Charles Dickens got it right. For boxing, the year 2015 could be summed up as ?it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.? Boxing returned to network television courtesy of Al Haymon and his PBC series; Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao finally engaged in their long anticipated bout. So, 2015- what was good? What was bad? Iceman John Scully, renowned for his pre fight analyses throughout the year, gives his final thoughts on a long year of boxing.
Boxing fans and industry alike seemed to either be on the edge of their seats or indifferent to the Mayweather/Pacquiao event. In Scully’s opinion, the bout just didn’t live up to it’s hype.
?It absolutely and predictably did NOT live up to the hype. But to be fair, there’s no way it could have. No fight really could have,? he said, and explained. ?Fans, especially halfway fans, expected the greatest action fight in history,? he said, ?but anyone who really knows boxing had to know the fight would go as it did because Floyd is not messing with a proven formula.?
For those who over estimated the fight and it’s action, Scully will let the fans wage their own battles over Floyd’s performance.
?Whether he should have pushed it for the fans is open to debate but the fact is– you can’t complain when you get the same thing out of a fighter every time out. His formula is no secret and anyone who thought he was going to become Smokin’ Joe Frazier that night deserved to lose the $10,000 they paid for a ringside seat.?
Mayweather/Pacquiao, as an event or a happening had its merits, and created the kind of excitement Las Vegas is known for during mega fights. Scully observed highlights and a few subtle disappointments.
?The event as a whole was a positive and a negative, depending on what demographic you speak to,? he said. ?I was on the strip in Las Vegas right after the fight and literally every few seconds you’d hear random people yelling out “Money Team!” like they themselves were actually on the team or something,? he laughed and compared the atmosphere to another championship. ?The electricity of the event carried over and out into the night with everyone so for that entire weekend, boxing was the central theme of everything in the sports world. Comparable to a Super Bowl, really.? The downside Scully determined, were what neophyte boxing fans experienced. ?There are also some potential new fans of the sport, though, who might not believe their friend the next time he tells them how they “must watch this fight, it’s gonna’ be insane!”
For 2015 Gennady Golovkin continued to dominate the middleweight division and is a popular pound for pound choice. With the exception of Andre Ward returning to relevancy, Scully doesn’t see anyone or anything, dethroning him.
?Until Andre (Ward) gets back in the swing of things, I would say yes, no question. ?GGG? is that next guy. Just the fact that when people talk about him they don’t even have to say his name tells you where his visibility is with boxing fans,? Scully stated. ?The fact that he and Andre Ward are only one weight class away from each other at the moment is another plus because it will keep the big fight talk flowing frequently,? he continued. Ward leaving their weight class could force GGG to seek other dynamic opponents, but that shouldn’t dim his star. ?If Ward really does go to light heavyweight then we are going to have to look for guys like Danny Jacobs to get the big push into the big fight, GGG zone.?
The appeal of Golovkin, Scully explained is his demeanor, and fighting style. ?The way he goes about his business and the versatility he has shown in his game this year puts him right there at or near the very top,? Scully said. ?He’s the guy today where you feel like you can’t take your eyes off of him once the bell rings because you never know when the hammer’s gonna’ drop. And I believe boxers watch him and definitely appreciate his calculated approach and sharpshooting expertise.?
Classic rivalry was also a drawing card in 2015, with the clash between Canelo Alvarez, for the Mexican legacy, and Miguel Cotto the Puerto Rican favorite. Where Mayweather/Pacquiao failed to provide excitement, this bout offered a little more bang, as Scully pointed out.
?I think it was a better visual fight than Mayweather and Pac but at the same time it wasn’t nuclear either,? he said. ?It was energetic, though, and people got their money’s worth and they got to witness two elite guys doing it at the highest level with some good action thrown into the mix.?
Although Scully gives high marks to the fight itself, the fighter’s weight class/155 catch weight, is something he wholeheartedly disapproves of and isn’t reluctant to voice his opinion.
?The catch-weight of 155 is a HUGE turn off!” he exclaimed, “And I cannot respect it. 160 is 160, period,? he said. ?This 155 pound champion needs to move up to 160 and not cheat fans out of true history in the making,? he emphasized. ?It’s not right and I also think the sanctioning bodies need to be held accountable as well in situations like these. More people need to revolt against this craziness.?
Another facet of boxing in 2015 was manager/advisor Al Haymon bringing boxing back to prime time television viewing on several channels, including NBC and Spike. As usual with the boxing world, results were mixed, with complaints on everything from ring entrances to fights. But Scully deemed Haymon’s ventures as a positive.
?I’ve been to four PBC shows so far and I really like them,? he said, and listed his reasons. ?Number one, the vibe is just different. It really is more of a show than most other fight cards. The way they have the fighters come out on a stage with that big photo of themselves on the wall behind them before they head to the ring is sort of a signature aspect of their shows that puts them literally in the spotlight for the whole crowd. When the fighters come out onto that stage there is no mistaking who the center of attention is and that’s a great thing for the boxers.?
Additionally, Scully found the matchmaking interesting. ?I am also very intrigued by the fact that from what I’ve seen with my own two eyes,? he said, ?they generally match their brightest prelim prospects in very tough fights.? To Scully, this definitely created a bigger challenge for new prospects. ?It’s rare that you see a hot prospect lose an eight round undercard bout but I’ve definitely seen it on the PBC shows. So it stands to reason that the young fighters are going to know they have to push harder now than they may have been used to doing in off-TV fights.?
There were plenty of oohs and awes in boxing during 2015, but there was also a healthy dose of boos, and Scully has his share of both. Not surprising, the Mayweather/Pacquiao bout made his list.
?Not that it was a great fight,? he reminded, ?but the event and the closure of Mayweather-Pacquiao was great for boxing. It had to happen and it did and it was a plus for the game.? And on the downside of boxing, Scully offered no praise for sanctioning bodies.
?The worst aspect of the year for me is that now more than ever it actually seems that the sanctioning bodies have relinquished control of themselves to the biggest fighters and promoters in the game,? he said, and stressed that these organizations need to be gotten under control. ?In the long term they’ve got to take it back and restore the true value of the “world champion” label because the fact of the matter is they’ve literally put actual monetary value on the world championships way, way ahead of the historical value that should be on them.?
Moving on to 2016, Scully showed no mercy for sanctioning bodies, catch-weights, or interim titles.
?Number one,? he started, ?I wish for all Silver, Regular and Emeritus championships to literally disintegrate off the face of the earth. That’s number one,? he said, then emphasized, ?Not the fighters who hold those titles and belts, just the belts themselves. The interim titles, too. They’ve got to GO.?
Catch weights were next on Scully’s kill list. ?I also want catch-weights wiped off the map,? he said. ?And I want more fighters and the media to put pressure on the sanctioning bodies to stop these.? And it’s not just a whim Scully wants indulged, but a solid reason, which he explained. ?We need to abolish catch weights, because at the rate we’re going, and we are going to be seeing it much more frequently, it could end up being a situation where every halfway champion suddenly wants to fight at some new weight class he makes up because the guy he’s fighting is somehow too big for him.?
2016 boxing will allegedly be minus Floyd Mayweather, leaving Gennady Golovkin and Manny Pacquiao to provide the boxing world its next mega bouts. Pacquiao will likely make this fight his swan song, with a variety of people in the running from Timothy Bradley for a third time, Bud Crawford or even Adrien Broner as opponents. Crawford seems the most logic of these candidates, but Scully believes there is no logic in creating his final match.
?I don’t know if any one guy is all that logical at this point,? he said. ?On one hand you want him in a high profile fight for the fans to get excited about and there are plenty of fights like that out there for him,? he explained, ?but at the same time I’m sure they don’t want to see him lose, either.?
This is where the intricacies of matchmaking come in. ?I’d think they’d want him in with a more rugged type of guy, not a slick boxer,? Scully mused. ?They want him pushed and tested but not beaten and it’s tough matching because there are numerous good fighters right now at that weight who would love that fight and will be yelling for it,? he said. But matchmaking could also depend on Pacquiao’s state of being, at this stage of his career. ?They may also not be 100 percent sure how much he has left or how motivated he is knowing its the end of his boxing days so the matchmaking and the event have to be in sync,? Scully predicted.
In hindsight, Scully reflected on the timing of the Mayweather fight. ?I still say it’s pretty obvious and it’s almost insane that it didn’t happen that Floyd and Manny fought each other in their final fights,? he said. ?They obviously each made enough money to buy one small country each but, still, the aspect of each guy in his final fight going for the win in it would have been much more intense I think. For guys like Manny and Floyd it can’t just be a fight. It’s got to be an event.?
Another highly anticipated event will be Gennady Golovkin’s next bout. Like most of the boxing population, Scully has a preference for his opponent.
?I wouldn’t mind seeing him and Canelo take part on a double header on the same night, even if it’s on different stations in different locations, as sort of a prelude to what will be another huge fight for boxing once they finally get together,? he said, believing that would build the hype to their fight, like another certain fight. ?Like Tommy Hearns and Ray Leonard did in 1981,? he recalled, ?when they both fought on different shows on the same night three months before “The Showdown” so that the interest and anticipation could be magnified. It was a brilliant marketing strategy and I’m surprised they don’t do it now. This fight may be the one to start that practice with again.?
