Quote Originally Posted by Steelie View Post
Interesting thread.

I don't think any journalist is unbiased; the very nature of thier position means they have to provide a wholly subjective viewpoint, often going against the grain simply to provoke a reaction and sell copy.

Furthermore, journo's and promoters spend years cultivating a relationship. The journos want access to the fighters; to get in early whilst they are on the way up, so as they can get into the 'inner circles' when said fighters make the big time. A sort of journalistic 'Train hard, fight easy', if you will.

Promoters equally want the journos involved, to build the interest and momentum around thier stable.

It's because of this mutually beneficial relationiship you find that not many journalists openly pan fighters, as it's biting the hand that feeds.

So, my take is ultimately that the likes of Rafael, Hauser, Rosenthal and Big H simply provide an opinion and that's all it is. It's no more or less valid than my own.
I agree with that to an extent. I don't look at these people as journalists in the traditional sense. They are fans of boxing who are in the position of being able to write about it and be read by more than most and use that to plant their own views about certain issues. In that respect of course they are inherently biased. I despise Mayweather as anyone can attest to, but even I find Rafael's attitude towards the Mayweather issue to be quite bizarre. There is no way on earth you could call that man a credible journalist when it comes to this issue. I wouldn't disagree with the view that he is a boxing fan with views of his own though. He just has more phone numbers and a ready made audience.