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BTW, the jibe at boxing was a bit unneccessary. How has boxing been killed off by promoters



It is a very fair comment sadly. There was a time when things were simple- boxers fought and beat a string of steadily better thought of oponents, moving up the rankings until such a time as the organising body (back when there were only 1 or 2 of them) rated them a top contender based on merit. They would then fight and take their chances against the champ. Nowadays it is the promoters and the TV companies who make the matches, not boxers merit. Danny Williams beat an over the hill Mike Tyson- how did that indicate he was capable of being world champ? It didnt, but it dID make headlines across the world. suddenly HBO execs knew the name Danny Williams, so he was given the chance to be Klitchko's punchbag for a few rounds. Crazy.

Read the interviews with Floyd Mayweather regarding his upcoming match with De La Hoya- he is not talking in terms of beating his oponent, or victory being a defining moment in his career, he is talking about the number of PPV units they sell being a potential world record, and their payday swelling in line with that, win lose or draw. Boxers talking like promoters- the latest in an ugly evolution. its sad.



Boxing has plenty of talent (save for the shallow HW division), it's the promoters that do a poor job at building and marketing its talent and the constant bicking. I agree, boxing, as a sport, is in dire straits, strictly in regards to the lack of organizational unity. Financially speaking, the boxing industry is doing spectacular. In 2006, boxing had its second-best year in history for PPV. De La Hoya promoted an event with his name on it (he didn't fight) and the PPV was kept quiet. Maybe it's out by now. But De La Hoya as a fighter in 2006 still means a lot to the casual (especially casual!) and hardcore boxing fan. Unfortunately, as I said, besides a Hoya or Morales, boxing has done a weak job promoting new fighters.