Boxing the KING of double standard sports

[TitoFan]

If there's another one.... I'd like to know.

Boxing is the KING of the sports with double standards by fans. Excuse catchweights by one fighter..... blast them in another. Belittle one fighter's opponent..... overhype the same opponent for another fighter. Everything done out of convenience. It's so transparent it's laughable. Criticize Side A negotiations by one fighter..... look the other way when another one does it. I could provide lots more examples but you all get the point.

WTF.... I've done it myself.

It just never ceases to amaze, is all.

[TitoFan]

Lebron James throws up 250 shots in one game, making only 30 of them, scoring 60 points...... and he carried his team on his back.
Joe Blow throws up 250 shots in one game and he'll get lynched by the media, getting called a horrible ball hog at best.


Double standard.

[Ron Swanson]

1)Lebron has been terribly inefficient, like awfully. But he's still a great player.

2)many of us have been fans of Cotto for years and are only bothered that he isn't like the Cotto of his entire career. If he gave away the 160 strap all the complaints go away(except from those that just hate)

3) you are right about double standards but Cotto has largely gotten a free pass until his recent awful behavior because he had built so much goodwill. But the last couple years have been absurd.

[TitoFan]

I'm just sayin' Ron... I'm not a fan of this catchweight business either. Also I've never considered Cotto a true MW. He saw an opportunity... he took it. I'm just saying he's not doing anything other elite fighters haven't done themselves, and gotten very little grief over it. It's up to the boxing orgs to stop some of these shenanigans. But I can see where you're coming from.

[ruthless rocco]

Cotto saw "an opportunity" (as you called it) to fight a crippled Martinez for the middleweight title. Winning it got him some Puerto Rican honour so you say... Great. Congratulations! Miguel Cotto national hero! True blooded warrior!!! Yay!!!

But if Cotto has no intention of defending the title at the correct weight then he should have given the title up or risk looking like a massive pussy by waiting a year to defend the the title and then only choosing to fight if his middleweight opponent is forced to weigh 3lbs below the middleweight limit.

What a gaping vagina!!! But hey, I guess that's what passes for a warrior's heart these days... Pathetic!

[Ron Swanson]

The thing is most of us want him to give up the belt for multiple reasons and he is holding onto it for multiple reasons. We all know it gives some form of credibility with casual fans and with that money.

But I'm amazed no real boxing fans are talking about the other shadier element. That belt allows him to hide in that shit division. The only person he must worry about is GGG. We all know he doesn't belong at 160. We all know he's too small. So why? Sure there's the belt but also there is no Lara there, there is no Trout there, there is no Adrade there etcetera. These guys all would dominate Cotto. So hide at 160 with bigger men but lacking talent. 154 is full of stylistic nightmares for Miguel and all without glory. So he has gone to where he can be a champion. And that would be fine except many are being tricked into believing this is some new Miguel. It's not, it's just different opponents.

The Alvarez fight will be a fun fight though so we should all probably give Cotto a break. It's all smart what he is doing, it just isn't who most of us want Miguel to be. We want him to be ready for anyone win or lose.

[Beanflicker]

I think there are a lot of double standards in boxing, but it's not unique to boxing. People will go above and beyond to praise the athletes they love and tear down the athletes they hate, and therein will lie the double standards.

As far as catch weights go, I think most people (including myself) are bothered by the fact that a guy has won and defended the linear world title having NEVER fought at that weight.

I think there's a big difference between that and, say, Gatti and Ward getting together and saying "you're a big junior welterweight, I'm a big junior welterweight, let's give ourselves a break and meet at 142." There's no titles on the line, who cares. I don't think anyone will ever complain about that catch weight. I know big names get to call the shots, but a title should NEVER be defended at a catch weight.

How do you explain that to someone who doesn't follow boxing?

"Boxing is divided into weight classes to keep the fights on a relatively even playing field, and each weight class has a champion."

"How come this guy doesn't fight at this weight class but is still the champ of that weight class."

"Oh because that guy is a big name and draws big crowds in New York, so they let him fight at whatever weight he wants and call it middleweight all the same."

"So this is a mainstream sport where the fundamental rules change depending on how big of a name you are, where the man who draws the most money has the advantage in the ring?"

"Welcome to boxing."

[greynotsoold]

Fighting at a catch weight, contractually agreed upon, doesn't bother me. In the early days that was the origin of the weight limits for the various classes. And, if you can't make the weight, don't sign the contract. If Martinez was too injured to fight Cotto, he shouldn't have signed or he should have pulled out.
The most ridiculous double standard is complaining about a contractually agreed upon weight established weeks, even months, in advance, while defending the practice of getting into the ring at 180 and calling yourself a middleweight. That is just wrong on many levels, and it affects match making at many levels; how does he get? Is the first question asked. Myself, that is what I would limit contractually. You weigh 160 Friday and no more than 165 when you glove up or you fight for free.

[powerpuncher]

Although some people like geale sign the contract because it's a payday they can't turn down even though they are getting the shaft. It's like telling a fighter to sign a contract that he has to have one seem tied behind his back but he will get $10 million. Obviously he will sign but the fight isn't fair.

[greynotsoold]

Although some people like geale sign the contract because it's a payday they can't turn down even though they are getting the shaft. It's like telling a fighter to sign a contract that he has to have one seem tied behind his back but he will get $10 million. Obviously he will sign but the fight isn't fair.

If you sign for the money, knowing you are getting screwed, take your lumps because you asked for them. Or blame your manager for not doing more for you in negotiations.