BoxRec

I buy this until I see the emergence of shyte like Cage-Rage. They're clearly tapping into something.

I personally dont think it is this that has marginalised boxing, its a nice excuse for the powers that be within the sport.

The truth is far more self-inlficted but equally terminal.

All boxing needs is competitive match ups between ambitious fighters. Not spoon-fed sparring sessions. Then mainstream media may well prick up their ears and say 'yep, boxing has learned its lesson, its polished up its product and is ready for mainstream again.'

Mainstream fans have no interest because they do not recognise any genuine world champion, the splintered title picture dilutes quality, meaning and recognition to such an extreme even us enthusiasts cannot remember the main champions in every division.

Its a nightmare.

Yep, and it's getting worse as time goes on, rather than better.

I get the impression sometimes that it's like pirates raiding a scuttled ship. As the returns diminish, promoters become more and more keen to protect their assets, and therefore don't take any risks, this over time causes returns to diminish even more, as people who are fans, get sick of paying good money after bad to watch poor fights, and so cancel their sky subscriptions and stop attending fight cards as regularly.

Everyone wants to get their slice of the pie, and so you get more and more mickey mouse organisations cropping up, diluting the sport further and further.

At some point, boxing also needs to recruit the next generation of boxing fans. Aside from people whose dads take them to fight cards, how many under 25's are there who follow the sport? Not enough.

International commission is the only way forward, but I fear there are far too many vested interests to allow this to ever happen. The sport has to have promoters to put events on, and if they choose not to recognise a newly appointed body, then it's dead as a witches knocker before it evens starts.

I hope the firmer stance taken by our broadcasters recently forces promoters to improve their product. If they pillage whats left of the sport, we'll be left with nothing within 10-20 years.

Mind you Evander will still be trying to become undisputed world champion despite having lost Eric Ershe's son.

Yaaaar! Shiver me timbers.

The amateur game certainly needs alot more investigation on this issue the amount of times I have been told "Don't weigh, you look a fair bit bigger than this guy" or also in non-home shows "Oh, the scales have broken, but your bigger than my fighter" - only to see him for the first time in the ring and he stands about 5 inches taller than you (no exaturation - he was taller than both Super Middles who fought after).

I know the amateur game is less dangerous, but its not setting a good example of being disciplined.

I for one always keep hovering just above my fighting weight, and that is all year round. Boxing is a hard enough game as it is without having to contend with shifting shedloads of weight.

Dynamite Dean Phillips wrote:I for one always keep hovering just above my fighting weight, and that is all year round. Boxing is a hard enough game as it is without having to contend with shifting shedloads of weight.

Your discipline is noteworthy.

It's just a case of keeping in good habits.

When are you fighting again Dean?

At yesterdays 15 day weigh-in (or what its called) Markussen weighed in at 167lbs

I found the article of Weight-making in this weeks Boxing News an interesting read. For a boxer to weigh nearly 2 stone above his fighting weight, 21 days after he fought at that weight is not a good sign, is it?

Bernard Hopkins never lets himself put on that kind of weight, and that is one of the reasons he is so superior to fellow professionals. Boxers who train and exercise all year round are the ones who benefit the most.

I do not this for sure, but I bet Mike Tyson weighed a great deal above the weight he is at now before he started training and doing roadwork etc?

When boxers put on a great deal of weight in between fights, then lose it all again, sometimes in a short period of time (Justin Juko), this is bad!

Also in the artice, I read that a boxer (cannot remember his name) was 3lbs above his fighting weight when he weighed in for a bout. When he came back for a second weigh-in, he apparently had to helped to the scales and back down from the scales.

ive often wondered about the idea of weighing boxers after a fight as well as the customary pre fight checks. a wee bit like what they do in F1 with the cars or with jockeys. Once the fights done and dusted weigh them both again at ringside at the earliest opportunity, then announce the result. Obviously this wont work if a fighter has been seriously ko'd and needing attention but those cases are thankfully few and far between these days.

That way the board can be fully assured a fighter is fighting at the correct weight and hasnt been running the risk of dehydrating then banging on pounds etc. Id rather wait a few mins for the result to be announced if it cuts down the chances of a fighter being injured due to weight 'problems'. We usually have a convoluted wait for announcements after bouts anyhow.

Im sure if fighters were threatened with the possibility of financial repurcussions, ie witheld purses, if they are found to be over the weight their supposed to be fighting at then im sure we'd see a qucker solution to this potentially fatal habit