2012 has been a great year for boxing. It’s been a year that has seen a number of classic drama filled and exciting fights. Epic battles such as the memorable back and forth slug fest between Brandon Rios and Mike Alvarado, Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and most recently the dramatic and shocking fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. (just to name a few).
Boxing fans have literally been spoiled this year with a number of great matches, however rather than focusing on the wonderful year 2012 has been, people are choosing to focus on the negatives in the sport, such as the rumored P.E.D epidemic that seems to exists in the minds of some. Boxing fans and people inside the sport’s community have all been guilty of unfairly criticizing the sport at some point or another. The cloud over steroids has done such damage to this sport that basically anytime a fighter has an upset win or a fight doesn?t go to plan, people start automatically making accusations and jumping to conclusions against fighters in relation to them using P.E.D?s. For me, this has gotten way out of hand.
I was lucky enough to be a welcome guest on Jenna Jay?s live radio talk show after the Marquez/Pacquiao fight and before I joined the conversation I listened to a solid half hour of guests and callers and instead of talking about the great fight we had just witnessed and how this fight compared to the other great fights in the series, the talk tended to gyrate to one or both fighters possibly being on steroids. I got on the radio and tried to make a point that we should be focusing on the fights rather than the steroid issue but it practically fell on death ears.
If I believed there was something rotten in the Pacquiao/Bradley fight, well I’ll be the first to say that I don?t mind making an issue of it, but as with everything there has to be solid evidence or proof that a fighter has engaged in illegal activity. Until solid evidence is presented, and not just a hunch feeling, a fighter’s name should not be tarnished. With the amount of talk about steroids that flooded the message boards and flooded the forums of media after this weekend?s fight, you have to wonder are some boxing fans and boxing insiders truly fans of the sport or are they fans of the controversy and the debate this sport can bring? Boxing has got enough competition from other sports without the need for it to be torn down unnecessarily from people inside the sport.
It saddens me that an honorable man who I believe Marquez is, has had his name possibly tarnished by the mere flood of speculation that surrounds him. If anyone can relate and should feel sympathetic, it is Pacquiao Fans. After all Pacquiao fans should know all about this because there have been (unfounded) rumors surrounding “Pacman” for the best part of a decade in relation to steroid use. Thankfully, there is a very small band of boxing fans holding up boxing?s banner and defending its honor. You have to decide whether you are in boxing for the right reasons. To put it simply you have to ask yourself one question ?boxing, are you with us or against us?” For if you are jumping to conclusions and quick to play the steroids card with out any solid evidence… then you certainly aren’t in it for the good of the sport.?
