Lara/Williams, Chisora/Helineous, Kirkland/Molina, Abril/Rios... And countless countless other, there is something seriously wrong here.
Robberies have been going for time immortal and have always been a huge part of the sport. Rather than pakc it in, I just appreciate the fight I saw. With the power of the media today, official results are becoming less and less meaningful. Look at Marquez for example, making millions and sitting high in the p4p list despite suffering an official loss. Look at Molina and alra, two of the highest ranked LMW's despite suffering official losses. I don't really care who gets the W and who doesn't because I can judge a fight myself. The only people who should care are the boxers themselves who lose out on money because of it. But to boxing fans, well we can see with our own eyes. Don't get me wrong, I love that some guys are really passionate about this sport and those who compete in it, I was like that a couple of year ago. Now, I honestly don't even stay for the scorecards after watching a fight on t.v I just make my own mind up.
Really, you couldn't tell from the waterworks following the fight. Worst decision in history, worst that Jones-Si Park in the olympics, worse than Holyfield-Lewis 1, etc.
Good post. In this age, it's virtually impossible for a true "robbery" to pass by without being tainted. John-Marquez is an excellent example. I haven't actually seen the fight, so can't comment over whether it is a robbery or not, but the perception is that Marquez got shafted. As a result, his reputation is barely affected, and John's has hardly been elevated. Going a bit further back, Whitaker is given credit for Chavez and Ramirez I as if he got the official W. I wouldn't go as far as to say that official decisions are meaningless, but the overall perception of a fight is often more important. This is especially the case in an era where very few titles have any intrinsic value. There's obviously a lot that boxing could do to better itself, but ultimately as long as good fighters continue to meet in the ring, the end result will be a quality product that generates excitement. Corruption existed a long time before Arum reared his ugly head, and it will around long after he's gone. Robberies are as old as the sport itself.
Boxing is first and foremost a business. A corrupt, unfair business. Forget about the "W"s and the "L"s and look at a fighter's level of performance to judge his worth. A fight is not made worse by the judge's decision. Only a referee can really destroy a fight. Just enjoy the spectacle for what it is. Boxing is stupid anyway, so let's not get on our high-horse too much about it - it's a grown man aiming to inflict punishment on the other by hitting him in the head. In the best of all possible worlds, there would be no corruption or injustice, but there wouldn't be professional boxing either.
I feel exactly the same. Every time I watch a fight with a girl or with a friend, hoping to get them interested in boxing, this bull**** happens. Then they ask me why the guy who just got his ass kicked won the fight.
Agreed - I will always watch boxing, but I know the majority of my friends wont - Too many embarassing headlines. Ive resorted to never buying PPV's, will happily stream them - Dont like it but I am not going to waste money on promoters who treat the sport in this way.
I know, that is the ridiculous part, it's becoming almost accepted and that is ****ed up and wrong, goes against anything you call sport or competition. I knew no matter how one sided that fight was in Abril's favour that they would SD it in Rios favour, ****ing joke. Who are these ****ing judges that are being payed off? ****ing scumbags.
Felt the same way after Pacquiao vs Marquez 3 And then i got back into it again a few days later. These things are terrible, vicious and corrupt but Im not letting Bob Arum and all these other promoters and networks ruin the sport I love.
Na, I've seen robberies before & I'm sure I'll see them again. Those scores last night were sadly predictable but Ive seen worse. It doesnt put me off watching the sport & it doesnt stop me hitting a heavy bag. Rios was taken to school & his reputation will suffer from that result. We just have to wait a little longer for him to get some form of boxing justice.