Greetings,
I want to thank a very good boxing friend of mine Anthony who runs Thunderdome Boxing Talk on You Tube! He discusses weekly events in the sport and I am going to be working with him for ideas and improvements to our sport. Each year, the Association of Boxing Commissions has their annual convention. The same with boxing's four world championship sanctioning organization. Our goals are:
1.) To brainstorm for solutions on boxing's current infrastructure to which the powers that be might actually listen to and consider. For example, while many boxing purists would like one world champion per weight class, a return to eight weight divisions, and the return of the 15-round world title fights, these goals are not realistic.
2.) To collect feedback on social media where a consensus can be drawn about what needs improvement, what needs further clarification, and to submit said ideas to boxing's championship federations and sanctioning organizations.
Here is Anthony's video from his Thunderdome Boxing Talk You Tube Channel. He is off to such a fine start. If you are on You Tube please offer any kind of constructive feedback to him or to me. (Leave comments as well.) I want to work on some ideas as well. The thing is, what Anthony says here is so on the money, that I have little to add or amend!
I want to thank all of you in advance for your support of boxing and the great staff of this website. Together, we can make a difference!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeNqgABDqpI
Jack
How to Improve The Sport of Boxng? (Great Video!)
Re: How to Improve The Sport of Boxng? (Great Video!)
This is a Combination of Anthony's Ideas and some Ideas of my Own.
1.) Agree that we must accept the sanctioning bodies will not go away, 15round
title fights will never come back, and 17 divisions will remain.
2.) World Championship sanctioning bodies should rate each others champions and
contenders and use a tournament style system to allow the champions and contenders
to fight the best fights.
3.) Only World Champions get belts. Belts for all these other titles are so confusing and meaningless! Especially the WBA "Regular" and "Super Champion" bullshit. WBA needs to drop the regular champion title, In the WBC no Diamond Belts or Silver Belts. You can have elimination bouts. But only champions get belts. I believe that the WBA is the worst with regards to the multiple belts. They give belts like trophies to participant kids at summer camp! The more belts you have, that are not legitimate world championships, the less meaningful that governing body becomes.
4.) Keep the names of weight classes consistent and uniform.
5.) Non Title Bouts should only be fought at 10-rounds, and no belts for those bouts, EVER!
6.) World Champions continue to fight 12- round bouts between the sanctioning bodies' best champions and contenders.
When a fighter wins he moves up in the ratings, when he loses, he moves down.
No promoter, manager, trainer, or TV network can manipulate the ratings or they face fines, suspensions. If a decision or ruling is
extremely controversial the rating should remain the same and a rematch ordered.
7.) Use of a computerized rating system and acknowledgment by all boxing federations that
this is a good system based on win loss records, quality of opposition, major titles won,
and ring activity. This system should not be manipulated through any extortion,
bribery, favors, or political bullshit! Keep accomplishments fair, honest, level, and
real.
8.) Fighters can have the option to fight on the network of their choosing, regardless of
promoter.
9.) Severe penalties for judges, referees, promoters, or matchmakers who attempt to
extort, bribe, or show overt favoritism to a fighter. Bad officiating MUST be
harshly reprimanded! (Fines, suspensions, loss of license.)
10.) Harsher penalties for excessive holding and clinching. Proposed similar to low blow warnings and put this in a rule book across national and international rules for boxing:
11.) After three warnings, ref may begin to deduct points:
● On fourth warning = One point is taken away
● On fifth warning = Another point is taken away
● On sixth warning =Another point is taken away
● On any seven warning=No matter who the fighter is, or who his promoter is, he
gets DQ'ed!
12.) Flagrant fouls will remain intentional and points may be taken away for that like always.
Excessive holding, clinching, should be treated with the same type of fouling as low blows,
rabbit-punches,and kidney punches. Boxers today are often showing no
respect for excessive holding and cinching, and even the top refs take forever to
penalize this tactic, if they even do it at all!
13.) Harsher penalties for PED stimulants, random drug testing by commissions and world sanctioning bodies. Expansion of WBA "Say no to Drugs" program.
14.) Life insurance programs for fighters to protect themselves and their families. I need to research more on "WBC Cares" program. Know that the WBC does support life insurance
policies for ALL fighters on their cards, (Not just for WBC titles, which is great.)
15.) Business Management Seminars for fighters to help them manage their finances, help them
set up trust funds, retirement funds. Teach them money management skills to help them not
become victims to corrupt promoter, matchmaker, and business practices. Many fighters have
not been taught the proper skills that they need to protect themselves from bad politics out of
the ring.
Jack
1.) Agree that we must accept the sanctioning bodies will not go away, 15round
title fights will never come back, and 17 divisions will remain.
2.) World Championship sanctioning bodies should rate each others champions and
contenders and use a tournament style system to allow the champions and contenders
to fight the best fights.
3.) Only World Champions get belts. Belts for all these other titles are so confusing and meaningless! Especially the WBA "Regular" and "Super Champion" bullshit. WBA needs to drop the regular champion title, In the WBC no Diamond Belts or Silver Belts. You can have elimination bouts. But only champions get belts. I believe that the WBA is the worst with regards to the multiple belts. They give belts like trophies to participant kids at summer camp! The more belts you have, that are not legitimate world championships, the less meaningful that governing body becomes.
4.) Keep the names of weight classes consistent and uniform.
5.) Non Title Bouts should only be fought at 10-rounds, and no belts for those bouts, EVER!
6.) World Champions continue to fight 12- round bouts between the sanctioning bodies' best champions and contenders.
When a fighter wins he moves up in the ratings, when he loses, he moves down.
No promoter, manager, trainer, or TV network can manipulate the ratings or they face fines, suspensions. If a decision or ruling is
extremely controversial the rating should remain the same and a rematch ordered.
7.) Use of a computerized rating system and acknowledgment by all boxing federations that
this is a good system based on win loss records, quality of opposition, major titles won,
and ring activity. This system should not be manipulated through any extortion,
bribery, favors, or political bullshit! Keep accomplishments fair, honest, level, and
real.
8.) Fighters can have the option to fight on the network of their choosing, regardless of
promoter.
9.) Severe penalties for judges, referees, promoters, or matchmakers who attempt to
extort, bribe, or show overt favoritism to a fighter. Bad officiating MUST be
harshly reprimanded! (Fines, suspensions, loss of license.)
10.) Harsher penalties for excessive holding and clinching. Proposed similar to low blow warnings and put this in a rule book across national and international rules for boxing:
11.) After three warnings, ref may begin to deduct points:
● On fourth warning = One point is taken away
● On fifth warning = Another point is taken away
● On sixth warning =Another point is taken away
● On any seven warning=No matter who the fighter is, or who his promoter is, he
gets DQ'ed!
12.) Flagrant fouls will remain intentional and points may be taken away for that like always.
Excessive holding, clinching, should be treated with the same type of fouling as low blows,
rabbit-punches,and kidney punches. Boxers today are often showing no
respect for excessive holding and cinching, and even the top refs take forever to
penalize this tactic, if they even do it at all!
13.) Harsher penalties for PED stimulants, random drug testing by commissions and world sanctioning bodies. Expansion of WBA "Say no to Drugs" program.
14.) Life insurance programs for fighters to protect themselves and their families. I need to research more on "WBC Cares" program. Know that the WBC does support life insurance
policies for ALL fighters on their cards, (Not just for WBC titles, which is great.)
15.) Business Management Seminars for fighters to help them manage their finances, help them
set up trust funds, retirement funds. Teach them money management skills to help them not
become victims to corrupt promoter, matchmaker, and business practices. Many fighters have
not been taught the proper skills that they need to protect themselves from bad politics out of
the ring.
Jack