UFC Model - Good or Bad for Boxing?

I would personally love to see a UFC-style system where promoters are cut out of the equation. However, I also realize that I'm looking at it from a fan's perspective. From that perspective, cutting promoters out of the equation means less potential for the kinds of contract disputes that keep major fights from taking place (or at least from taking place while both fighters are still in their prime). It also lessens the possibility that a fighter can pad his or her resume for several years before facing a tough challenger.

From a fighter's perspective, however, is this a demotivational proposition? This means that you will be forced earlier in your career, if the unified body feels so compelled, to fight dangerous prospects that have the potential to steal your "0" and damage your career before it gets off the ground. You will also be forced to fight as often as the company decides rather than dictating your own schedule. Thirdly, depending on how it is structured, will you be able to make as much money as your promoter is currently able to provide? Fourthly, would fighters from outside the United States (assuming it's a national company) be willing to travel to the U.S. that often for their fights, or would the governing body merely sanction/order the fights and not hold them at the same venue like UFC does?

The PBC provides some highly entertaining fights in my opinion, and I'd love to see that model expanded to include some bigger name fighters. I know it's a pipe dream at the moment, but I often envision how the sport of boxing could evolve (hopefully for the better) under a unified body.

Thoughts?

 

Good point.

 

You're right, the only way it would work was if the fighters all agreed that this unified organization was the superior world boxing organization and held it in high esteem.

I remember everyone wanting to see Fedor fight Lesnar and being told, "Well, he doesn't fight under our (UFC) canopy, so we can't do anything to make it happen." That was certainly a frustrating thing to hear. However, when you consider the current state of boxing and the bickering that occurs between promoters, is it really much different?

The situation between Fedor and Lesnar actually mirrors, in my mind, the way that boxing promoters often butt heads with each other and fail to come to the table with reasonable terms to match their fighters with each other. On top of the promoters, the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBA each has its own set of champions (and sometimes "interim" and "special" champions within the same weight class) that it tries to protect and the matchups that the fans want to see often get put on the back burner.

If enough of the world's fighters would get under this proposed unified organization's canopy, this could be eliminated. I realize, again, that this is probably living in a dream world rather than the real world. There's too much corruption and bribery in the sport for it to be very likely, and the history of the world's boxing sanctioning bodies is already well-ingrained in the sport.