Postponed Fights: Disturbing Trend

[caldo2025]

What is it with this new era of boxers? There used to be a time when you signed that dotted line to fight and albeit a broken bone or a laceration to the eye, the fight must go on no matter what little ache or pain they had. Nowadays, guys feel like they just don't have it in training camp...screw it. Postpone it to give them more time to prepare properly. Just say it's a rib or some other injury that is impossible to verify and either they fight the same guy a month or two later or come up with a story and fight someone lesser.

In the last few weeks, we've had Wlad postpone his fight with a bad calf and now Brook using the old reliable rib fib to postpone his fight. I realize that there are good reasons to postpone fights to ensure that fans get their money's worth and some postponements are legitimate. But Boxing is a copy cat sport above all others and i'm afraid that more boxers will now realize they have an out if their training camp is less than par and utilize the postponement. It's rare for any professional athlete to be 100% on game day. The legends are the ones that answer the bell at 80% and still get it done. There's no such thing as a sick day in boxing. Lace em up already and be men.

[Tony1244]

What is it with this new era of boxers? There used to be a time when you signed that dotted line to fight and albeit a broken bone or a laceration to the eye, the fight must go on no matter what little ache or pain they had. Nowadays, guys feel like they just don't have it in training camp...screw it. Postpone it to give them more time to prepare properly. Just say it's a rib or some other injury that is impossible to verify and either they fight the same guy a month or two later or come up with a story and fight someone lesser.

In the last few weeks, we've had Wlad postpone his fight with a bad calf and now Brook using the old reliable rib fib to postpone his fight. I realize that there are good reasons to postpone fights to ensure that fans get their money's worth and some postponements are legitimate. But Boxing is a copy cat sport above all others and i'm afraid that more boxers will now realize they have an out if their training camp is less than par and utilize the postponement. It's rare for any professional athlete to be 100% on game day. The legends are the ones that answer the bell at 80% and still get it done. There's no such thing as a sick day in boxing. Lace em up already and be men.

Very true. Another new trend, or lack of trend I should say is the there are seldom grudge matches or revenge matches. When Ken Norton was upset by a guy named Jose Luis Garcia, Ken got his rematch and avenged his defeat. When Norton upset Ali, there was an immediate rematch. In more recent times, John Ruiz acted as though Tua never beat him. Roy Jones Jr keeps on fighting, but when he was KOd in 1 in Australia, it was like oh well that didn't just happen.

[caldo2025]

What is it with this new era of boxers? There used to be a time when you signed that dotted line to fight and albeit a broken bone or a laceration to the eye, the fight must go on no matter what little ache or pain they had. Nowadays, guys feel like they just don't have it in training camp...screw it. Postpone it to give them more time to prepare properly. Just say it's a rib or some other injury that is impossible to verify and either they fight the same guy a month or two later or come up with a story and fight someone lesser.

In the last few weeks, we've had Wlad postpone his fight with a bad calf and now Brook using the old reliable rib fib to postpone his fight. I realize that there are good reasons to postpone fights to ensure that fans get their money's worth and some postponements are legitimate. But Boxing is a copy cat sport above all others and i'm afraid that more boxers will now realize they have an out if their training camp is less than par and utilize the postponement. It's rare for any professional athlete to be 100% on game day. The legends are the ones that answer the bell at 80% and still get it done. There's no such thing as a sick day in boxing. Lace em up already and be men.

Very true. Another new trend, or lack of trend I should say is the there are seldom grudge matches or revenge matches. When Ken Norton was upset by a guy named Jose Luis Garcia, Ken got his rematch and avenged his defeat. When Norton upset Ali, there was an immediate rematch. In more recent times, John Ruiz acted as though Tua never beat him. Roy Jones Jr keeps on fighting, but when he was KOd in 1 in Australia, it was like oh well that didn't just happen.

It's funny that you say that because I was thinking about that recently. Why are there no rematches or trilogies anymore? Aside from Manny and JMM, I can't think of any others. There are so many combos that would be great to see matched up multiple times. I guess Rios/Alvarado was really the last one I can think of. What a great point. Maybe it's the money? Why else?

[CrazyHorse]

With Wlad it's difficult. We all have personal lives as does Wladimir. I imagine his wife was going through a rough time with her postpartum depresson. I know if I injured myself and on top of that my wife is going through a rough time with her depression I'm going to stop and deal with that. We tend to forget that boxing is not the most important thing in life, the people around you are. If Wladimir fought with his injury and other issues at home and lost, people would then call him stupid for fighting

[ikorolev]

Beterbiev just joined the crowd:

https://www.boxing247.com/boxing-news/a ... jury/48557?

[caldo2025]

Beterbiev just joined the crowd:

https://www.boxing247.com/boxing-news/a ... jury/48557?

I saw that yesterday and shook my head as well. At least Beterbiev didn't even have an opponent yet named for that fight as far as I know but yeah, it's getting ridiculous. And it seems to be more of a European thing.

[reggaereggae]

This is a great point. You see a fight scheduled and there's realistically only a 50% chance that it will happen on that date. I'm certain there were never so many pull outs in the the previous generation.

Tyson used to pull out a bit and it was considered big news, but I'm sure in the 1990s mist fights announced happened on that date.

So the question is why? Firstly I would suggest it's like a virus, the more normal it is to pull out the more others do it. But I also wonder about the training methods.... Are they more intense now and more likely to cause injury?

[Tony1244]

What is it with this new era of boxers? There used to be a time when you signed that dotted line to fight and albeit a broken bone or a laceration to the eye, the fight must go on no matter what little ache or pain they had. Nowadays, guys feel like they just don't have it in training camp...screw it. Postpone it to give them more time to prepare properly. Just say it's a rib or some other injury that is impossible to verify and either they fight the same guy a month or two later or come up with a story and fight someone lesser.

In the last few weeks, we've had Wlad postpone his fight with a bad calf and now Brook using the old reliable rib fib to postpone his fight. I realize that there are good reasons to postpone fights to ensure that fans get their money's worth and some postponements are legitimate. But Boxing is a copy cat sport above all others and i'm afraid that more boxers will now realize they have an out if their training camp is less than par and utilize the postponement. It's rare for any professional athlete to be 100% on game day. The legends are the ones that answer the bell at 80% and still get it done. There's no such thing as a sick day in boxing. Lace em up already and be men.

Very true. Another new trend, or lack of trend I should say is the there are seldom grudge matches or revenge matches. When Ken Norton was upset by a guy named Jose Luis Garcia, Ken got his rematch and avenged his defeat. When Norton upset Ali, there was an immediate rematch. In more recent times, John Ruiz acted as though Tua never beat him. Roy Jones Jr keeps on fighting, but when he was KOd in 1 in Australia, it was like oh well that didn't just happen.

It's funny that you say that because I was thinking about that recently. Why are there no rematches or trilogies anymore? Aside from Manny and JMM, I can't think of any others. There are so many combos that would be great to see matched up multiple times. I guess Rios/Alvarado was really the last one I can think of. What a great point. Maybe it's the money? Why else?

Perhaps there are less serious boxing fans than there use to be. It seems to me to be an insult to the fans that the promoters act as though fans don't remember results. It probably is the money; I agree.

[sucracristo]

the elites don't fight as often as they used to, but fights got postponed and cancelled
all the time back in the day. pretty sure ali-liston rematch in lewsiton was delayed for
non-injuries and ali-foreman was delayed because of a foreman injury. i can think of
too many to mention. i can think of lots of rematches and trilogies in recent years
(froch-groves, kessler-froch, fury-chisora, smith-abraham, crolla-perez coming up next
month, mcdonnel-kameda last month, chudinov-sturm in december, bla, bla) but
again the elites don't fight as often as before so it takes more time to put the matches
together.

[sucracristo]

Aside from Manny and JMM, I can't think of any others.

like manny-morales, manny-barrera, morales-barrera, etc?
i think corrales was in a few trilogies. i can think of a lot from the 80's and 90's
but that was more my generation. alvarado-rios is the most recent one i can think
of but i know there have been other recent trilogies, even though most remember
the rjj-tarver, bowe-holyfield, etc, from the 90's. i think people forget that the great
rivalries from back in the day didn't always happen back to back. they were often
stretched out over careers. i could see degale and groves having a decent rematch
and lots of other good rematches to look forward to. manny-bradley should never have
needed a rematch after that crap decision the first fight, but eventually it happened.

[man]

i don't think it is a real "trend", it just feels bad
when you are frustrated about a certain event.
what i dislike much more is when guys at the top
fight less then twice per year.

[tiny_acres]

i don't think it is a real "trend", it just feels bad
when you are frustrated about a certain event.
what i dislike much more is when guys at the top
fight less then twice per year.

This i agree with. It is frustrating but I do not feel like it is a big problem with most fighters.
Now the best part of your statement was tge top fighters not fighting enough.