Over at Maxboxing, Steve Kim has an excellent piece on the "State of the Game". The promoters are simply doing nothing to create new fans. They take the quick and easy money from networks and casinos and anything else is gravy. As a former Los Angeles resident, seeing a fight was hard to do. You either had to go to Temecula to the Penchanga resort, to Santa Ynez to the Chumash Casino or to Las Vegas. The shortest drive is about 2 hours. Furthermore, these are not for top level guys either.
Another problem is that some of the local LA shows were expensive. A club fight with local fighters that few have heard of should not have a top ticket anywhere near $100. To ask for young or hardworking blue collar types to shell out $100 for a series of 4 to 8 rounders and two guys in the main event with 25 combined losses is absurd. A Bruce Springsteen concert which is usually 2.5 to 3 hours long doesn't even cost $100, as he chooses to keep prices a little more reasonable.
The worst example of taking the money and running is in relation to Shane Mosley. His fight against Luis Collazo and the rematch against Winky Wright were both in Vegas casinos and both sparsely attended. One of the main reasons is that tickets were as high as $400 if I remember correctly. Even $200 only got you a decent seat. Shane should fight in LA where his fans are and with reasonable prices.
It is also time that fighters got paid in accordance with their economic pull.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Taylor vs. Spinks Not Alright
I have read the opinion of several writers on the upcoming Jermaine Taylor-Cory Spinks fight. Some, including ESPN's Dan Rafael, feel that the fight is an acceptable one for Taylor. I couldn't disagree more. Who cares that Spinks is considered by most to be the best at 154. That is largely by default. The only time that facing a champion from either a weight class above or below is intriguing is when both champs have cleaned out their respective divisions, have styles that will make a great fight, or are pound for pound elites. This fight fits none of the three.
Spinks has been at 154 for only two fights. One was a questionable decision against Roman Karmazin where Spinks ran the latter portion of the fight to eke out the fight. The second was against nondescript opposition in the form of Rodney Jones. There are fights with Kassim Ouma, a rematch with Karmazin and a unification fight against Travis Simms still out there. Taylor meanwhile is in a middleweight division stacked with talent.
As for the style matchup, all you need to know is that Cory Spinks is involved. His only prayer of winning is to stink out the joint and run all day long.
Finally, while Taylor is a top 10 pound for pound fighter, Spinks isn't close. Spinks is a good boxer, not elite. One other thing that must be mentioned is that Spinks had a questionable chin for 147, his natural weight, having been knocked down and almost out in the first Judah fight and then KO'd in the rematch. At 160, and facing a big middleweight in Taylor, his chin is sure to get checked. When it does, it likely won't hold.
Sure there are reasons such as the local draw of both fighters, and mandatory defenses that others must make as to why this fight is taking place. Despite all that this is still not acceptable. Taylor who keeps saying that he needs to learn, should learn nothing fighting blown up welterweights and small junior middleweights, which has been his diet since the three Hopkins and Wright fights.
Spinks has been at 154 for only two fights. One was a questionable decision against Roman Karmazin where Spinks ran the latter portion of the fight to eke out the fight. The second was against nondescript opposition in the form of Rodney Jones. There are fights with Kassim Ouma, a rematch with Karmazin and a unification fight against Travis Simms still out there. Taylor meanwhile is in a middleweight division stacked with talent.
As for the style matchup, all you need to know is that Cory Spinks is involved. His only prayer of winning is to stink out the joint and run all day long.
Finally, while Taylor is a top 10 pound for pound fighter, Spinks isn't close. Spinks is a good boxer, not elite. One other thing that must be mentioned is that Spinks had a questionable chin for 147, his natural weight, having been knocked down and almost out in the first Judah fight and then KO'd in the rematch. At 160, and facing a big middleweight in Taylor, his chin is sure to get checked. When it does, it likely won't hold.
Sure there are reasons such as the local draw of both fighters, and mandatory defenses that others must make as to why this fight is taking place. Despite all that this is still not acceptable. Taylor who keeps saying that he needs to learn, should learn nothing fighting blown up welterweights and small junior middleweights, which has been his diet since the three Hopkins and Wright fights.
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