sport. In any other sport participants get to compete in maybe thousands of matches, games or events over the course of their careers.

In boxing a fighter may only compete 30-40 times at the pro level, and only a handful of elite fighters will fight past 50 fights.

That's their ENTIRE career. How do they have time to fight in leagues like in other sports?

When a top boxer can fight maybe 3 or 4 times a year he wants those fights to be meaningful and above all well paid.

It's not like tennis or golf where they can enter dozens of events a year and lose badly in many of them with no ill effect.

Every fight matters, and so it will always be more political and a business than other sports.

[Fenster]

I'm not disagreeing with your points, but if boxing is all business, what about other pro sports? Same?

No I don't think other pro sports are the same.

The best in the world would still play their chosen sport without the huge money rewards - Tiger Woods would still play golf, Federer would still play Tennis, Ronaldo would play football (soccer) etc...

Millions of people PLAY these sports everyday for the love of it.

Pro fighters NEED the incentive of big riches/money. You don't put your life on the line for the fun of it. From the best to the worst they don't do it for free, for the love of fighting, getting hurt (well apart from the odd nutter ).

Good postings Fenster. Boxing is different from any other sport. In any other sport participants get to compete in maybe thousands of matches, games or events over the course of their careers.

In boxing a fighter may only compete 30-40 times at the pro level, and only a handful of elite fighters will fight past 50 fights.

That's their ENTIRE career. How do they have time to fight in leagues like in other sports?

When a top boxer can fight maybe 3 or 4 times a year he wants those fights to be meaningful and above all well paid.

It's not like tennis or golf where they can enter dozens of events a year and lose badly in many of them with no ill effect.

Every fight matters, and so it will always be more political and a business than other sports.

Good post back.

Boxing really can't be compared with other major sports but naturally it is.

Because fighters generally only ever meet once, when a close contest happens, it's basically impossible to establish the better fighter. To get a true reflection you would need them to meet like 10 times. Give them a chance to exploit different tactics etc..

This is the reason almost every boxing match is tainted with excuses before and after - too old, too green, too small, too fat, past his prime, weight-drained, corrupt judges, dodgy ref, bad training camp, flu, wrong socks...excuses, excuses, excuses.

[holmcall]

No I don't think other pro sports are the same.

The best in the world would still play their chosen sport without the huge money rewards - Tiger Woods would still play golf, Federer would still play Tennis, Ronaldo would play football (soccer) etc...

Millions of people PLAY these sports everyday for the love of it.

Pro fighters NEED the incentive of big riches/money. You don't put your life on the line for the fun of it. From the best to the worst they don't do it for free, for the love of fighting, getting hurt (well apart from the odd nutter ).

Good postings Fenster. Boxing is different from any other sport. In any other sport participants get to compete in maybe thousands of matches, games or events over the course of their careers.

In boxing a fighter may only compete 30-40 times at the pro level, and only a handful of elite fighters will fight past 50 fights.

That's their ENTIRE career. How do they have time to fight in leagues like in other sports?

When a top boxer can fight maybe 3 or 4 times a year he wants those fights to be meaningful and above all well paid.

It's not like tennis or golf where they can enter dozens of events a year and lose badly in many of them with no ill effect.

Every fight matters, and so it will always be more political and a business than other sports.

Good post back.

Boxing really can't be compared with other major sports but naturally it is.

Because fighters generally only ever meet once, when a close contest happens, it's basically impossible to establish the better fighter. To get a true reflection you would need them to meet like 10 times. Give them a chance to exploit different tactics etc..

This is the reason almost every boxing match is tainted with excuses before and after - too old, too green, too small, too fat, past his prime, weight-drained, corrupt judges, dodgy ref, bad training camp, flu, wrong socks...excuses, excuses, excuses.

This exchange is giving me some great grist for an article I will soon write. Great insights here.