The Coveted "0"

As did Ricardo Lopez and Floyd Mayweather. Massively overrated because of the '0'.

 

boxe'o'

 

:deal

 

:rofl

 

The UFC comparison is bogus, because it's a different sport and operates on a very different business model. UFC promotes UFC, above and beyond any individual fighter.

Boxing has a whole host of problems, and I think the 0 is a side effect of other problems. I can't think of another sport that doesn't have a unified governing body to protect the reputation, longevity and grass roots interests.

If boxing had a decent following like most sports, then the fans would understand more about the sport and how it works.

The mainstream understands that in football, or tennis if you lose, you aren't automatically ****/shot/a glassjawed hypejob etc, because those sports get regular media exposure, and the governing bodies protect that mainstream interest by engaging with the public, getting into schools and the grass roots, having transparent ranking systems etc.

Boxings governing bodies are still guys who accept briefcases full of cash to allow somebody to fight for their title. The whole sport is run like a Scorcese film.

 

Football is played once, sometimes twice a week by every team so it's going to get a lot more coverage than boxing. It also easy to rank teams as they play in leagues so can be defined by their finishing position in that league. Undefeated teams don't exist in football either. It's not really comparible with boxing.

Tennis is similar in that players are playing almost continually all year and they will play all the best opponents sometimes more than once in a year. That's just the way the competition is structured. You can't crticise a sport like boxing by comparing it to tennis.

 

Really? The general public and media are constantly criticising other sports the same way as boxing. Footballers, managers, British tennis players at Wimbledon etc. get the exact same as those in boxing.

Boxing is obviously much harder to govern than other sports though given the nature of the sport. The UFC is a different kettle of fish because their sport is only recently getting mainstream recogntion, giving them an advantage and even then they already have some of the same problems as boxing.

 

atsch You really are living up to your handle

 

Because it sells!

Being UNDEFEATED makes a fighter sound like a juggernaut, so many tried, all failed!

It doesn't matter who they fought, which is wrong.

You could blame Marciano perhaps.

 

Well actually Marciano did lose a fight after his pro debut. Also in this era the first LaStarza fight would gone down as a draw.

 

:good

I have always been of the opinion that a defeat relatively early on gives a fighter greater incentive to improve. Pacquiao, Marquez, Klitschko, Mijares, Donaire, Moreno, and a hell of a lot of other top fighters have all suffered defeats at varying stages in their careers which sparked a significant improvement/refinement as a consequence.

 

Boxing today is much much more of a business than 30 years ago and the 0 is a huge selling point.

It does affect a fighter though becasue they are brought along differntly and being protected more. They dont get the same education they would have 30 years ago and they are facing lesser opponents.

Look at Calzaghe and Marciano and Ottke. 3 unbeaten world champs all get abuse for lack of opposition. Mayweather also gets this too.

I dont think its a bad thing becasue it builds hype around the fight and generates a great buzz which you only get in boxing. It makes a loss much more important than in any other sport. If Manchester United lost its no big deal and they can still go on to win the league, the cup and the euro. If a boxer loses then potentially his career could be over AKA Lacy!!

 

Marciano gets less criticism than Calzaghe and Floyd.

Beating the P4P no.1 (which Moore was at the time in any sane persons opinion) a P4P GOAT and four genuine contenders (for a record of, IMO, 4-0-1) tend to make it harder to slag a fighter off.

 

Try looking at fighters mma record ie - record on 60/40 fights at worse and it's good reading