Boxing is ****ed

[Controversial]

Is boxing so much worse than before?

Corruption and dirty dealing is nothing new

But instead we get lawyers and excuses and very little in the way of discouragement for dirty fighters.

If the results were not leaked, this fight would have gone ahead, with virtually all parties involved compliant with there being an obvious cheat.

Hearn reckons the BBBoC contacted them prior to it being released in the press and withdrew their sanctioning of the fight. I guess we will never know if that was the case. But yes the whole thing stinks, all carefully worded responses obviously written by legal teams, no ownership of the problem and smoke and mirrors

[gregregegg]

Is boxing so much worse than before?

Corruption and dirty dealing is nothing new

But instead we get lawyers and excuses and very little in the way of discouragement for dirty fighters.

If the results were not leaked, this fight would have gone ahead, with virtually all parties involved compliant with there being an obvious cheat.

Hearn reckons the BBBoC contacted them prior to it being released in the press and withdrew their sanctioning of the fight. I guess we will never know if that was the case. But yes the whole thing stinks, all carefully worded responses obviously written by legal teams, no ownership of the problem and smoke and mirrors

No way this was getting pulled prior to the leak or threat of leak. IF they were going to pull it they would have done it befor everyone started cutting weight, and befor all the fight week activitys.

If, they always planned on pulling it, and eddie never planned on fighting that decision, why would he not have told people in time to get hotel refunds, not cut weight, not catch flights, not plan there weekends, ect ect.

[Muttley]

All ovf us in here are massive boxing fans, our commitment to the sport shows no bounds.

With regarding cheats a lot of us are hypocritical ****s because many of us regardless how many cheats are caught we still follow the sport.

I am a bigger **** than most on here because I worked in the sport and have turned a blind eye to a lot of things I seen and heard.

The last couple of months I seriously questioned many things about boxing so when a couple of days ago it was revealed Benn got caught cheating, and then in my opinion certain ****s desperately trying to get the fight on has made me blow a fuse.

Can I ask you the following:

Why are you a boxing fan?

Have recent events made you question your loyalty to the sport?

Do you have the belief that recent events will get dealt with correctly?

Thanks

I left the sport 4 years ago after many years working either with or for many uk promoters and broadcasters. I have huge respect for many of the people I worked with but the way any Tom, Dick or Harry can just walk in and become a trainer,Promoter,youtube reporter or agent is a joke. We have so called boxing writers now that think they are celebrities, managers that are given a platform on social media that have no idea. And until the other day we had a self appointed governing body that turned a blind to pretty much everything imo. So how can expect the fans to take the sport seriously if some of the people that run it or involved do not? This just my opinion

[dr_devious]

Is boxing so much worse than before?

Yes

[RScarf1]

I was at the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame and I overheard people talking about the decline of boxing. People in the business recognize this. Maybe bare knuckle boxing will eventually surpass gloved boxing in popularity. I ask myself would I be a fan of boxing if I was a young person today. Probably not. I became a fan in the '80s when boxing had more talent, less corruption, and great matchups.

[Tarquin Tarpaulin IV]

Boxing will get over this latest mess, be old and forgotten news in a couple of weeks. I'm more concerned the opportunity to take up boxing have practically dried up. Maybe in the bigger towns and cities there are an abundance of boxing clubs, nearest one to me is 18 miles away and it's not a great seller to a young kid or parent to have to commute that two or three times a week.

Get it back on the school curriculum.

Boxing will not get out of the mess it's in without serious intervention.

Read todays Sunday Times. The sport is being challenged on all fronts, in many cases for good reason.

The definition of a boxing club has changed. There are plenty of clubs in small parishes but many are behind the doors of fitness gyms training people in the noble art of waving your hands at pads without ever throwing a punch at a human target.

[Controversial]

I'd put boxing back on the school curriculum with the caveat only those who want to box will do. I did it at high school in my first two years, thereafter it must have been abolished. PE teacher would randomly pick two similar sized pupils and off they went. The problem with this approach, one of the pupils may have been pitbull in mentality and the other show poodle. So the contests were invariably barbarically one sided. Put it on the curriculum and only let the pupils who want to have a crack at it have their crack.

Get it back on the school curriculum.

This will never happen. The issues with CTE and brain trauma are more known than ever, not only in boxing but other sports like rugby and football. They are looking at banning deliberate heading in football for under 12s so no way would they allow kids to punch each other in the head. I can see a point in time boxing is banned, it will only take a PED related death and the sport just couldn’t defend itself.

[KiwiRider]

I'd put boxing back on the school curriculum with the caveat only those who want to box will do. I did it at high school in my first two years, thereafter it must have been abolished. PE teacher would randomly pick two similar sized pupils and off they went. The problem with this approach, one of the pupils may have been pitbull in mentality and the other show poodle. So the contests were invariably barbarically one sided. Put it on the curriculum and only let the pupils who want to have a crack at it have their crack.

Get it back on the school curriculum.

This will never happen. The issues with CTE and brain trauma are more known than ever, not only in boxing but other sports like rugby and football. They are looking at banning deliberate heading in football for under 12s so no way would they allow kids to punch each other in the head. I can see a point in time boxing is banned, it will only take a PED related death and the sport just couldn’t defend itself.

Nailed it.
School kids only being allowed to play touch rugby, and severely limiting full contact.
Boxing is lucky to even still exist in under 15's.
It will be gone from western countries in 10-15 years.

[gilgamesh]

Can I ask you the following:

Why are you a boxing fan?

Have recent events made you question your loyalty to the sport?

Do you have the belief that recent events will get dealt with correctly?

Thanks

1: I was lucky enough to have had my interest slightly piqued by a familiar name from my Childhood in Lennox Lewis regaining his title against Hasim Rahman.

2: I'm largely unable to follow the sport now for reasons beyond my control at the moment.

3: It's Boxing. I don't know of what events you speak of, but the answer is no. Always.

[veriton]

I'm genuinely worried about the Board's part in all this. At what point did they know? If they knew weeks ago and didn't do anything, then they're surely finished. If they didn't know then why not? Both questions and answers are very damaging.

The Benn v Eubank and Fury v Joshua debacles in quick succession make loving boxing difficult at the moment. But I've gone into a strange zone recently, I get my love of the sport from podcasts/magazines/radio talking about it rather than watching a lot of fights due to the pricing and different platforms. I probably watch less fights than I ever have, but consume more boxing related content than I ever have too.

[tigermoth87]

I've lost interest a lot.

The blatant corruption and dodgy decisions have soured me the most. Why bother watching when some fighters basically step into the ring with a 3-4 round advantage. Or a five round advnatage in Canelos case--they were desperate to give him the win (113-115 lol)

Joshua's another one, gets gift rounds.

Also the ducking.

[Controversial]

I'd put boxing back on the school curriculum with the caveat only those who want to box will do. I did it at high school in my first two years, thereafter it must have been abolished. PE teacher would randomly pick two similar sized pupils and off they went. The problem with this approach, one of the pupils may have been pitbull in mentality and the other show poodle. So the contests were invariably barbarically one sided. Put it on the curriculum and only let the pupils who want to have a crack at it have their crack.

Get it back on the school curriculum.

This will never happen. The issues with CTE and brain trauma are more known than ever, not only in boxing but other sports like rugby and football. They are looking at banning deliberate heading in football for under 12s so no way would they allow kids to punch each other in the head. I can see a point in time boxing is banned, it will only take a PED related death and the sport just couldn’t defend itself.

Nailed it.
School kids only being allowed to play touch rugby, and severely limiting full contact.
Boxing is lucky to even still exist in under 15's.
It will be gone from western countries in 10-15 years.

If boxing never existed and was only invented today there is no way it would be allowed, it’s a
barbaric sport where the ultimate aim is to knock someone out, crazy really when you think about it.

[Ricky]

This will never happen. The issues with CTE and brain trauma are more known than ever, not only in boxing but other sports like rugby and football. They are looking at banning deliberate heading in football for under 12s so no way would they allow kids to punch each other in the head. I can see a point in time boxing is banned, it will only take a PED related death and the sport just couldn’t defend itself.

Nailed it.
School kids only being allowed to play touch rugby, and severely limiting full contact.
Boxing is lucky to even still exist in under 15's.
It will be gone from western countries in 10-15 years.

If boxing never existed and was only invented today there is no way it would be allowed, it’s a
barbaric sport where the ultimate aim is to knock someone out, crazy really when you think about it.

It is yeah, and all for nothing other than entertainment. I'm not sure you could argue that it shouldn't be banned. I've always enjoyed the fight game as something of a guilty pleasure.

[KiwiRider]

Nailed it.
School kids only being allowed to play touch rugby, and severely limiting full contact.
Boxing is lucky to even still exist in under 15's.
It will be gone from western countries in 10-15 years.

If boxing never existed and was only invented today there is no way it would be allowed, it’s a
barbaric sport where the ultimate aim is to knock someone out, crazy really when you think about it.

It is yeah, and all for nothing other than entertainment. I'm not sure you could argue that it shouldn't be banned. I've always enjoyed the fight game as something of a guilty pleasure.

The last ten years of CTE studies and resulting publicity have pretty much put the final nail in the coffin as far as westerners taking their kids to the boxing club for under tens in the numbers they used to.
I think eventually boxing will die out in the developed world but still survive in third world countries as a semi underground sport.

[The Docker]

Nailed it.
School kids only being allowed to play touch rugby, and severely limiting full contact.
Boxing is lucky to even still exist in under 15's.
It will be gone from western countries in 10-15 years.

If boxing never existed and was only invented today there is no way it would be allowed, it’s a
barbaric sport where the ultimate aim is to knock someone out, crazy really when you think about it.

It is yeah, and all for nothing other than entertainment. I'm not sure you could argue that it shouldn't be banned. I've always enjoyed the fight game as something of a guilty pleasure.

If they banned it per se it would just go underground per se. Gladiatorial fighting has been around forever in some guise or other, boxing with padded gloves rightly or wrongly deemed the safest option to carry out these battles.

[cormack]

I was at the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame and I overheard people talking about the decline of boxing. People in the business recognize this. Maybe bare knuckle boxing will eventually surpass gloved boxing in popularity. I ask myself would I be a fan of boxing if I was a young person today. Probably not. I became a fan in the '80s when boxing had more talent, less corruption, and great matchups.

in the 1980s there was no internet / smartphones or other devices allowing the public to know half and a quarter that was going on so of course things seemed better .
Like many aspects of life today - when they are laid bare we dont like what we see .

[Controversial]

If boxing never existed and was only invented today there is no way it would be allowed, it’s a
barbaric sport where the ultimate aim is to knock someone out, crazy really when you think about it.

It is yeah, and all for nothing other than entertainment. I'm not sure you could argue that it shouldn't be banned. I've always enjoyed the fight game as something of a guilty pleasure.

If they banned it per se it would just go underground per se.

It would but it would be a pretty niche market, the numbers involved would massively drop and the ability for most fans to follow it would be harder. Underground fights, bare knuckle etc is already a thing.

[KiwiRider]

I do expect there will be some coming together of promotors in the near future to discuss the state or decline of boxing- once they start consistently losing money - and by which I mean when it's too late.

[Controversial]

If boxing never existed and was only invented today there is no way it would be allowed, it’s a
barbaric sport where the ultimate aim is to knock someone out, crazy really when you think about it.

It is yeah, and all for nothing other than entertainment. I'm not sure you could argue that it shouldn't be banned. I've always enjoyed the fight game as something of a guilty pleasure.

The last ten years of CTE studies and resulting publicity have pretty much put the final nail in the coffin as far as westerners taking their kids to the boxing club for under tens in the numbers they used to.

Yep, I’m a boxing fan but no way would I want my loved ones doing it as a serious pastime, training yes for fitness and discipline but not to take head shots every week. Guess it makes me a hypocrite

[Spud]

Thanks for the replies

[big lennox]

All ovf us in here are massive boxing fans, our commitment to the sport shows no bounds.

With regarding cheats a lot of us are hypocritical ****s because many of us regardless how many cheats are caught we still follow the sport.

I am a bigger **** than most on here because I worked in the sport and have turned a blind eye to a lot of things I seen and heard.

The last couple of months I seriously questioned many things about boxing so when a couple of days ago it was revealed Benn got caught cheating, and then in my opinion certain ****s desperately trying to get the fight on has made me blow a fuse.

Can I ask you the following:

Why are you a boxing fan?

Have recent events made you question your loyalty to the sport?

Do you have the belief that recent events will get dealt with correctly?

Thanks

I've always enjoyed the depth of character of so many fighters, who put their souls and very being on the line, and the nouse and skills needed to overcome adversity.

I love the sense of occasion and drama of it all.

But, recent events, have got to me and made me feel disillusioned with Boxing.

I think Boxing is just about the only sport where the very best don't seem to take on the best ( see Crawford vs Spence and Fury vs Uysk). In Fury, we have a Heavyweight Champion who has failed a drugs test and won't take on his closest rivals, instead taking on guaranteed victories. Deeply cynical and, also, shows a lack of character and contempt for the fans.

The Benn - Eubank fiasco was desperately sad. A new low in a sport that always manages to sink to the bottom of the moral pile. It really has been a rubbish couple of weeks for boxing. The cold disregard for boxer's well being and the shabby cover up is quite something, and shocking.

That said, I wonder if most top sports people in most sports are taking PEDs. I certainly wonder how the tennis players in their late 30s can take part in those epic 5 hr 5 set matches. Ditto the Tour de France cyclists

[daz74]

All ovf us in here are massive boxing fans, our commitment to the sport shows no bounds.

With regarding cheats a lot of us are hypocritical ****s because many of us regardless how many cheats are caught we still follow the sport.

I am a bigger **** than most on here because I worked in the sport and have turned a blind eye to a lot of things I seen and heard.

The last couple of months I seriously questioned many things about boxing so when a couple of days ago it was revealed Benn got caught cheating, and then in my opinion certain ****s desperately trying to get the fight on has made me blow a fuse.

Can I ask you the following:

Why are you a boxing fan?

Have recent events made you question your loyalty to the sport?

Do you have the belief that recent events will get dealt with correctly?

Thanks

I've always enjoyed the depth of character of so many fighters, who put their souls and very being on the line, and the nouse and skills needed to overcome adversity.

I love the sense of occasion and drama of it all.

But, recent events, have got to me and made me feel disillusioned with Boxing.

I think Boxing is just about the only sport where the very best don't seem to take on the best ( see Crawford vs Spence and Fury vs Uysk). In Fury, we have a Heavyweight Champion who has failed a drugs test and won't take on his closest rivals, instead taking on guaranteed victories. Deeply cynical and, also, shows a lack of character and contempt for the fans.

The Benn - Eubank fiasco was desperately sad. A new low in a sport that always manages to sink to the bottom of the moral pile. It really has been a rubbish couple of weeks for boxing. The cold disregard for boxer's well being and the shabby cover up is quite something, and shocking.

That said, I wonder if most top sports people in most sports are taking PEDs. I certainly wonder how the tennis players in their late 30s can take part in those epic 5 hr 5 set matches. Ditto the Tour de France cyclists

All athletes are aware of what can and can’t be in their system and will tread very carefully up to the line. Some mess up and get caught. Benn’s not the first and won’t be the last.

[RScarf1]

Women's boxing is getting the good matchups such as unified or undisputed world title bouts because that is the only way for them to make a lot of money. The men can still make a lot of money and not fight the best, such as what Tyson Fury does. Also, a lot of money for women's boxing will still be significantly less than the men and therefore less money for the promoter to pay. Since the women only have to fight 2 minute rounds, that will always be a factor in the women earning less money. I know that some boxing fans do not want to watch women's boxing regardless of the matchups and that will be a factor for them earning less as well.

[coneye]

All ovf us in here are massive boxing fans, our commitment to the sport shows no bounds.

With regarding cheats a lot of us are hypocritical ****s because many of us regardless how many cheats are caught we still follow the sport.

I am a bigger **** than most on here because I worked in the sport and have turned a blind eye to a lot of things I seen and heard.

The last couple of months I seriously questioned many things about boxing so when a couple of days ago it was revealed Benn got caught cheating, and then in my opinion certain ****s desperately trying to get the fight on has made me blow a fuse.

Can I ask you the following:

Why are you a boxing fan?

Have recent events made you question your loyalty to the sport?

Do you have the belief that recent events will get dealt with correctly?

Thanks

I left the sport 4 years ago after many years working either with or for many uk promoters and broadcasters. I have huge respect for many of the people I worked with but the way any Tom, Dick or Harry can just walk in and become a trainer,Promoter,youtube reporter or agent is a joke. We have so called boxing writers now that think they are celebrities, managers that are given a platform on social media that have no idea. And until the other day we had a self appointed governing body that turned a blind to pretty much everything imo. So how can expect the fans to take the sport seriously if some of the people that run it or involved do not? This just my opinion

Post of the week

[ShadrachSimmo]

I've lost interest a lot.

The blatant corruption and dodgy decisions have soured me the most. Why bother watching when some fighters basically step into the ring with a 3-4 round advantage. Or a five round advnatage in Canelos case--they were desperate to give him the win (113-115 lol)

Joshua's another one, gets gift rounds.

Also the ducking.

Yup.

I Used to look forward to watching fights, subscribed to Boxing news etc but now I genuinely don’t give much of a sh1t. There was a British/Commonwealth/euro title fight every other week on sky a decade or so ago. We’re force fed all these terrible match ups and womens fights now. It’s fcked alright..