Boxing: Advertising - What is the solution?

By Ed Ludwig

08.04 - Since late last year North American boxing fans have been exposed to advertising. We have seen this for many years but the twist is that companies are paying boxers to plug their companies by having the name painted on the back of the fighter who wants to make an extra buck. It may be new to most of us but in Germany for example, IBF Super Middleweight champion Sven Ottke has been doing this for a very long time.

I do not have a problem with someone wanting to make extra money but the idea of temporary tattoos on the back is somewhat distracting. Omar Weis backside looked like a giant billboard when he recently defeated Hector Camacho Jr. Often the pay from advertising is more than what fighters will get for a fight. Vince Phillips victory over Nick Acevedo last week only netted him ten thousand dollars. What many people fail to realize is that after sanctioning fees, paying management, taxes etc there is not much left.

In Las Vegas it was decided that fighters could not advertise. There was a huge uproar and eventually the decision was over turned. ESPN2 will no longer allow it. That could spell trouble for them as some fighters may withdraw from appearing on their network. Bernard Hopkins led the way in the United States for making some extra money. He was paid one hundred thousand dollars from a casino to promote them. Eric Lucas of Canada has actually been doing it longer than anyone in North America.

The fans find it distracting and the boxers can use the money. So what is the solution? I think advertising should be allowed but only on the trunks or on the shoes. Boxing fans watch the fights very closely and when someone like Omar Weis have huge advertisements plastered on them it is very annoying. Sometimes it makes it hard to concentrate especially if you are a fan trying to score a fight.

Gambling goes hand in hand with boxing and it is a fact of life. I am not crazy about promoting it because for many people it is an addiction that could ruin many lives. Budweiser is part of it so I feel that it should go ahead but with some restrictions. Jorge Paez led the way back in the late eighties and early nineties by having messages shaved into his hair. He was promoting education and safe sex and even Batman on one occasion. Paez did it because he wanted to and he was not paid anything. With all the craziness we see in the sport today I would like to see more of a positive message being sent out to the boxing public.

One thing I do not want to see is a boxer who promotes the Lord Jesus Christ to have casino advertisements in full view. It is hypocritical and it is wrong. What kind of message are we sending to people? It's good to love god and even better to play blackjack and poker? That is wrong and if anyone ever did that they should be fined and suspended. Each State should look into the advertising situation very closely and set strong guidelines. So far I have seen gambling, alcohol and condoms being promoted. I hate to see what lies down the road. This is a very touchy subject for many people and I do not have the answers just my own opinion.

Worldwide there is a select few boxers who have the cross over market appeal that can make them millions of dollars without the tattoos. Oscar De La Hoya is a marketing machine for advertisers. A clean image and good looks is something that not all fighters have. Marketing is a huge business that could make companies millions of dollars if they do it correctly.

I feel that the backlash is more of an issue with boxing because it is an individual sport and not a team sport where it is very common to see soda pop and movies being promoted. What ultimately happens in boxing may lead the way for other individual sports like tennis and golf to take a closer look as to how they regulate advertising. The issue that has to be worked out is what can and can't be shown. An athlete does make good money but it is the league, owners, promoters that make the most in the end. With the evolution of online casino's this will be the tip of the iceberg.