Okay, now i've got your attention...
I was going to type up an article that i'd read in a paper which I thought was very good about how and why boxing has lost it's lustre for good, but I thought i'd just discuss the main point of the article in my own words.
Okay, regarding money ruining boxing, read the following.
Lets take the PBF ODLH bout. The "superfight" as it was labeled. The "fight to break all records". Was this ever going to be a great fight? No way! Forget fighting styles. Forget Oscars age. Forget Floyds defence, forget the hype, forget everything,,, bar one thing...
The money BOTH these fighters were making.
Whether they won, lost, drawed or got knocked the f'k out for a week,,,, they were both making a SH*TLOAD!!! And what are they getting paid for? To put on a show! and that's all they did! Both fighers even commented on it at the end of the day about 'putting on a show' for the fans... And that's ALL they did... put on a show.
Back in the old days, fighters used to fight themselves out of the ghetto. They fought for respect. They fought to feed their families. They were hungry times where money wasn't as freely available. When Nigel Benn, Thomas Hearns, Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leanard, Marvin Hagler and the like used to step in the ring, you sensed the danger. You KNEW these fighters would stop at NOTHING to put their opponent away. And with ANY punch you could see it.
Did you feel that with Floyd and Oscar? of course not. All you knew was you were going to get a show. These fighters didn't have to hang it all out their... They were making more money than most people will see in their lifetime whether they tried or not... Whether they played the whole thing safe or not.
I did not sense one ounce of excitement during that fight. Not one moment where you could feel the tension between these fighters. Not one moment where you sensed EITHER of them wanted to knock the other out...
They were 2 guys, making a f'kload of money, to go out and throw a few punches....
and nothing more....
I'm absolutely CERTAIN that if the entire purse of the fight was put aside and ONLY give to the WINNER of the fight, and the loser got nothing. THEN we'd see a fight!!! THAT would be passion! THAT would be urgency! THAT would be BOXING the way it was popular in the old days!
Those oldies fought like they had everything to win,, but EVERYTHING TO LOSE at the same time!!
If THIS, is what our "superfights" have turned into,,, it's a rather large indicator that boxing has lost a huge part of it's soul that may never return....
It's only the select few of boxers,,, like the one we lost only a few days ago, Diego Corrales, who maintain some of that passion that boxing is all about. When he stepped in the ring, you knew he was going to put his heart and soul into it.. Win loss or draw, he fought like he had it all to lose... Boxing will miss a man like this more than ever before. We should all just hope more like him come along in the future, or we might just have to forget it all and take up tennis.. (okay that was a joke but anyway)...
So that's my 2 cents about a few millions dollars...
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