Oscar De LaHoya hurts wrist while training, Bails. Ray Mercer gets cut in tune up fight, Bails. And now the latest Wladimir Klitschko hurts shoulder two days prior to flying to New York for his title defense, Bails.
Although some injuries are legitimate, you have to wonder if big business is taking over the fight game.
The two giants in the game of boxing, Don King, Don King Promotions and Bob Arum, Top Rank have been accompanied by several big business companies. DiBella Entertainment, Cedric Kushner, Univision, Duva Boxing, America Presents, Universum Box-Promotion and Main Events are just a few promotional companies that have been making an impact in big time boxing events.
You would think with all the promotional competition fans would be treated to exceptional boxing shows.
The problem is today's boxing promotional companies are more interested in promoting to gain a world champion and not to entertaining the public. Promotional companies believe having world champions translates into more revenue. As it is so. The big money distributors in boxing such as HBO and Showtime are not interested in your fighter if the fighter is not a world champion.
So protection is the name of the game. Take your fighter and build up their records by matching them against unskilled fighters. On paper an undefeated fighter will grab the attention of the big money distributors. But what happens when a fighter has signed for a contest and then a financially better contest presents itself?
Mr. Doctor step in, please. Having a Doctor justify an injury seems to be the way out of contracted fights. Where are the fan protectors? What are the sanctioning bodies and commissions doing about it? Obviously nothing.
Let's take the latest case, Wladimir Klitschko injures his shoulder just days before he was to fly to New York to defend his title. Could it be the sudden interest in a probable Lennox Lewis fight have had anything to do with his injured shoulder? You see if he fights in New York and loses, looks bad or gets injured during the fight, then a Lewis fight would probably not happen. What about all the time, money and effort made in promoting the New York fight. Is it fair to all the people involved and the fans to be let down? Why does the New York Boxing Commission not require Klitschko to be examined by a New York doctor of their choice to legitimize the injury? Why would the WBO not do the same? Failure to comply would mean suspension and stripping of the title.
In Ray Mercer's case, even the doctor said the cut would be ok by his scheduled date of Dec. 1 against Klitschko. Mercer cancelled anyway, no repercussions by the commission. Could it be the Jan 19 Tyson fight was already in the works?
Now with the fans wanting to see a Lewis/Tyson bout, will we see Tyson get injured and bail out of his scheduled Jan 19 fight against Mercer? Should Tyson lose to Mercer then a Lewis bout is unlikely. Or will we see a Tyson of old with no fear of losing go into the ring and knock the head off of Mercer? Actions, no talk of eating children is what I'd like to see from Tyson.
The fights must go on and its up to the boxing commissions to see that they do. If a legitimate injury occurs during training then the fight should be postponed but go on as contracted. An injury should not not be a way out of a contracted fight. Commissions have the power to see to this. Boxing commissions are a legal body in the United States and should reprimand fighters and promoters who do not comply. Fines, suspensions and when necessary incarceration should be applied for those who do not comply with the laws of boxing.
Boxing commissions need to take a stand and get a grip on the business of professional boxing or big business will forever control boxing.
Meanwhile we can all sit back and see how the picture unfolds.
-Blackbull-
11-22-01