Unlike most major sports, boxing exists in an anarcho-capitalist wasteland. It’s the kind of environment that would give Ayn Rand a dusty orgasm and produce a raging semi in Ted Cruz that’s normally reserved for when he imagines Jesus power bombing a refugee child. Because of this, most fighters get paid based on how many tickets they can sell and how many people will watch them on TV.
That’s not always the case. Plenty of prospects have been paid grossly more than they were actually worth because their promoter or some TV networked believed that they could be built into stars. Depending on whom you ask, “Premier Boxing Champions” is the first company to ever do that, which is bullshit, but they have been fairly egregious.
I mention them specifically, because a couple of their stars recently turned down more money than they’ve ever made to fight Manny Pacquiao this November. Adrien Broner, who will soon be known as Inmate 74656565 or whatever, loudly proclaimed that the offer he got from Top Rank was far too low. Not to be outdone, Danny Garcia followed suit with the same complaint, which was pretty damn funny, since Bob Arum claimed that no offer had been made to Garcia.
With Floyd Mayweather retired, there are really only two pay-per-view attractions left in the sport, Pacquiao and Canelo Alvarez. What in the hell I cannot fathom is why Broner, Garcia, and apparently now Terence Crawford wouldn’t want a career high payday for a fight with a sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer. A loss doesn’t really diminish them and a win would be a huge career and pay boost.
I’m certainly not suggesting that fighters should make less money. Boxing is a brutal sport and they should earn as much as they can while they can. What I’m getting sick of are the diva-like demands and negotiating through the media. Boxing fans have had plenty of reason to complain (not that boxing fans need a reason to complain) over the last couple of years, and this is just one factor that’s alienating viewers.
Or maybe I should just stick to watching the fights and stay the hell off Twitter. That old adage about laws and sausages probably applies.
Delirium Tremens
- Deontay Wilder’s stoppage of the completely shot Chris Arreola last weekend is seen by some as evidence that he’s progressing technically. While he did look better than he has, his footwork is still a fucking mess and his wild swings are amateurish at best. Every time I hear Wilder called a “champion,” I roll my eyes so hard that they get stuck.
- In general, I try to be understanding of fighter’s skills as expert analysts on TV broadcasts, but holy shit Danny Garcia is bad at it.
- I was glad to see that the scores in the Felix Diaz-Sammy Vazquez were recalculated and Diaz got the decision. I didn’t watch the fight until the next day, but when I did it was easy to see why everyone was so mad. Diaz worked Vazquez down the stretch and won clearly. TQBR staffer Jonathan Moreland covered the fights from ringside and I agreed with his score of 97-92.
- What in sweet fuck happened to Mike Alvarado? I’m almost uncomfortable watching what he’s turned into at this point.
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