Thank me now for not doing a Josh Taylor-Jack Catterall 2 Postmortem this week.
To be trustworthy, there simply wasn’t a whole lot of Notes from the Boxing Underground-worthy material this week. Subsequently, I figured on doing a extra esoteric suppose tank piece on this column– or as shut as I might get to creating one thing like that with out nauseating myself right into a hospital mattress.
What if all my pacts with the satan and pledges to the Illuminati lastly panned out and I used to be named “King of Boxing?” Truly, these pacts and pledges would in all probability carry me a billion {dollars} in money and a first-rate Shakira, however that will make for a very creepy, nasty-ass perverted boxing column that no person however me would care to learn. So, let’s go together with the “King of Boxing” factor.
In no specific order (as a result of they’re all essential and, actually, work hand-in-hand), right here’s what King Paul the First would deal with in his new boxing empire.
Weight Manipulation
I don’t need to hear folks twisting themselves into psychological knots, balking at rehydration clauses and penalties, making an attempt to elucidate how fighters have to rehydrate to maintain themselves secure on battle night time. Merely put– if fighters would compete at weights fairly close to their precise weights, there’d be no have to rehydrate to such an excessive after weigh-in.
Let’s be actual right here. Weight manipulation is a factor and it’s a legalized cheat. The flexibility to peel off and re-stack weight within the 36 hours or so between weigh-in and opening bell is a science that offers the fighter with the larger sources and physique physiology an enormous benefit. This weight manipulation creates an uneven taking part in discipline and it turns a battle into a contest the place the winner is set much less and fewer by the precise combating and increasingly more by science.
Boxing must return to same-day weigh-ins to make sure fighter security and common equity in competitors. No reducing offers for obese fighters, no “present should go on” desperation. We solely switched to day-before weigh-ins for enterprise causes within the early 80s (no, it wasn’t for fighter security as sanctioning our bodies mentioned. In what parallel universe is facilitating excessive dehydration and rehydration, together with in-ring weight mismatches, thought-about “safer” than forcing a boxer to battle at an inexpensive weight?). Oh yeah, there’ll be a multitude of canceled fights at first, however fighters/trainers will study and adapt and the product within the ring will present appreciable enchancment due to it.
Realigning Weight Lessons
To associate with the elimination of weight manipulation, there must be an elimination of what usually contributes to the “weight recreation.”
It’s a drained outdated boxing nerd lament, however there ARE too many weight courses in boxing. The game wants a complete restructuring with regards to weight courses if we’re additionally hoping to create a wholesome and secure aggressive ambiance. Nevertheless you narrow it, 17 weight divisions (18 for those who’re the WBC and WBA) are simply too many and it breeds rampant weight manipulation tomfoolery, in addition to common confusion.
If I sat down and actually considered, I might whittle the 17/18 into a good and secure 10 (and possibly even much less). The true abusers aren’t the “bridgerweights” between cruiser and heavyweight, however the sub-135 weight courses. There’s completely no want for eight weight divisions within the 35 kilos between “minimumweight” and “light-weight.” Minimize down on the divisions and we get extra readability and higher depth of competitors, too.
PEDs
I’ve mentioned this earlier than, however I are inclined to keep away from speaking about PEDs in boxing as a result of no person’s actually critical with regards to doing something about them. The emergence of voluntary testing just about killed any probability of an actual anti-doping program in boxing. As issues stand now, we’ve got occasion organizers and the fighters’ personal groups contracting testing that’s conveniently incomplete to complement weak fee testing in an ineffective mixture of nothingness the place we are able to’t make certain the fighters are clear or that simply punishment will likely be delivered if a fighter does pop soiled. PEDs testing proper now’s solely about giving the looks of actual testing with out having to take care of any of the binding penalties of an actual PEDs testing program. Again greater than a decade in the past, I used to be leaping up and down, making an attempt to inform folks the place this voluntary testing would lead us (to nothing) when the subject of a real anti-doping effort first popped up. The selection was a toothless VADA or the anti-doping program utilized by USADA, which, other than the precise testing, focuses on investigation, analysis, and sometimes insists on precise binding sanctions and penalties for soiled fighters. The sleazy and/or conveniently dumb media championed VADA and now boxing continues to spin its wheels with regards to doping points.
As King Paul the First, I’d drive a critical dialog about implementing an actual PEDs testing program. I’d work with the consultants within the discipline to not less than try to be sure that this most harmful sport shouldn’t be made much more harmful by fighters working with illicit science that’s immeasurably forward of efforts to bust them.
Sanctioning Our bodies
The belts DO matter, however so do foolish, doubtful sanctioning physique selections that cock-block the game’s pure, logical circulate. I wouldn’t essentially run the alphabets out of the game, however they’d be on a brief leash, not less than till King Paul the First places collectively a sanctioning group that makes the others out of date.
TV/Broadcasting
This could in all probability be the toughest change to implement– due to greed, ego, worldwide boundaries, and, sure, financial necessity. However it is a time in boxing’s historical past the place all the sport must circle the proverbial wagons and create an environment the place a rising tide can really carry all boats. No extra tactical counter-programming towards different reveals. No extra predatory enterprise practices. No extra filler fights taking the place of fights that have to occur now. No extra forcing followers to pay twice and typically thrice for all the things.
How about using out present broadcast offers after which establishing a real boxing community the place the main promoters are precise companions, depending on each other to construct their community by cooperating with each other?
It’s a pipe dream, yeah, however all of it is a pipe dream. Why not go huge with the fantasy? Truly, although, I used to be a paid marketing consultant a number of years again for a corporation that had this similar concept. So, possibly…
Media/Journalism
There’s not a complete lot me, as King of Boxing, might do to drive requirements for journalism in boxing media. However a powerful media goes hand-in-hand with a well-functioning sport. A superb, sturdy media forces transparency and accountability– key elements in sustaining an trustworthy product and trustworthy enterprise practices. So, I’d regulate the game’s remedy of media (no quid professional quo access-for-deference preparations, boxing firms prohibited from primarily sponsoring their very own media protection by shopping for up websites, and many others.). Usually, I’d simply foster a wholesome relationship between the game and its media. And, on this case, “wholesome” would usually imply essentially adversarial.
And there you could have it. King Paul the First’s plans for Boxing.
Now, let me chill and take into consideration prime Shakira in a room filled with exhausting foreign money…
Acquired one thing for Paul? Ship it right here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com
