Reminder: There is no "he deserves to fight who he wants"

Yeah. Cotto has banked a lot of good will over the years with fans but all that should honestly go out the window over this.

 

Golovkin knocked Geale out in the 3rd round, so Cotto decides to fight him at a catch weight! No title should be at a catch weight, if he wants to be middleweight champion he should fight at 160 like Hagler. Cotto is ducking his mandatory, Golovkin would easily knock him out, Pac knocked him out.......................

 

indeed. Not even Floyd.

The whole thing with real champions is that they don't get to dictate who to fight where and when, but fought the best available at the time. Regardless of their style, strengths and weaknesses.
It's also the way other big champions are made.

Today it's about who finally gets the chance to beat the big name rather as the one that actually had earned it.

The worst of it all is the "who has he fought" thing while ducking. Because someone can never beat big names if all keep repeating that stupid line.

 

It's tradition. Name a time in fight history where a guy got popular and did not avoid guys he just did'nt feel like fighting? There is no man that fought every guy that he could at the right time or just at all. It's a part of the sport that actually builds other guys up as dangerous and helps build their name.

 

:good
I admit that if Cotto's gonna have the 160 lineal title he better be fighting guys at that weight, but the WBC has a history of kissing the ass of popular fighters that hold their titles. Hell they even issue 2 belts or make one up just so 2 guys can fight for it without even competing in the division that the belt is held in.

 

I agree with this principle and the specific application of it here, but I also think there's a weird asymmetry where fans really go after fighters themselves a lot more for making risk/reward business decisions but happily go along with or even applaud networks and promoters making the exact same kinds of calculations. If you think the sport isn't meritocratic enough, the guys getting in the ring are near the bottom of the list in terms of blame IMO.

 

Yes there is. Cotto didn't exactly get the WBC/Lineal titles for free through a package delivered by you. He won a fight very few(including myself) expected him to win in the ring so he earned his position to fight whoever he wants at Middleweight. If he's doing something illegal he will be stripped for it accordingly. GGG can't expect to get a free payday for fighting bums.

 

Good points.

 

Every popular champion, even Muhammad Ali, who did that, was rightfully criticized by the knowledgeable sections of the media and the knowledgeable fans.

It's unfortunate that in this age so many fans defend the practice and have little respect for the concept of "championship".

 

I agree though that "milking the title" and "sitting on the title" are established traditions.
I can understand why a champion would do that.

I think the job of the fans is to disapprove of it though, NOT endorse it. :good

 

He has already at least bend the rules by not fighting his mando inside a year, and it's clear he won't fight Golovkin next either. Problem is, they might not even strip him for it.

WTF is that?! He's the F*CKING MANDATORY! He has EARNED the right to fight for the lineal title, only because Cotto has fought big names in lower weightclasses he now has the right to duck whoever he wants?
And "fighting bums"?! Cotto is fighting one of his KO victim bums NOW, instead of GGG. Did Geale earn the right for a payday by getting pummeled by Golovkin?
That's all the bull the haters keep shouting. He hasn't fought the biggest names yet, so all the big names can duck him until the cows come home, so he can never ever fight a big name!
Just admit those "big names" are actually just big pussies that run scared whenever GGG is mentioned!

 

I agree with this and other similar points made in this thread.

To many fans today are like PR yes men for certain fighters and promoters and just trot out the party line, "Who has he fought?", "He doesn't bring enough money to the table?", etc.

I have said it before, the term "boxing is dead" gets bandied about to much and for inappropriate reasons these days. However, boxing will truly be dead when the fans, en masse, start letting fighters and promoters get away with some of the ridiculous tricks that they try to pull. In a shady sport, it is up to the fans to be the conscience of the sport and to call out any behaviour that is detrimental to the sport.

Now, Cotto obviously wants to fight Canelo. It is a good fight and will earn him a lot of money, so in some respects I can see him not wanting to risk that fight against a dangerous opponent like GGG. If he had admitted this and had said he would fight GGG after Geale and Canelo then that would be fine. However, to say GGG has no big names on his record and then fight a guy who GGG destroyed is absolutely ludicrous and is an insult to us fans. How dumb does he think we are?

 

it's ultimately with the paying public to decide what happens in boxing. if they keep paying for boxers trying to milk it then so be it and no reason to complain when the sport follows that direction. we are responsible for what happens to the sport and not the players.