[Douchebag]

I know I'm ;not the only one that shares this sentiment.

[BigJuicyHog]

Please elaborate. What does he do that is so terrible for boxing. He brings boxing into the mainstream, get casual fans to watch, and has done a hell of a job as a promoter. If anything I think he is great for boxing.

[BrutalBodyShots]

I know I'm ;not the only one that shares this sentiment.

I don't think he's bad for boxing at all.

[Douchebag]

As a promoter I can't knock him, but as far as him being boxer he is a joke imo. He has no interest taking it seriously and yeah casual fans will tune in to his fights but almost anybody with boxing IQ over 10 knows he is not taking it seriously and should not get the attention that he gets. I mean when he gets in the ring with some one like PBF he is potentially jeopordising fights that really matter in boxing. Like PBF and any of the other real threats at Welterweight.

[Jack 1000]

I know I'm ;not the only one that shares this sentiment.

You need to elaborate as to how and why he is bad for boxing,

I think the good points are that he draws the mainstream population into the sport (as best as can be expected.) He brings strong revenues to the Latin-American populations and to the casinos. He is a very successful promoter who enjoys what he is doing and wants to make as much money as he can.

Some of the negatives are that throughout his career he has changed his mind many times, saying these to please the crowd but eventually doing the opposite. He also faced criticism by fighting in divisions lower than his natural weight, working more in his own interest rather than what the fans would like to see. In later years, he seems to be more interested in money rather than promising to go out with an action fight.

But overall, Oscar is good for boxing because he represents the last of a needed breed of fighter with whom the general public can identify. He fought some very good to great fighters in his career and brought about huge PPV incomes for the boxing economy. I would say that Delahoya represents far more good in boxing than bad.

Jack

[MarzB]

I understand the author's sentiment although overall "bad" may not be a good term. If I can play mind reader I think he's saying that Oscar is 'bad" because him being such a cash cow, he's able to dictate terms, conditions and match ups that tend to affect the boxing landscape.. Good and bad...

Whoever he chooses to fight focuses their efforts on him and you'd be a fool not to due to the $$$ involved. Those on the "outs" are relegated again to being out of contention. (ie, DLH vs. Floyd II, now potential matchups with PBF get moved back)..

Am I right??

----------------------

Me personally, I think he's one of the most overrated, phonies their is who makes me utterly sick. I'll give credit where its due, he's not an ELITE boxer but he teeters on the good-very good scale. However talk about being lucky or just being in the right place right time or as it's said (Holmes or King can't remember who). He has the right "complexion to make the connection".. Whether its his appearance that women find appealing, being the last of a generation of boxers who's been the poster boy of amateur boxing that was profiled back when amateurs were still being shown widespread on television. To his pro career where boxing (IMO) has turned from a mainstream sport to being promoted directly towards the latin audience (an extremely vocal and loyal audience I might add). He's benefited from it.

He's considered an automatic hall of famer which blows my mind considering all the controversial decisions he's received (Whitaker, Quartey, Sturm) and damn near every big fight save for Vargas and Maryoga he's lost (the Pea fight doesn't count). Added to that his lack of professionalism when it comes to the sport (do we need to point to his conditioning issues and his Sturm appearance. good lord)..

That said, even though GBP aren't too much different than the DKP and Top Rank, atleast he added a third promotional arm into the fray. I think his overall cards could be better and he could try some things that would increase buy rate like lowering the price of a PPV or have a scaled buying system (ie, $30 before blank date and $$$ day of). But overall from the GBP front his definitely put in work..

Personally I can't stand him because he's a triple talker but overall I guess he's not that bad overall..

[The Original MrF...]

I know I'm ;not the only one that shares this sentiment.

I tend to agree. Oscar helps drive up the cost of PPV's for the NON casual fans. For our $50 we get Mayweather/DLH2. Many of us NON casual fans would rather see something else. Oscar also helps the idea that corruption rules the sport. $$ rather than rankings decides who fights who for what titles. Oscar has no business fighting anyone for a title. He hasnt earned it. No order to things equals bad for boxing. Its kinda like WWFish, where the popular loudmouth gets moved to the top of the rankings.

Example would be like baseball. The Yankees have won more world titles than any other team. It doesnt mean they automatically get a free ride to the World series each year. The Yankees being in the wrld series would generate much more money than the Milwaukee brewers being there. If they dont earn it on the BB diamond, then they dont belong in the big dance. Kinda like DLH. he hasnt earned it in the ring. But, he gets a free pass to the Boxing's World Series based on accomplishments that occured in the 90's. Somehow i dont see that as good for boxing. I know peple wll say, thats been going on fo a long time. Well DLH, said he was going to change things. He wont. Its gonna take government intervention. If I were in DLH's shoes and I could make $50 mill being bad for boxing, I'd do it too...

[STEVENSKI]

As a promoter I can't knock him, but as far as him being boxer he is a joke imo. He has no interest taking it seriously and yeah casual fans will tune in to his fights but almost anybody with boxing IQ over 10 knows he is not taking it seriously and should not get the attention that he gets. I mean when he gets in the ring with some one like PBF he is potentially jeopordising fights that really matter in boxing. Like PBF and any of the other real threats at Welterweight.

Some of the hate in this thread is unbelievable.

Jeapordising fights?

How so when he gave PBF the most competitive fight he has had in years & made the biggest fight of the year?

[Chi-Town]

I'm gonna try to pull this all together. Oscar is good and bad for boxing.
GOOD

He's good because he brings in the casual fan and is revolutionizing the promotion game. He's one of those athletes that people recognize even if they don't follow the sport like Pele or David Beckham in soccer or Dale Earnhart in racing. Sooo many people (fighters and non-fighters for that matter) have tried over the years to launch a promotional company and the VAST majority fail. He's good for boxing in that regard because he is the American dream personified, poor immigrant parents, winning an Olympic Gold Medal he promised to his mother as she was dying, and ultimately becoming a legitamate business tycoon and self made multi- millionare while helping revitalize his impoverished community. Moreover, he's good for boxing because he is one of the only established fighters in the game who has demonstrated over and over again that he will fight anybody in or around his weight class irregardless of how overmatched he might be as long as it makes for a big event. And even though his image is fake and he's a prick and a cheapskate, he is still percieved as "such a nice man" by the public.

BAD

He's bad because as another poster mentioned he has gotten two title shots that he in no way deserved in the past couple of years (Sturm and Mayorga) Also, since the Hopkins fight, he has shown no real dedication to the sport as a fighter. I'm convinced that he is either A. Stupid (yes, self made millionares can be stupid) or B. he doesn't really care all that much about winning. I say this because he continues to sell himself short by being inactive for such long periods of time and on top of that comes back to fight top guys. I don't care what he says about his "nagging injuries", when you fight the best fighter that you have ever fought IN YOUR LIFE with no tune up AND you're 34/35 years old, you're setting yourself up for failure. He's bad for boxing because he has truly become a part-time fighter in every way imaginable, the problem is that being an "A-List" fighter is not a part-time job so something's gotta give, and what's been giving lately are his number of losses. Anyone read about his stupid ass proposal for a training schedule?

This post has been edited by Chi-Town: Jan 17 2008, 06:33 PM

[Elijah]

"Anyone read about his stupid ass proposal for a training schedule?"

I haven't heard anything about this, speak on it.