View Full Version : "This is the lowest point for boxing I have seen in the last 25 years" Barry Hearn
"The promoters are the ones to blame.Sometimes we do it for the right reasons, making money and protecting these kids because they just aren't good enough.
A lot of young fighters can't fight and need to learn."
There are selfish motives when we have a young prospect or big ticket seller we want to build him and when you've got an established champion you want to keep him, and that means your less likely to make competitive fights.
"We've all (promoters) acted in a peculiar way."
Taken from a good interview in Boxing Monthly.
SouthpawSlayer
06-29-2009, 05:43 PM
yeah so he brings us prizefighter
give us a break
GazOC
06-29-2009, 05:48 PM
Fans have to take at least some of the blame for how promoters protect their top prospects. A loss or 2 on the way up is too big a deal these days, there used to be nothing unusual about a top amateur getting "old manned" out of a fight by a decent veteran, he'd learn from it and move on.
Fans have to take at least some of the blame for how promoters protect their top prospects. A loss or 2 on the way up is too big a deal these days, there used to be nothing unusual about a top amateur getting "old manned" out of a fight by a decent veteran, he'd learn from it and move on.
Do you think the fans are fickler and wont follow a loser?
Danny
06-29-2009, 05:52 PM
yeah so he brings us prizefighter
give us a break
I'm not a fan of The Prizefighter but at least Barry's trying. We cannot really argue with his assessment because he has a great deal of experience in the sport, has been around for a long time, so its not as if he doesn't know what he's talking about!
Shame he thinks that though!
GazOC
06-29-2009, 05:57 PM
Do you think the fans are fickler and wont follow a loser?
I don't think they are fickle, but a lot don't understand that a 23-2 record can be a lot more impressive than a 25-0 record. Its all about the opponents, not the numbers.
Fans read to much into a loss, so the promoters are scared of matching their top guys in real learning fights in case they end up with "damaged goods". I'm not saying this is the major problem but its def. an issue IMHO.
TheUzi
06-29-2009, 06:22 PM
I don't think they are fickle, but a lot don't understand that a 23-2 record can be a lot more impressive than a 25-0 record. Its all about the opponents, not the numbers.
Fans read to much into a loss, so the promoters are scared of matching their top guys in real learning fights in case they end up with "damaged goods". I'm not saying this is the major problem but its def. an issue IMHO.
Hit the nail on the head...
Pavlik/Lacy/Cotto are the most recent examples i can think of first hand
They got deserted like the plague and for what??
Losing to some of the worlds finest boxers-its a complete joke
DamonD
06-30-2009, 06:08 AM
It's a real shame but I don't know what can be done to overcome that.
Sports in general have become about being #1 and to hell with you if you aren't. I don't know what will change that.
As said, there are plenty of cases where someone is unbeaten thanks to careful management rather than having actually learnt well as they've gone along.
Lee Mc
06-30-2009, 06:26 AM
yeah so he brings us prizefighter
give us a break
:deal
Prizefighter is bollocks... Theres been 6 or 7 and only 2 have been anything above average...
Hearn should put on REAL fights instead of this crap.
robpalmer135
06-30-2009, 06:29 AM
fans our to fickle these days.
DGLASS JAW
06-30-2009, 10:46 AM
tbh I'm a fan of prizefighter...like the format....it done wonders for Matty rogan...saying that I'm a fan of all combat sports.
curly
06-30-2009, 05:37 PM
Prizefighter is like the 20/20 format, applies to a broader range, but is a pale imitation of the real thing
Prizefighter is not the cause of boxings problems though....
I feel mismatches are a large problem in the game even with learning curves it would be better to put together two fighters who are at similar stages in their careers not someone whose two tiers ahead of another.
TheChamp1000
06-30-2009, 06:47 PM
It's a real shame but I don't know what can be done to overcome that.
Sports in general have become about being #1 and to hell with you if you aren't. I don't know what will change that.
As said, there are plenty of cases where someone is unbeaten thanks to careful management rather than having actually learnt well as they've gone along.
It seems in combat sports i.e. boxing and to a lesser extent MMA that an unbeaten fighter is highly sought after and overhyped by promoters.
IMO promoters overhyped and raised expectation too high with great unbeaten hype jobs.
The detrimental effect is that the casual boxing fan or newcomer to the sport will immediately ask how many fights has the fighter won/loss the interest will fall off if you mention a loss as it's not perceived as being special.
Retarded, to an extent but then again this is the tune that promoters have been singing for a long time and a result this is what they sow.
Fans dont give a shit about undefeated records, if their good the fans will follow.
Bruno, Benn, Eubank, Lennox nd Hatton all pulled in big crowds after losses. Promoters like undefeated fighters becuase it makes their job of hyping fighters easier, in reality though it is bollocks.
Tv companies can force fights whenever they want, if they refuse to cough up for WBU, IBO, WBF fights then they wont happen..
I think GazOC is correct.
You only have to take a look at this forum the minute a fighter loses to see how people overreact and write fighters off.
If supposedly educated observers can not appreciate what is going on what do we expect from casuals?
Dunky McCafferty
06-30-2009, 08:44 PM
I think GazOC is correct.
You only have to take a look at this forum the minute a fighter loses to see how people overreact and write fighters off.
If supposedly educated observers can not appreciate what is going on what do we expect from casuals?
I dont think Gaz is correct on this issue, I KNOW hes correct.
TBooze
06-30-2009, 09:07 PM
I think to be fair, that many thought British boxing got no lower than when the clown of Snooker got involved in boxing, some 20 odd years ago....
TBooze
06-30-2009, 09:14 PM
I don't think they are fickle, but a lot don't understand that a 23-2 record can be a lot more impressive than a 25-0 record. Its all about the opponents, not the numbers.
Fans read to much into a loss, so the promoters are scared of matching their top guys in real learning fights in case they end up with "damaged goods". I'm not saying this is the major problem but its def. an issue IMHO.
No, you are wrong, it is a major problem, so many of the fancy just have not been educated.
Imagine if Barry McGuigan was around.....
Sod Juan Laporte; he lost to Peter Eubanks, he clearly sucks!
The embarrassment of Merseyside John Conteh lost to some unknown bum journeyman Yank,
Also this Kevin Finnegan lost twice to some bum called Marvelously (awful?) Marvin Hagler who lost to a Boogaloo Watts, and some Worm, Monroe!
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