This is a disclaimer: I have never, will never, and can never claim to be a boxing expert. As a matter of fact, other than the workout class I plan to take I give boxing about as much thought as I do swimming, ice skating, or curling (that would be none for those keeping score).
While last weekend’s “fight” between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley wasn’t the reason and won’t ever be the reason I stop watching boxing and never have watched it, really, in the first place; the same can’t be said for the millions who spent their hard-earned money to witness, not a boxing match, but a robbery.
There was nothing remotely close about the outcome of that fight. The fact that not one but two judges scored the fight in favor of Bradley wreaks of what has been boxing’s problem for a long time: a lack of administrative competence.
I’m not an MMA fan and never will be because it doesn’t appeal to me in the slightest. Does that mean I don’t notice how huge it has become in such a short period of time? Absolutely not. I’m also not oblivious to the job Dana White has done as founder and overall governing body of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in taking it to a level no one thought possible upon inception.
Because I of this I can confidently say boxing isn’t coming back. Period. End of story.
It was fun back during a time when Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Roberto Duran, Mike Tyson, and others created intrigue and a story to follow. Boxing, even at its peak, wasn’t a popular sport even during those times and could ill-afford an unfortunate event such as last Saturday’s match.
Call me whatever you want for writing about this but if this isn’t the end of boxing I don’t know what will be. People pay lots of money for those fights on Pay-Per-View, parties and everything else that involves fans looking for a reason to get away. To say that whoever enjoys this sport deserved the nonsense that went down from a poorly run sport is an understatement.
I won’t join the chorus weighing in on what I think is an appropriate punishment in the aftermath of what happened. Placement even further on the back-burner of the American conscience should be a fitting enough punishment.
