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