What a time to be a boxing fan at the moment. Much to look forward to. In fairness.
Boxing is in a stellar position as a sport.
This uptick in boxing legends making a comeback while criticized in some quarters, and granted, it is a bit silly in some aspects, even still, it manifests a reality of how good boxing is performing at the moment.
They all want to come back to get a pay day. You can’t blame them.
Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales the latest pair of combatants to fathom such an endeavor.
With that in mind, positively bringing more audience to the sport henceforth.
While not confirmed yet, it is understood to be in play for not long after Independence Day on July 4th in America.
Fireworks guaranteed. No, no, not like the popular movie, no aliens will be getting battered by Will Smith.
Just a good old toe to toe battle between two Mexican boxing legends.
Frankly, we’d still watch it.
The obvious admonitions here are two things.
The medical side and oversight being up to par and adequate.
Secondly, is there an appropriate agreement not dissimilar to the Tyson vs Jones fight — as to the rules of engagement, per se.
A gentlemen’s agreement at the minimum. Worth more than contracts many times.
Something to define expressly in and around, what happens, say, when the first hard dig lands, will a fighter relinquish intent to render his opponent torpid on the canvas for the standard ten count.
Or, will it just be a friendly exhibition with no serious intent to knock the other guy out.
Perhaps defining this scope of legality not only is fair to both competitors beforehand but also in the relevant marketing expectations for hard working paying customers.
If they are semi fights/exhibitions and entertainment, well, what is the harm. Let them do what they want if safe. Who’s to judge.
The problem is though, that’s all well and good, but there has to be some sort of balance before what next — men boxing one another above some sort of shark pool.
The winner wins by knocking the other into a pool of vicious sharks swimming beneath the ring baying for his blood.
Come on, that’s the ridiculous, right?
Of course it is.
So, these YouTube stars and legends returning to the sport is now the limit of the wacky wild wild West that is boxing’s promotional efforts.
It is the sweet science and noble art for a reason. This is as far as the craziness goes. You can’t just think about the creative side of things in all this. One must consider the operations, infrastructure, engineering side and the sensible optimization needed to safely deliver these fights between old boxing stars.
Boxing, overall, is now once again a mainstream sport from a worldwide perspective.
It got to this position by the best fighting the best (mostly, okay not always) at the end of the day. Nothing is more important than that, firstly.
Case in point, recently, an individual reportedly personally offering a billion dollars and more out of his own personal pocket in the Middle East to put on a heavyweight title fight indicative of the crazy money and interest in the sport.
This will only grow in the years ahead, moreover.
Internationally in the different countries.
Never forget though, without grassroots boxing and amateur boxing none of this exists.
Let’s hope some of those Swiss cheese individuals in Geneva don’t screw up things ever again at the upcoming Olympics for boxing.
Love the Swiss to be fair. An odd but endearing nation with a great sense of humor, some a bit too arrogant, though. Like a small few of the French. Nobody perfect of course. I can see however why a well respected Swiss gentleman who was in boxing before moved to America, I don’t blame him.
Hopefully, hopefully nothing at this year’s Olympics for boxing will ever happen like the last Olympics in Rio.
That monstrosity nearly destroyed boxing last time. Okay Einstein’s adopted homeland, the world of sport will be watching close this year.
Regarding the amateur code as of 2021.
At least boxing is trying to improve in aspects at the moment. Too easy to criticize all the time and at least by offering some ideas to improve instead is more constructive. At least people are trying their best. You’ll never hear us giving out if people try their best. That’s all anyone can bloody do.
More often than not though, alas, it’s always enough, in the end.
Grassroots boxing is the back bone of everything at the end of the day, in every country.
All these nations are unique and have their own ways of doing things, sure, but ultimately, a boxing ring is a boxing ring.
Barrera and Morales know this more than most as they came up the hard way to get where they are today.
Enjoy their fight — for what it is.
