By: Sean Crose
Did the mother of Gervonta Davis’ child actually admit wrongdoing last Friday when she claimed she shouldn’t have called 9-1-1 earlier in the week to report that Davis had attack her? Or is she simply behaving like so many abuse victims do by ultimately defending the person who harmed her? Of course, boxing fans and analysts have their opinions, but no one except stakeholders and law enforcement officials knows the truth. As has been confirmed online, those who like Davis will most likely defend Davis while those who don’t, at least, remain skeptical.
What about Tyson Fury? Is the heavyweight tycoon now really banned in the US for his association with a reputable international criminal figure? Again, we don’t know. Criminal characters have certainly been known to have hooks in fighting games. However, only Fury, those close to him, the criminal organization he is accused of involvement in, and international law enforcement officials know for sure. As with Davis, those who like Fury will most likely defend Fury while those who dislike at least remain skeptical. As Kurt Vonnegut might say, “That’s it.”
It is an indisputable fact that fighters like Davis, Fury and others have been in trouble in one form or another. For Davis, it was because of reported abuse of women (and involving a hit-and-run crash). With Fury, it’s his reported partner choice and trashing his system that he knows well shouldn’t be there. When I teach my college students about certain writers, I often bring up the fact that sometimes it’s wise to separate the author from the work. It’s not impossible when it comes to art – but boxing is another story.
After all, who wants to cheer on someone they believe is an abuser of women? Or a cheat? Or a threat all around? Of course most people are free to cheer for whom they want for whatever reason they want. However, those of us who write, blog or podcast about sports should strive for a certain degree of objectivity when it comes to these issues. Why? Because we often don’t know for sure what the truth is – or at least there’s no evidence that we do. That’s not to say we can’t have our own opinions (I’m sure we do), but if we can influence others with our words, that’s smart – and right. right – is to try to keep things neutral while at the same time posting all the pertinent information. It is not easy to do, but it is necessary.
