But they didn't.I like to go with what we know,not,"lots of undercard opponents",which is a sweeping unsubstantiated statement that isn't relevant on two counts,1.It isn't proven 2.Lots of Carnera's set ups were top of the bill!
A more recent example is Malik Scott against Deontay Wilder. They were known to be good friends as well as sparring partners and it looked more than a bit suspicious when Scott hardly threw a punch in the fight in the brief time it lasted and then went down like a sack of potatoes when Wilder threw a right hand that looking from the outside, didn’t even connect but was blocked by Scott’s forearms. You then had Scott on his backside trying to make it look like he was making an effort to get up but it looked obvious that he was waiting for the ref to count him out.
Nope, the paying audiences in those hick towns were remarkably tolerant of the staged "performances" ,it was the commissions that viewed them with less humour and took appropriate action to ensure they did not get repeats !
I'm not climbing back on the Carnera Carousel,I watched "The Harder They Fall" again the other week,that's enough built up hype for me for the foreseable future.
Liston Ali 2. Liston was definitely worried about the Black Muslims. That said, I think Ali would have stopped him sooner than the first fight, anyway.
A lot of boxers today would have their licenses pulled for their non-performances if they'd put on those "performances" back then. But it's become all too commonplace today. Nobody even comments on it when it happens anymore. People don't blink an eye if a guy goes down from a flurry that doesn't seem to land and then pops up at 10 even though he clearly isn't concussed or hurt. Because it happens practically every week. Guys don't go down and stay down during fixes anymore. They just wait until the ref is about to say 10, then they stand and complain, so they can tell everyone they got up (and tried). And most name fighters today have a guy or guys on their record who did the same thing. But you basically have to bite a guy five or six times, like was the case in the David Price fight last week, to not get paid these days.
All the "names" today have got them. This fight includes the "now standard get up at 10" scenario and "complain" for a couple seconds. (Don't worry. The clip says 16 minutes, but the fight only lasts 90 seconds or so.) This content is protected
Pick any name in the sport ... even light-punching Rigondeaux ... and they've all got a win or two or three over someone who did the same. Nobody loses their license. Nobody loses a check. Because they're just doing what was expected when the matchmaker put it together. And we just figure that's part of the sport now and let it slide. Basically, because it is part of the sport now. But it sucks.
I'm getting really bummed out...I had no idea this went on so much today. I thought that was a 20th century thing. That said, this is one of those sports that makes and breaks millionaire, so perhaps I'm being excessively naïve.
Potato vs “potuhtoe” or do you care to elaborate? These were moments that had me questioning the integrity of the events that I was watching. There are others that have occurred for sure but these PPV events had me feeling cheated out of money for the reasons I sighted.
98% of all fights today are basically "fixed" in the matchmaking process. By that I mean that an opponent is selected not to make a good, competitive fight, but to lose while making the other fighter look good. Guys that get stopped easy are easy to come by. But I know a guy that goes the distance, is competitive, gives good work and is willing to take fights against unbeaten guy in their hometowns on short notice (two more "fixing" methods) and he often gets paid more than the prospect.
