BERNSTEIN ON BOXING Jr. and Conor Benn; Isaac Cruz and Angel Fierro; Joshua Buatsi and Callum Smith; Kenshiro Teraji and Seigo Yuri Akui; Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev; Fernando Martinez and Kazuto loka; Vergil Ortiz and Israil Madrimov; and David Benavidez and David Morrell shared the ring together. Don’t tell me there were not exciting fights this year. • The best fight the best in women’s boxing. Champions always look to unify, and undisputed title fights are frequent. In this regard, women’s boxing is a step ahead of its male counterpart. And add to that the fact that promotional companies (especially MVP Promotions and Salita Promotions building on what Matchroom Boxing did) are vigorously promoting the women’s game. Major women’s fights are now a regular and important part of the boxing schedule. And even more importantly, they are well-fought and fun to watch.
•
The level of astonishingly cruel vitriol spewed at boxers on social media seems to be growing. I understand the passion of fans, but some of what we see there is just hard to take. The idea of announcers NOT talking once in a while during a boxing telecast seems to be an option that is seldom taken. A producer once told a verbose play-by-play colleague of mine, “Could you give natural sound a chance?” Good advice. Media, fans and even fighters themselves continue to refer to people being the “A” and “B” sides in fights. This infuriates me. There is no A and B – there are only two fighters competing. No other sport does this. When a “1” seed plays a “12” seed in tennis, they don’t suggest an A and B side. The same is true when a division leader in baseball, basketball or football plays a last-place team. Nobody uses that phrase. It permeates the promotion and coverage of a fight before, during and after the bout, and in a subjectively scored and sometimes refereed sport like boxing, that promotional advantage can become a more insidious one. It is unfair to one of
the participants and often paints a skewed view of the event. Mainstream sports media (especially in the United States) and many casual fans (influenced by that media) believe the novelty fights that happen with such frequency these days represent the face of the sport. They are one-off events done for commerce and mostly don’t have any real impact on the standings of the sport. Because they often involve big names from the past or crossover celebrities of the present, they get more attention in some quarters than two current champions in a terrific 50-50 matchup. I’m not attacking the right of novelty fights to exist or whether people should be invested in them. To each his own. I’m simply saying that the sports media and casual fans often suggest they are the best that boxing can offer. That is not the case. Not enough platforms (especially but not limited to the U.S.) want to show the sport. Platforming is an issue for the sport as much as the usual one: getting mainstream media to cover boxing. There are still interfering and oftentimes biased actions taken by referees in fights. This has been a trend in recent years and is not abating. We often concentrate on the poor and sometimes biased judging, but referees are guilty of those offenses as well, and they often deeply impact a fight. I will not end this column with negative thoughts, because on the whole I want us to be thankful for the good in the sport we enjoy so much. So, let me say the one thing that I think we can all agree on: We are thankful for the courageous and talented men and women who are willing to train hard for weeks and often months and then go into the ring to do battle to create a great boxing match. I have covered and known boxers for 45 years, and my respect for them has never waned, nor should it. We need to be thankful that these people exist, for they are the lifeblood of boxing.
•
•
•
•
•
Talented 140-pounder Andy Hiraoka is finally getting a world title shot. He faces a tough challenge against Gary Antuanne Russell, but Hiraoka is also a force in the ring. I make it a 50-50 battle. Boots Ennis may actually be close to running out of C-plus opponents to fight. The two judges who gave Elijah Garcia the win over Terrell Gausha don’t judge every major boxing match. Monique Fundora gave birth to son Sebastian and daughter Gabriela. She gave the world two boxing champions Unheralded Abass Baraou got a chance to compete in a major fight and came away with an upset victory that eventually led to world titleholder status. He is an example of a hardworking boxer who has faced long odds at times but never stopped reaching for glory.
•
•
Tank Davis and Jake Paul are out to make an exhibition of themselves.
•
•
•
And, here are the things I am NOT thankful for:
24 RINGMAGAZINE.COM
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker