It is an oversimplification to say skill means boring. There are boring boxers who are skilled and one who aren't skilled, same can be said for exciting fighters. It is also an excuse to judge fights on a criteria that isn't in line with the guidelines of scoring a bout. Within the context of a boxing match a fighter can fight a negative or boring style and still win, as he should according to the way a fight is judged. As far as I know the criteria is written the same across professional boxing, both fighters are pros and know the criteria so the person losing should take the responsibility for not doing enough to win. Ward can be a boring fighter at times and often has an ugly style but like Timothy Bradley his greatest tools in winning a fight are a willingness to do more work within a round and stay fighting in a style that will win them the rounds. They are more workman with above average skill than boring but extremely skilled defensive stylists.

As for Dibella saying that it is the casual fans who go to the events and buy the PPVs, bullshit. Casual fans and fans driven by national rivalries certainly do help make Pacman fights successful as well as PPV events like Latin Fury and Calderon headlined cards. I think the reason many hardcore fans don't go to the events as well as many potentially interested casual fans don't is simply that they are out of the price range for someone to spend on an evening of entertainment. The reason many hardcore fans don't buy the PPVs though is more a case of once burned, twice shy. Hardcore fans are more likely to see the meaninglessness or relatively low quality of many undercard fights and refuse to pay money for one big fight, two that couldn't headline an HBO or Showtime card, and one that would be at best a cofeature on FNF.

Boxing is a little odd compared to most other professional sports, could you imagine paying the same money to see two less competent but exciting soccer teams play as you would for the two very best teams in the same league compete for the league title at a more measured pace? We want entertainment value for our money but we also would like to watch the very best of the sport compete against each other, the two situations are too often not found in the same matches with boxing. Soccer matches, basketball games, hockey and other mainstream professional sports though only have the one event to sell you, boxing cards have the ability to somewhat safeguard the problem because there are multiple fights on the same card, for this reason the majority of the blame is on promoters in my view. They should be able to offer a more enjoyable and well rounded event that has compelling fights for the fans looking forward to the very best fighting as well as those looking for exciting all out wars. They end up telling you it is because it would cost too much money to get other high profile boxers on the undercard but that is really because they are willing to overpay the main event boxers at the cost of the rest of the card.