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TONIGHT’S FIGHT

Aug 26, 2017 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

Boxing is facing its greatest crisis. And ironically this crisis is as a result of the fight for the biggest purse in history which takes place tonight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor.
The outcome of this fight – it really does not matter who wins – can change the fortunes of boxing for the worse. It can remove boxing as a sport and turn it into mass entertainment. Boxing must not become entertainment. Otherwise the fights will become farces.
If boxing, like wrestling becomes a farce, then that has major implications for all the young men and women around the world who love boxing and are hoping to make it their career.
If boxing becomes entertainment, then boxing will no longer offer the opportunity to millions of poor athletes who see it as a way to escape poverty.
Boxing is a sport. It requires skill, physical fitness and heart. It must not be allowed to become a spectacle for entertaining people.
Boxing is a competitive sport. It must avoid becoming a public spectacle which is the fear many people have about tonight’s so-called ‘big’ fight between Floyd and Conor.
A greater mismatch there could never have been. Conor cannot touch Floyd. He will be unable to score punches against a target which he cannot hit.
The two boxers, if that is what you can call Conor, are in two different leagues. Floyd Mayweather is the greatest pound for pound fighter of his generation. Conor is a rising star in the UFC, but when it comes to boxing, has neither the skill nor the power to inflict any sort of damage on Floyd Mayweather.
This fight has become about money. The promoters are hoping to make big money with this fight. They may end up being disappointed, because boxing fans are pretty much smart and boxing supporters do not want the sport to become about entertainment.
Despite the obvious mismatch, the fight is expected to become a money spinner. It is expected to become the richest fight in history with anticipated earnings in excess of US$700M. Ticket sales, cable rights, sponsorship and betting will generate a windfall for the promoters as well as the combatants.
It shows the power and influence of international marketing. The fight is going to reach mass audiences through live pay per view. Globalization will allow persons in all four corners of the world to tune in to the contest.
But that is where the greatest danger to boxing lies. With such global reach, boxing can end up becoming like wrestling. It can end up becoming mass entertainment.
Once boxing becomes entertainment, then its sports value is going to diminish. The credibility of the results are going to be called into question and instead of real fights, we could well end up with a lot of playacting, which is what lovers of boxing are worried about.
The other real danger to boxing is the gambling which is taking place on this fight. Tens of millions are going to be wagered on this contest and that as you know, from cricket, will allow for corruption to filter into the sports and possibly the match-ups and even the decisions.
The Mayweather–Pacquiao rematch is no longer attractive following Manny’s loss in his last fight, and of course, his less than stellar performance in his much-hyped fight with Mayweather years ago.
Age is also a factor in tonight’s fight. Mayweather is no longer young, but Conor is also at an age where most boxers peak and then decline. So, the possibility of any sequel to tonight’s bout will depend on there being an upset. And any upset is likely to be spurned by boxing fans, who will question whether they should be part of mass entertainment as against a fistic art form.

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