This is part two of a three-part dive by Ruth Raper. You can follow along. Part one here.
Another important factor that a boxer must have in order to reach the top is marketability. Marketability is something that managers and promoters will focus on when they consider signing a boxer. Traits such as charisma and personality make a boxer more marketable. These qualities make a boxer stand out to the public and therefore able to build a large fan base.
Promoters often encourage fighters to tell their ‘story’ to the public. This allows them to create a narrative around their career and engage with the public on a deeper level. All of these elements help build a brand, which is something all fighters should strive to do if they want to secure profitable campaign contracts and brand partnerships.
Oscar De La Hoya is famous for the story of his mother’s death just weeks before the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, where he fulfilled her wish of becoming an Olympic champion. This inspirational story, combined with his pop star good looks, helped him become the ‘Golden Boy’.
Oscar De La Hoya
De La Hoya signed numerous endorsement deals, including one with McDonald’s in 1999, and became one of boxing’s biggest stars throughout the 90s and 2000s. Obviously, none of De La Hoya’s accomplishments would have been possible without his skill and dedication, but there’s no doubt that his marketability helped him rise to the king of boxing.
Arguably, the most important quality a boxer must have to become a box office draw is the power to knock out opponents (which is why heavyweights attract more audiences than flyweights).
There is something hardwired in humans that makes us seek out brutality, and what could be more brutal than a knockout? To see legs buckle, the lights go out for a moment, and for that moment, everything freezes in time. That is what many people hope to see when they watch the ‘big fight’. When a boxer is able to knock out an opponent with a single punch, they turn from a boxer into something else entirely. They turn into a commodity.
The best example of this is Mike Tyson. Tyson boasts a record of 58 fights with 50 wins, 44 of which were by narrow margin. His uncanny ability to render opponents unconscious earned him nicknames like ‘The KO Kid’ and ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’.
LAS VEGAS, USA: Mike Tyson (L) of the United States, knocks out Bruce Seldon, of the United States, in the first round of their WBA heavyweight title fight on September 7 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tyson won by TKO in the first round. AFP PHOTO Jeff HAYNES/jh (Photo credit must be JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images)
Tyson’s iconic all-black shorts and boots, along with his menacing gaze and angry interactions, made him one of the most notorious figures of the 90s. Millions of viewers would tune in to Tyson’s fights (even if they had to wake up at 4am) to witness a devastating KO. The truth is that Tyson’s aura struck fear into the hearts of his opponents and he defeated them before they even stepped foot in the ring.
If you don’t possess the power to knock out an opponent with a single punch (and not many do), then you can be sure that standing your ground and crying hysterically is the next best thing to attracting a bloodthirsty audience.
Arturo Gatti captured the hearts of millions by refusing to back down and leaving it all in the ring, leading to some of the most celebrated fights of our time. There are many highly skilled boxers who have been labelled “boring” by the public, and therefore have not achieved the level of fame their talent deserves (I hope this doesn’t happen to Shakur Stevenson).
A lesser-traveled avenue into the public eye is cultural impact. Within the (small) catalog of famous boxers, there is an even smaller catalog of boxers who have made a cultural impact.
These fighters represent more than just a sport or the corporate brand they are associated with; they represent the people, and that’s because they reflect the people. These idolized fighters often speak up for the voiceless during difficult (often political) times, sometimes even putting their own careers on the line to fight for what they believe is right.
The two boxers that come to mind are Muhammad Ali and Barry McGuigan. In 1967, when Ali attended his induction into the United States Armed Forces, he refused to step forward when his name was called. He was warned that he was committing a serious crime that could result in five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Ali was called again, but again he refused to give in. He was then arrested. The next day, the New York State Athletic Commission suspended Ali’s boxing license, and the WBA stripped Ali of his world title. It took Ali three years to regain his boxing license in the United States.
Ali’s views on the Vietnam War resonated with many around the world. He famously asked, “Why are they asking me to put on a uniform and go ten thousand miles from home to drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam, while so-called Negroes in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied basic human rights?” Ali’s refusal to bow to the white elite transformed him from an athlete into a cultural icon, ‘The Greatest’ in and out of the ring.
During one of the most divisive and violent periods in Irish history, a boxer chose to fight for peace. During the war-torn 1980s known as ‘The Troubles’, Barry McGuigan refused to stir up further conflict and made it clear that he would not choose one side over another.
“I’m acutely aware of how sensitive things are,” McGuigan said. “I’ve made a huge effort. I’m not going to do that, I’m not going to wear colors that alienate people, I’m not going to sing hymns that divide people one way or another.”
Instead of having Amhrán na bhFiann (the Republican anthem) or God Save The Queen (the Unionist anthem) played as he entered the ring, he had his father sing Danny Boy, which he said was “the people’s anthem”. The catchphrase “let McGuigan fight” was coined and the trouble stopped the week before McGuigan’s fights.
There is no doubt that McGuigan’s decision to not take sides endangered his own safety; however, there is also no doubt that the choices McGuigan made brought his country much-needed comfort in a war that claimed the lives of more than 3,500 people.
Every McGuigan fight is more than just a chance to see ‘The Clones Cyclone’ throw a series of powerful punches with pinpoint accuracy or to have him mesmerise you with his head movements. It shows his Northern Irish brothers and the rest of the world that unity and peace are possible.
