I did a piece on boxing's last ten and next ten years for the SB Nation "Decade of Change" series, running now on SBNation.com, home of our awesome parent company.
over 2 years ago
Scott Christ
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thanks
I’d forgotten to actually put the direct link in.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Jan 13, 2010 7:04 PM EST up reply actions
Solid
As boxing fans, we already know all of this, but hopefully you’ll pull in a few casuals with it being on the main site.
If I had to pick one to address, it would be the sanctioning bodies. Someone commented on the post itself how the fighters would have to choose not to fight for those titles. I think that is the wrong way to correct the problem. Two entities, other than the bodies themselves, have the power to take action. The commissions and, more importantly, the promoters. Imagine if Golden Boy, Top Rank, Sauerland, Universum, and say Dibella started refusing the belts in union?
Titles and rankings need to be non-profit and media generated. Top tens can be assembled by the same procedures that generate the AP college football polls. It won’t ever happen, but it could.
I bring up the commissions because of Japan. They only recognize two of the four bodies. Imagine, however, if Nevada were to pass a rule stripping promoters of their license if fighters under contract with them pay sanctioning fees to the corrupt governing bodies. I’m not sure whether it would be a death blow to boxing in the states or the governing bodies though.
HBO and Showtime could also play an important role in weakening the sanctioning bodies. First by airing fights because they matter instead of because they are for belts (this is a process that has already begun). Second by downplaying the importance of belts when they are at stake, going so far as not to mention them at all (maybe with the exception of the Ring belt). If HBO and Showtime suddenly ignored the existence of these belts (again, except for possibly the Ring belt), that would go a long way toward clarifying the real rankings picture for the casual fan.
The Ring Belt
The Ring Magazine belt is owned for profit by one major promotional power. It, sadly, should no longer be considered as pure as it was. We need a real, open ranking system.
It's as good of a system as there is
And if someone tried to create a competing system, there would be a lot of blowback because Ring would make sure there are repercussions against the people who join the competing rankings.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Great read, Scott.
Boxing is just so ossified with the current setup that I think it’s going to be hard to get the promoters to agree on anything universally.
Your suggestions would go a long way towards revitalizing the sport, but I’m pretty sure that most of your ideas would be categorically annihilated by..well, pretty much everyone currently involved in boxing. But you’re absolutely right that broad, sweeping changes need to happen.
Again, great read.
There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.
Realy good write up. Boxing has done ok in the last 10 years and I hope it will be able to build on it and at least take steps towards reaching some of the things you listed. Chances are they get close to doing something good for the sport and for one reason or another it all falls apart
"It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up." - Ali
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