Boxing is a Business, We Fans Tend To Lose Sight Of That.

Disclaimer: These are not my personal feelings on the subject, but an attempt at an objective assessment.

Everyday there seems to be a new thread decrying Arum, Hearn, Haymon, King, Oscar, Schaefer, Duva. Dibella, anyone with adviser or promoter as their chosen occupation. Constantly complaining that they are ruining the sport, which they very well may be. But they are in a business, for primarily one reason, to line their pockets with as much cash as they can fit in them. Are they pieces of s***, yeah pretty much, but what would you do if you were in their place, investing your money.

Their primary objective is to maximize profits, so take Eddie Hearn for example he has Brook who is coming off of a big win against Porter, who should he fight now? Most fans want Thurman, but why would Hearn want that? Can Brook beat Keith, possibly, its a 50/50 risky fight for both men, so why would Hearn want to destroy a potential cash cow in one fight, when he can milk that cow for a year or two.

Brook is now a name, so he can draw a decent crowd, put him in with a Bundu, Decarie, Lopez, make some money, most are surefire cherry picked wins, then build towards making a s***load of money, Brook-Khan in Wembley Stadium, it will make millions and millions of dollars, megafight for the ages all the Brits will be salivating for it.

But, No.... he should throw all of that away and put him in with Thurman who is unknown to most English fans, what if Keith wins, it upsets the apple cart and in the process upends Kell's career, he has one less fighter he can make money with at least for awhile, it takes a while to rebuild a fighter's career after a loss, that is actually illogical and bordering on suicidal from a business perspective.

Arum is now being criticized because he's trying to open up a new market for our favorite sport in China, what's wrong with that, there are 1.35 Billion people in China, that is 4 times the population of the United States. What businessman in their right mind wouldn't try to open a market with a potential of being that ludicrously profitable, if he can tap into even 1/4 of the population, then that's the equivalent of everyone in the US watching a fight, tons of ad revenue can be generated that way, not to be stereotypical here, but the Chinese tend very communal or sheeplike in their mindset, so if a few like it, it could become a fad they can all become devoted too. More money for Arum and more money for Arum's fighters.

Haymon is an advisor, his job is to advise his clients on how to make the most money they can possibly make, which in turn makes him even more money off of them. If you had clients with obvious limitations like glass jaws and an inability to outbox certain styles, what would you advise them to do? If you advise them to run headlong into a train and get KTFO which would cause their asking price to fall precipitously and you can't make money with them anymore, you wouldn't have many clients. He's trying to maximize their profits and minimize their risks. Does the sport of boxing from a fans perspective suffer? Hell YES it does, but Haymon and his clients are safe and raking in the cash from oblivious unknowing casuals, so tell me why would they change that business model?

Why would Froch fight GGG? No one has a clue who he is in the UK, they know Degale, now that's a big money fight. Chavez based on his win over Lee and PPV match against Maravilla, he's got a little name recognition in England and his Mexican fanbase brings in the dough as well. GGG the risks far outweigh the benefits. GGG is the very definition of high risk, low reward.

Why would Quillin fight Korobov, who he knows could beat him, when he can make more money fighting Jacobs and now even get a shiny new paper belt. Jacobs as skilled as he is, at least has a shaky chin he can possibly exploit. Is Quillin acting cowardly? Yes, but most people watching him on Showtime have no idea who Korobov is.

Floyd's main bargaining chip with the audience is, most of us want to see him lose, so why would he fight Pacquiao, who can potentially beat him, once his "0" is gone no one will care, so the incentive or hook that keeps drawing us in vanishes with his 0 and all the money dries up, and with it the fame, b****es, and hangers on.

Rigo is ugly, mean, boring and unlikeable. Who wants a short unpleasant trolllike Floyd Mayweather Jr, with no personality, but with all of the boring ringcraft without any of the s***talking ability to sell a fight working for them? He's the walking embodiment of ratings poison, brings in no money which equals no contract from Arum. Frampton, Mares, Loma, LSC, have nothing to gain and everything to lose by fighting someone impossible to look good against that no one wants to watch.

Why would Cotto fight GGG, it would make him money, in fact quite a bit, but it won't make him the s***ton he'll get fighting Canelo, 2 huge stars, Mexico vs Puerto Rico... it sells itself. Is Cotto a coward, Yes, but most of you would be too if you could make as much money as he will, by being beaten down by Canelo instead of GGG. Also Cotto also doesn't want to be badly injured, that is another huge incentive he has to duck.

Promoters want a product they can promote, the more personality, the better looking, the easier they are to market, they will sell themselves, making the promoters job that much easier. They want a product that sells well and maximizes profit, and when you have one that accomplishes that feat, it would make most investors very apprehensive if you gamble with your most valuable commodity too frequently. Boxing is sadly a business first and a sport second, much to our disappointment, but the fighters shouldn't necessarily be begrudged for wanting to make a little bit of cash tp get beaten viciously every couple of months, that's a hard way to make a living. I certainly don't fancy the idea of making ends meet by having my head beaten in.

Most sports are no longer a sport they're entertainment, its a money making venture, that goes against every fiber of my being, I want real fights, with the best fighting the best, but I'm not the one making big money decisions that could blow up in my face and cause my fighter to lose and by default become less of an earner, they want money and to do that you have to protect your investment.

This content is protected

 

This content is protected

 

Money talks, you don't support them, they lose money, they make changes. It didn't take Oscar long to realize he was shooting himself in the foot economically not doing business with HBO.

 

Adonis is holding the LHW title captive if he doesn't step up, and fight the winner of BHop-Kovalev, but I understand why he fears the outcome, but he's a *****, that I really want to see KTFO.

 

Most casual fans don't even know who Bradley, Rios, Maidana, Guerrero and Ortiz are, but they buy the PPV's anyway based on the appeal of the main attraction, we're fanatics, so it means a hell of a lot more to us than to regular viewers.