Would Boxing not be more enjoyable if fighters weren't so protective of their "0"?

I agree,
But if you take a look at this hating @$$ board as a sampling of the typical boxing fan.
It’s easy to see why fighters don’t engage in more challenging fights & risks.

Fans, people in general can’t wait for fighters / others to lose.

So they can drag & dump on them, call them frauds / exposed .. etc . Etc.

we as boxing fans need to stop writing fighters off as exposed frauds after a loss.
It’s a weird phenomenon that I don’t typically see in other sports.

Typically fans of other sports will turn away / lose interest after several losses or several losing seasons.

Boxing & its fans are unique
with this “Perfect Record” obsession.

 

The only reason a fighter believes he should retire after a loss is because of the ******* fans. See AJ's loss after the Usyk fight. Other critisism from fans, he was a overhyped bum, exposed, never any good etc.

 

of course it would be. blame the federations.
...and the salt regarding floyd retiring unbeaten after beating everybody is still very, very real.

 

Don't hate the player, hate the game.

Usually you can blame promoters and sanctioning bodies for not putting on better fights. The unfortunate reality is Mayweather was the first to break away from the greed of promoters and happened to still have a perfect record when he did so. Unfortunately as he was a trend setter, many have tried to follow the same blueprint of retaining the 0 in hopes to become an independent mega star like Mayweather.

Look at the HW division. Look at how infrequently the top 10 actually fight each other. We're so busy with polls of hypothetical matchups because we're starved of many decent bouts.

 

The "0" has nothing to do with it when you see the list of guys the fighter faced in order to keep it. That is what makes being undefeated great if you can do it.
These guys hide behind the internet today where they could not do it 20 years ago. The fans are so polarized that it allows for guys to fight risk free or if they do falter the online basement dwellers will try to cover it up for them like they did for Lomachenko's butt spanking from Salido. That 0 had to go.

 

It ain't the boxers protecting the 0. It is everyone else that has nothing to do with training the fighter, but has their hands in his/her pocket that is protecting the 0.

Just look at the garbage that comes out of the commentators mouth. Same reason boxers can't tell you why fights aren't really happening, money rules, and their employers is what increases their earnings.

At the start it is profitable because the marketing and recognition these promotion companies bring to the table, but becomes lopsided once they (boxers) make a name for themselves. As everybody will put their hands in your pocket. Boxers do what they are told by their employers just the same as everyone else.

Do people really think Crawford and Spence don't want to fight each other?

If I were in Spence's shoes and hearing all common opponents say that Crawford would beat me, I would be straight back in the gym with the sole goal of putting Crawford in hospital.

These people are fighters, but also slaves to the corporations and the government. That is the bitter truth behind consumerism and money.

 

Of course.
There should be more tournament like setups, where if you don't face the best you just don't have a chance to be the man at all.
There's also the weird narrative of "he doesn't need to fight [insert name], because....", which is almost always bull.

 

Mayweather and Pacquiao are two of the best boxers in my lifetime. When did the fight take place, compared to its prime?

 

That didn't happen when Calzaghe retired....

 

that's because mikkel kessler was the best fighter calzaghe ever fought who wasn't old and past prime.
floyd was a genuine G who spent his entire career fighting the world's best fighters on the biggest stage of all.
you can count over a dozen kessler+ opponents on floyd's resume.

 

fight should definitely have taken place 3-4 years earlier, but i can't tell you who's fault that was because i don't know.
depending who you ask, there seem to be plenty of people on both sides willing to blame the other.

 

That's kind of the reasons why people tune in, to watch that o go.

 

First thing casuals ask is "whats his record?" Or he's undefeated

 

Probably nowadays. The argument should be made for 'weak 0's' though. I enjoyed Davis v Cruz but I know for sure that there's going to be a whole lot of unfounded talk of 'Davis being the best in whatever conversation'. Surely some people need to see the competitive bouts before hailing him as a great. There are so many better fights available without having to rely on 2 Fighters with 0 losses facing each other.