the trend might have its foundations set in recent times with players like benn, eubank, ottke (vomit), darius M and many others - but the trend set by ricky hatton show how fickle and easy the line from backwater world champion who doesn't have the power to make big fights happen with legitimate and internationally-recognised P4P fighters can make a pretty quick turn (i know hatton got the tszyu fight but tszyu himself admitted taking the best offer available - and that still didn't further hatton's career in the states which is why hatton got rid of 'jabba the hut' warren). calzaghe hit the spotlight by fighting grandfather hopkins - and despite his very poor resume it counts for something internationally and lends him weight that he has never had prior in his career. abraham has done the same after (similarly) milking the german public, but his win over a loud-mouthed but over-rated 'mayorga-esque' fighter has nonetheless catapulted him into a legitimate position to fight pavlik. but take away second tier promoters who rely on these guys for their bread and butter and suddenly there's a healthy influx of european talent (legitimate talent) who can sign with promoters who can help them fulfill their potential. like the promoters though, the alphabet belts are used as a shield and negotiating tool.... i know there won't ever be a perfect world in boxing - the system we have now with independent bodies in flawed inconsolably. but it's a shame that class european fighters are having their careers delayed or irrepairably damaged by the negative mindset of the people who represent them and are afraid of losing their cash cow. that is what causes high profile european fighters to take themselves out of the running to fight legitimate world class fighters more often than not and end up fizzling away in their own back yard....
To me, it comes down to many things. One of which is a case that, an unbeaten fighter is WAY more marketable fighter. Us, as fans, have to take that share of blame. As soon as a fighter loses the words, exposed, overated, hypejob start springing out of peoples mouths. Fighters are allowed to have off nights. But in the world of boxing, it seems that, as soon as a fighter loses, he becomes the latest piece of ****. No matter where he's from.
it matters more if they haven't fought on the big stage (depending how they lost), but the point is that an unbeaten fighter who doesn't pick off the US market and gain some weight to make a big, big fight is very unlikely to get it.
Big fights are starting to be made elsewhere though. The US is no longer the be all and end all for top dollar fights. It helps of course, if you're known stateside, but if you do the business over here, you can still stand to make a **** load of money. Again though, fighters should be willing to take that extra step and fight abroad. Americans, Europeans, Asians etc.
i agree totally. but as a rule the legitimate champs fight out of the US because it's lucrative financially and carries so much weight in the bigger scheme of things. makes it tougher for those not based in the US but at the end of the day fighters who are popular in their home country generate more than enough income to give teh US a shot - if they decide to test themselves.
Yaeh I agree. Look at Hatton. He did what he had to do to make a fight with Mayweather. That's a huge money and legacy fight for Hatton. He stepped up in weight class to fight the no.1 fighter in boxing. As it stands now, boxers simply have to fight in the states to achieve stardom, so to speak. Even Calzaghe has found out that in his later years.
calzaghe's known that for a long time but he's used warren's philosophy of milking his talent rather than testing it. that's why i'll always have 10 times the respect for hatton than i will for joe.
