Do protected boxers know they're protected?

[Riddick Bowie]

When someone like Hamza Sheeraz gets told he's fighting for a vacant world title, and in a division that has Canelo, Mbilli, Plant, Mungia, Iglesias etc, the opponent is an obscure German who's never fought a name, is 39 years old, and has inexplicably been flung up to the top of the rankings, do you think boxers in such situations realise what's going on?

Ken Buchanan gets Laguna, Honeyghan gets Don Curry, John Stracey gets Napoles, Lewis gets Ruddock, Fury Klitschko (etc).... and YOU get a hapless clubfighter who looks sub white collar in all available footage.

Do you think the penny drops and they quietly ask themselves: 'hang on, am I being protected? Why? Oh god, am I one of those s**t fighters with padded records?!!'

Serious question, I've always been intrigued by the psychology of fighters who accept the path of least resistance.

[joshj909]

Some are just deluded

[Ruthless-RKO]

It’s not as if Begic was ranked highly.

They went down the ranking list and ended up with Begic.

Pacheco was up for it then decided against it.

A much better fight that would have been.

Other promoters have other ideas/belts on their mind and pass on opportunities.

It’s been going on for years.

[mickey1975]

Some are just deluded

Do you know this? I'd say they are very aware of where they stand in things. Some, like Benn, might come across as deluded but what they say and do are very different things.

[Heldenjaeger]

Begic didn’t accidentally end up in those rankings. He was very carefully moved into position. He first appeared in the WBO rankings in July 2024 after beating Sebastian Tlatlik’s younger brother — and Tlatlik is essentially his local trainer/promoter/matchmaker.

That opponent had come out of a five-year retirement just two months earlier and is probably best known for quitting against Liam Paro at 140 lbs back in 2018.

That’s the level of win that started Begic’s climb into the WBO rankings.

And to be fair to Begic himself, he’s actually very open about what he is. He works a full-time office job in Switzerland, boxes mostly because he enjoys it, is financially comfortable, and has good connections within the local Munich boxing scene where he grew up and spent most of his life. There’s no real pretence that he’s some avoided elite monster.

The more interesting question is Sheeraz. Does he realise he’s only in this position because managers, promoters and sanctioning bodies want him there? Maybe deep down. But when you’re surrounded by people constantly telling you you’re the future of the division, it probably becomes easy to believe it. And having Andy Lee in your ear — one of the biggest yes-men in modern boxing — definitely doesn’t help.

[Oiky]

i generally dont know sometimes youd like to think any man in any position in life, boxer or not, know's himself, but some of these boxers and their "team" are just deluded and cringe

in any sport where the stakes a high you need people round you who give it to you as it is, not have a load of people w*nking you off and telling you it's all good

i think a lot of it nowadays as well is people are afraid of being called a hater, where sometimes it's just telling someone something as it is.

if some of these guy's don't know they're being steered in a very generous direction then theyre f*cking stupid imho

[Controversial]

I’m sure they know, most fighters pick and chose who to fight and avoiding the harder opponents has being going on for decades. It’s a lot easier these days with the multiple belts and weights. Eubank Snr avoided all the top Americans in favour of WBO title defences against guys most people hadn’t heard of, I’m sure that he knew that was the easier route even though he arguably lost some of those easier fights.

[joshj909]

Some are just deluded

Do you know this? I'd say they are very aware of where they stand in things. Some, like Benn, might come across as deluded but what they say and do are very different things.

That's true. Benn definitely appears to be one of the most deluded but he has always targeted opponents where he can gain an advantage either due to age, size, steroids or dehydration clauses. That suggests he knows. However, I definitely think there's levels of delusion. Like they'll justify it in their heads by suggesting that everyone does it and it's part of the game or something like that rather than admitting to themselves that they're not good enough. It's the same delusions that they have when they eventually lose. Wilder for example was definitely deluded and blamed everything under the sun for his losses to Fury except accepting the fact that Fury was better than him and nobody he faced before was close to that level.

[Ruthless-RKO]

That’s just the WBO.

Look at Yarde and him being mandatory twice.

How did he get that position?

He fought European builders.

Won the WBO European belt. Not even the actual EBU belt. And then got his title shots.

Completely undeserved but fair play to Frank getting him in those positions.

[JamesPhilips]

I think to reach the top you need a certain amount of delusion and a lot of confidence. If you start doubting yourself it can’t do your career any good.

[gilgamesh]

I do genuinely think many of the actual Fighters are simply worried about getting in shape, and doing their best once the fight begins. Their managers are the ones who are trying to make the fighter and themselves the most money which usually means keeping them on the winning side.

[margaret thatcher]

It’s not as if Begic was ranked highly.

They went down the ranking list and ended up with Begic.

Pacheco was up for it then decided against it.

A much better fight that would have been.

Other promoters have other ideas/belts on their mind and pass on opportunities.

It’s been going on for years.

he was ranked #4, that is a high ranking. and high enough to fight for a world title when he shouldnt have been anywhere near it

[Ruthless-RKO]

It’s not as if Begic was ranked highly.

They went down the ranking list and ended up with Begic.

Pacheco was up for it then decided against it.

A much better fight that would have been.

Other promoters have other ideas/belts on their mind and pass on opportunities.

It’s been going on for years.

he was ranked #4, that is a high ranking. and high enough to fight for a world title when he shouldnt have been anywhere near it

He was 4th? I thought he was a little lower than that.

[coneye]

My first thoughts werd Benn he,s deluded and does,nt know , then i cast my mind back a few weeks to hearns list of fighters Bennhad refused including a crack at the title so he knows but still talks like a pratt. My next choice is definetly Whittaker . He,s just simply deluded and full of it sooner they both fight a 50 ...50 fight get ko ed and foook off the better .then some proper fighters with heart and ambition can earn there money

[Riddick Bowie]

Wonder if the penny's dropped yet with Sheeraz.

[Steveh583]

I doubt they feel protected when they are in there getting punched in the face.... and thats the thing, its still a hard game regardless so they prob justify it to themselves. Im sure a few understand its a business and are happy to use boxing rather than letting it use them.

[Boxerbeetle]

You’d think guys like Benn, Whittaker, even Wilder during his dreadful title reign, would have enough self-awareness and general boxing knowledge to realise they were being managed extremely carefully and their team don’t trust them against decent opposition. But I suspect there’s enough of a combination of arrogance + wilful ignorance to disregard those nagging feelings, plus getting good money for battering low level opponents can’t exactly hurt.

[KiwiRider]

When someone like Hamza Sheeraz gets told he's fighting for a vacant world title, and in a division that has Canelo, Mbilli, Plant, Mungia, Iglesias etc, the opponent is an obscure German who's never fought a name, is 39 years old, and has inexplicably been flung up to the top of the rankings, do you think boxers in such situations realise what's going on?

Well put.
I think fighters are surrounded by yes men and women. Some are so puffed up by others and ego they believe it.

[Eolaithe]

Professional boxing is not just a sport; it is also a business. There is no single person or organisation that decides which fights happen.

Fights are made through deals between promoters, managers, TV companies, venues, sponsors, boxing organisations, trainers and the fighters themselves.

Everyone involved has financial reasons that affect whether a fight gets made. Most fighters do not simply choose their next opponent from a list. They usually have contracts with promoters and managers, while TV companies and promoters decide which fights make business sense.

They consider things like ticket sales, TV rights, sponsorship money, PPV buys, rankings, title chances, and whether the risk is worth the reward.

A dangerous opponent who is not well known may bring little money, while saving a popular fighter for a bigger fight later on (by taking the "safest route" in the short-term) can often make far more money. Everyone involved in the sport knows this.

For fighters, boxing is also a job, and their time to earn money is short. An injury or defeat can end a career quickly, and most boxers make most of their lifetime earnings before their mid-30s.

Because of this, fighters often focus on earning as much as possible and securing their future, rather than always taking the hardest or most “perfect” sporting fight. They always know when they're being protected and matched-up against a "safe" opponent.

This is why boxing can frustrate fans. The biggest fights do not happen just because they are the best sporting match-ups. They happen when the business interests of the main decision-makers line up.

In professional boxing, business usually controls the sport, not the other way around.

[kbackup408]

Anyone know if he is still with Warren? Surprised he didn't come to the fight on the weekend

[Ruthless-RKO]

Anyone know if he is still with Warren? Surprised he didn't come to the fight on the weekend

Warren doesn't always go out much to events much. Health reasons.. He probably is still with Warren though.

Sheeraz is a Turki favourite though, so he'll get on Saudi cards regardless

[Frostieballs]

They understand it’s a business and are happy to follow advice that enables them to make the most money, with the least risk.

Doesn’t mean they don’t still think they can beat the top boys when the time finally comes.

[Riddick Bowie]

Professional boxing is not just a sport; it is also a business. There is no single person or organisation that decides which fights happen.

Fights are made through deals between promoters, managers, TV companies, venues, sponsors, boxing organisations, trainers and the fighters themselves.

Everyone involved has financial reasons that affect whether a fight gets made. Most fighters do not simply choose their next opponent from a list. They usually have contracts with promoters and managers, while TV companies and promoters decide which fights make business sense.

They consider things like ticket sales, TV rights, sponsorship money, PPV buys, rankings, title chances, and whether the risk is worth the reward.

A dangerous opponent who is not well known may bring little money, while saving a popular fighter for a bigger fight later on (by taking the "safest route" in the short-term) can often make far more money. Everyone involved in the sport knows this.

For fighters, boxing is also a job, and their time to earn money is short. An injury or defeat can end a career quickly, and most boxers make most of their lifetime earnings before their mid-30s.

Because of this, fighters often focus on earning as much as possible and securing their future, rather than always taking the hardest or most “perfect” sporting fight. They always know when they're being protected and matched-up against a "safe" opponent.

This is why boxing can frustrate fans. The biggest fights do not happen just because they are the best sporting match-ups. They happen when the business interests of the main decision-makers line up.

In professional boxing, business usually controls the sport, not the other way around.

Oh look, the guy who thinks the Saudis ran to Prenga's corner and told him to throw the fight is here to explain boxing to us. Great!