Bogged down in politics, ego and greed, boxing’s biggest problems keep the sport from growing and once against reaching the prominence it used to enjoy.
Here’s a look at the dilemmas that plague boxing and their common sense resolutions:
This won’t sit well with those who insist that Manny Pacquiao not capitulate to Floyd Mayweather’s demand for random blood testing, but Manny needs to take the test. Rather than offer deflections and excuses, Team Pacquiao should just step up and agree to random, Olympic-style blood testing. The longer the deflections go on, the guiltier Pacquiao appears to the general public. Both fighters would be subject to the same conditions, so neither would really have an advantage, anyway. Just step up and make the compromise for the fans. If Mayweather won’t agree to a fight even after getting his wish for true random testing, then Pacquiao can move on without an asterisk next to his name.
The Klitschko Brothers are unbeatable and weighing down the heavyweight division
The most practical and logical solution would be to just accept and learn to appreciate the dominant brother team, but that would be a cop-out. Instead, we should admit their dominance, but work to season other viable heavyweights in hopes of catching the Klitschkos down the line. Just because fighters like Chris Arreola, Kevin Johnson and Odlanier Solis came up well short against the Klitschkos, that doesn’t mean that they can’t develop into fighters who could win. Take these fighters and throw in heavyweights like Alexander Povetkin, Robert Helenius, Denis Boystov, David Price and Tyson Fury. With all these names on board, simply sign them against one another. At worst, fans will get a score of quality, competitive bouts that will keep the heavyweight division buzzing. At best, a seasoned, battle-hardened pro will emerge and knock the aging giants off their thrones.
How to get boxing back on free TV
The solution to almost all of boxing’s ills is mainstream exposure. Get the sport out of the shadows, away from the fringes, and find a way to expose the public to the very best the sport has to offer. The first step to a return to free TV is ESPN. If boxing can somehow convince the “Worldwide Leader in Sports” to cut some checks and take some risks, advertisers will slowly regain their confidence in boxing and the mainstream media may start to cover the sport again. Of course, this would require boxing to be on its best behavior and stay away from the controversies that have made it the red light district of the sports world.
Who should Manny fight next?
Assuming the mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather can’t get made, a real dilemma for Team Pacquiao revolves around who to fight next. Rather than recycle old foes or turn to another older fighter, Manny needs to go right at a young, prime champion like Timothy Bradley or fight a real junior middleweight champion without forcing a catchweight.
How to eliminate corruption in boxing
Everybody who follows the sport knows that it’s full of shady individuals looking to line their pockets at the expense of the fighters, the fans, and anybody else they can somehow con. The key to stopping these people is to eliminate a manager’s or promoter’s ability to scoop up talent and keep it under tight lock and key. Ideally, a promoter should not be allowed to sign exclusive deals with fighters. Instead, they should bid on individual fights. If promoters are forced to bid on fights rather than sign bouts for their stable of fighters, their only concern would be to make a good contest. With no fighters to protect, there would be no need to fudge scorecards or book several consecutive mismatches. Take the profit out of corruption and things will clean up quickly.
