I’m sorry, but I’ll be that guy again. Last weekend, there were several boxing matches that took place globally and were broadcast on various platforms, namely Sky Sports, BT Sport, DAZN and FITETV. For fans of the sport, there’s a lot to get excited about.
On Saturday night there is also UFC 281, which takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York. It is an important card with a thrill, overflowing and what I can only imagine is a very high electricity bill.
That UFC card blew every boxing gig completely. In fact, what boxing has to offer in comparison is almost shameful.
To be fair, that’s not true of everything that happened in boxing over the weekend; Sunny Edwards put on a commanding performance, Natasha Jonas excelled and Nick Ball delivered a thunderous finish in the first round. Denzel Bentley also asked a lot of questions for Janibek Alimkhanuly in an amazingly uphill fight.
But it’s not the wars that dominate the headlines. Attention is focused on Floyd Mayweather. It goes to the exhibition fight between Ricky Hatton and Marco Antonio Barrera. And it led to Montana Love being ridiculously eliminated against Stevie Spark.
Mayweather is doing an exhibition with a YouTuber named Deji. It takes place in Dubai and on DAZN PPV – yes, people have to pay extra for this. The whole event was ridiculous. Mayweather, clearly not taking things seriously (and why should he?), is dancing around the ring and seemingly enjoying the time of his life. There are clips circulating on social media of Mayweather throwing punches at Deji that can cause a pillow to dent.
Tommy Fury was on the under-muscle list, although his scheduled bout was replaced with an exhibition because he was overweight. Jake Paul stood by and did some of the commentary, though mostly just shouting obscenities at Fury. This angered Tommy’s father, John, who tore his shirt and tried to fight Paul right there.
Hatton and Barrera have, unsurprisingly, treated themselves with much more respect, and they’ve been reciprocated by fans, pundits and commentators in the ring. Their match has never been advertised as anything more than an exhibition – and Hatton’s zimmer frame performance was a particular highlight – but these are still two icons of the sport. punch each other in the head when they just retire.
The showdown took place on Sky Sports and overshadowed the billed main event, which saw Jonas prove himself once again world-class.
Then again on DAZN, failed with Love and Spark. Love was eliminated early in the match and in the sixth inning rushed Spark, eventually forcing him to crawl over the ropes and out of the ring. Love was then disqualified and Spark was declared the winner.
That call from the referee might be a bit harsh, but either way, it’s a very disappointing end to that particular show.
This weekend proves once again that boxing is becoming the laughing stock. Instead of the best battling the best, broadcasters and advertisers are offering glorified celebrity duels and retirement tours.
Football has the World Cup starting this weekend. The NFL continues to be a huge global organization and has an annual Super Bowl. The UFC keeps hosting major events — including one in Perth next year — every few months and is establishing true fighting superstars.
What should we, as boxing fans, expect at this point? There’s nothing on the schedule to blow your socks off. Yes, there are some good matches but the blockbuster matches don’t happen. It’s no surprise that events like Mayweather-Deji get so much attention – nothing else to say.
Marco Antonio Barrera, Ricky Hatton and Wayne Rooney (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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The WBC recently held their annual conference in Mexico and announced a bunch of new policies, standings and matches they’ve “ordered”. It was also revealed that the sanctioning body had itself altered the outcome of a war that had occurred more than 30 years ago.
It is reported that the WBC has reversed the decision of the first meeting between Jeff Fenech and Azumah Nelson in 1991 and has now declared Fenech the winner. The fight is for the WBC super featherweight title, which Fenech has now been awarded to retroactive.
While Fenech should have raised its hand on that controversial night in 1991, the WBC is setting an alarming precedent with this latest decision. If sanctioning bodies could now simply decide who they think should be – or should be – the ‘world’ champion (using unexplained criteria), the use of What are judges trained to do? Or the referee? Just let two boxers take it down, film it, then show it to Mauricio Sulaiman after a few years and let him decide who wins.
To his credit, Nelson responded to the WBC’s decision with class: “I’m not worried about this decision, as it doesn’t change my legacy in boxing history, nor does it change anything. anything in the future. If this helps Jeff Fenech sleep well at night, then I’m happy for him,” he said in a statement.
It didn’t get much news, but former British Commonwealth and Commonwealth light-heavyweight champion Callum Johnson recently announced his retirement from professional boxing. What’s remarkable about his announcement is how honest it is – he openly admits that discipline issues and struggles with mental health have prevented him from participating in the sport. .
It is a special thing for an athlete to realize that their mind is not working the way it needs to be successful in their sport and then take action. Johnson deserves nothing but the best in retirement.
Boxing on the box
November 19
Liam Davies-Ionut Baluta
BT Sports 1
Coverage starts at 7pm
November 20th
Jaime Munguia-Gonzalo Gaston Coria
DAZN
Coverage starts at 12am
