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MAGNO'S BULGING MAIL SACK: FLOYD-CONOR VS. CANELO-GGG, DOUBLE STANDARDS, AND A TRULY STUPID SWITCHEROO

By Paul Magno | July 27, 2017
MAGNO'S BULGING MAIL SACK: FLOYD-CONOR VS. CANELO-GGG, DOUBLE STANDARDS, AND A TRULY STUPID SWITCHEROO

It’s Thursday once again and time for me to take a firm grasp on my sack for the purposes of sharing some of it with you. So, let’s take a look at what we have:

The Ol’ Switcheroo

Since you seem to be as vocal as the rest of the boxing online communities about boxing politics/corruption especially in bad judging, would you support Olympic style scoring for professional boxing where 5 judges score a round based on the 10 point system but a computer randomly picks 3 of those scores per round to count? And do you ever see instant replay becoming a factor in boxing like it is for other sports? 

Also you so gay that even AIDS said 'nah you too gay for me to be associated with you'

-- Toney Warner

Ahhh, I see what you did there. Ask a perfectly reasonable question, lure me in, then totally burn me by proving that you’re not very bright at all. You got me!

But let me address the first, non-stupid, part of your email.

The only scoring reform boxing needs is to find a way to separate the judges from the promoters. Under the current system, an event’s lead promoter has way too much to say when it comes to the judges assigned and payment of those judges. That is a breeding ground for corruption. Forget all the fancy ideas about changing the number of judges, the location of the judges, and even instant replay—unless we make a fundamental change in who picks and pays the officials, nothing will keep the sport 100% honest.

Will Floyd-Conor Mess With Canelo-Golovkin?

Hey Paul,

Do you think Mayweather vs McGregor will affect Alvarez vs Golovkin's pay-per-view numbers considering the fact that they take place less than a month between each other? Will people be willing to pay $100 for a Mayweather fight and then pay $70 for an Alvarez fight less than a month later? Is it ever a good idea to hold huge boxing events so close together?

-- Amir Mustafaa

Hey Amir,

That’s a reasonable question and concern. Normally, staging two major pay-per-views so close to one another WOULD be a business killer. But, in my opinion, this particular situation is not your typical dynamic. The question I have is whether those buying the Mayweather-McGregor mega-spectacle will necessarily be the same people buying Canelo-Golovkin.

Mayweather-McGregor can lean on interest from casual fans, UFC loyalists, and the mainstream-curious to provide the bulk of its buys. Canelo-Golovkin, on the other hand, will be depending heavily on the so-called “hardcore” fans. 

It’s probable that both events will do quite well appealing to their own specific audiences and niche markets and it’s equally probable that neither will be affected all that much by rejection outside their intended audiences.

If either event fails to generate business and fan interest, it’ll be the promotion’s fault and not the competition’s fault. Both Mayweather Promotions/UFC and Golden Boy/K2 will succeed or fail based on their ability to sell their fights to their respective bases.

Boxing, The UFC, McGregor, and Trash Talk

PM, wassup brah?

I'm a huge fan of boxing and MMA, in that order! I admit I love both combat sports deeply, though boxing would be my first true love out of the two! I've been watching boxing since the 70s, and it's the first martial art I studied as a boy! I have also been watching MMA since the days when the UFC was with Zuffa and had no weight classes! I started studying MMA in the late 90s.

I'm trying to wrap my brain around the many years we have seen black fighters absolutely trashed as horrible sportsmen and ambassadors for their sport for being trash talkers! Yet Conor McGregor is completely embraced by the fans and media for it! Why is that? IMO, it is blatant proof of the racial double standards that exist in our world and particularly our country! What do you think?

My second question is, how can anyone who knows the history of MMA, hate boxing? This is sooo important to analyze especially when we consider that MMA grew in popularity when they started to respect boxing, as a true martial art! When mixed martial artists began hiring boxing coaches, their KOs grew! This brought more popularity to a sport that was perceived as boring wrestling, and grappling! Conor McGregor is a striker, particularly a pugilistic striker! He uses lateral movement and timing to counter-punch his opponents and has had a high degree of success from this style! Conor can kick but, he rarely does! And his wrestling, and Ju Jitsu, are practically non-existent! I know for a fact that most of his striking style comes from the boxing he probably learned as an amateur boxer, yet he is sooo disrespectful of the sweet science! Why is he allowed to get away with trash talking boxing and trash talk in general? 

-- Yusuf Muhammad

Hey Yusuf,

There’s a lot there in your email, so let me dive right in and I’ll try to be as brief as possible.

First, there is no doubt that the UFC would not have been able to grow as big as it did without embracing the stand-up game and boxing, specifically. There actually seemed to be a conscious effort to move away from jiu-jitsu and grappling in favor of the punches and kicks that DO make for most of the marketable, salable action. 

That’s why I found it amusing when Dana White carpet-bombed boxing in the growing days of the UFC and tried to paint themselves as the new, better, more bad-ass alternative to boxing. The UFC only began to grow substantially when they marketed themselves as a “new” type of boxing rather than an actual new sport. No matter how White and company try to paint things, fans still primarily respond to striking and they still respond the most to aspects of fighting borrowed from boxing.

As for the apparent double standard when it comes to McGregor’s trash talking—well, you’re not imagining things, there IS a double standard. 

Let me toss diplomacy out the door and come right out to say this. When a white athlete struts around and talks shit, it’s seen as rebellious, bad-ass, and charming in a mischievous kind of way. When a black athlete does the same, he’s treated as a threat and vile offender of common decency and sportsmanship.

The reason for this is buried in our culture, well beyond the sports world, and mixed into the ideas of class, race, and where society feels we all “belong.”

This is the reason why a white man “acting black” will always be more acceptable to mainstream culture than the black man, himself. Whether we’re talking about Elvis Presley appropriating black music, riding it to fame and fortune or someone like McGregor doing what he’s doing, the reality is the same—whites and blacks are held to much different standards based on their assigned roles in this culture.

Got a question (or hate mail) for Magno’s Bulging Mail Sack? The best of the best gets included in the weekly mailbag segment right here at FightHype. Send your stuff here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com.

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