Every Thursday here at FightHype, we make a space among the video content for a good, old-fashioned written word money shot from the depths of my bulbous, bulging sack. So, get ready for some of that infamous Magno-rific gooey, salty, sometimes NSFW truth. This week, we have comments/questions regarding possible Spence-Crawford numbers and our impotent boxing media.
Barroso-Romero Fallout (and lack thereof)
Hi Paul.
Big Fan and I look forward to all of your articles on Fight Hype. I’m only 22 so I don’t know about the old times, but all I can say that I’m disgusted by some of the blatant cheating and how the boxing media stands by and does nothing except Tweet about their outrage and post a generic article or two. Has it always been like this? Referring specifically to the Romero vs. Barroso travesty on Saturday, I saw your angry Tweets on the matter, but what can actually be done? What can the media do?
Thanks for your hard work and for getting your voice of reason out there among all the shills and know-nothings.
– Peter Martinez
Hey Peter.
Believe it or not, there were actually more screw job back in the “old” days, but just as much accountability for those screw jobs as there is now (none). I’m sorry to say that, given the current system and how it’s allowed to operate, there’s probably nothing that can be done to overturn Romero-Barroso or remove that “L” from Barroso’s record. The system currently in place is there to hide and deflect blame, not to address it. That won’t change unless someone forces it to change.
And that takes us to the media, whose primary responsibility is to speak truth to power and force change when necessary. But, as we all know, our boxing media is not THAT type of media.
I wrote a longer piece about the impotence of this boxing media of ours, but I’m still deciding whether or not to post it. It just seems rather pointless because the media won’t change themselves and the fans won’t force the media to be more journalists and less publicists, so why bother? The only thing that comes from pieces like that is grief for me and a tightening of the screws when it comes to finding gigs for myself. But, then again, I’m a glutton for punishment like that, so I’m going to post an applicable bit here and think about posting the rest later:
“These are the ‘journalists’ who fall all over themselves to call themselves ‘journalists.’ These are the folks who showcase their press row presence and who share ‘insider’ info given to them from industry ‘sources.’ These are the people who look down on ‘new media’ and who, on a personal note, gather inside their echo chambers to talk about how unprofessional I am and endeavor to make sure my work gets silenced as much as possible.
But they, apparently, are the pros at this. They are the established boxing media and have the membership cards and ranking panel spots to prove it. So, why aren’t they even trying to force some accountability [for the Barroso-Romero-Tony Weeks debacle] from someone?
...Everyone acknowledged the injustice-- everyone. But other than a few media people who ridiculously begged network execs, advisers, the sanctioning body, and promoters to ‘do something,’ there was nothing done and shockingly little said…
And what about the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA)? After all, they do represent the collective might of the boxing media (!). The most they’ll do is give each other awards for members’ outrage pieces at next year's BWAA awards ceremony.
Can you imagine any legit press corps throwing up their hands and saying, ‘Well, we tried nothing and that didn't work...Maybe the guys with the vested interest in covering this shit up will provide the truth and some degree of accountability!’
The truth of the matter is that the boxing media is stuck between two tough spots-- their unwillingness to push too firmly at the boxing powerful and their general indifference when it comes to the fighters (especially fighters who can do nothing for their traffic or who don’t have the “right” connections).
What’s the point of even having a traditional media when all they do is pass along pre-approved info from promoters/publicists and re-write press releases as new stories?”
There’s more, but you get the gist.
I came to accept the reality long ago that anything that needs to be said in boxing media won't be said anywhere it can actually be heard...I get it...But it's times like this where it all becomes hard to take.
Barroso was robbed of what could’ve been the culmination of a life’s work, a world title (even one as diminished as the WBA’s) that would’ve made him forever a part of boxing history. It robbed him of future paydays that guys like him need to pay the bills and ensure a decent standard of living for their family. The man had trudged through unspeakable personal hardships and endured professional frustrations to get to Saturday’s opportunity. Then, it was all taken away in an instant. And nobody wants to trouble themselves to do anything about it. Nobody wants to risk their cool little side job by stepping on any of the wrong toes
This boxing media that makes their living from the blood, tears, and hard work of men and women infinitely greater than them should be the fighters’ and the fans’ main line of defense against injustice and convenient incompetence. Instead, these people enable the worst of the worst in boxing by doing nothing...or, at least, nothing that matters.
I want people to remember instances like Barroso-Romero when these media pantsloads prattle on and on about how much they love the sport and the fighters. Their “love” and “respect” is bullshit.
Spence-Crawford vs. Tank-Garcia
What’s up Paul.
2-3 years ago, Crawford vs. Spence was lauded as the biggest match to make in boxing. As their negotiations continue to drag, it appears boxing fans are losing interest in their bout. Fatigue or lost in interest, the vast majority will still tune in as it remains a very intriguing match up to crown the first ever welterweight undisputed champion.
My questions, do you think their fight (when/if it happens) surpasses the massive PPV and live gate #s of the Davis vs. Garcia fight if they fight this year or next? Do you think their best viewing #s would have happened 2-3 years ago during the peak of the hype of their match up? Or do you envision their best viewing #s happening if they fight well beyond the fight expiration date - like Mayweather vs. Pacquiao?
-- Van
Hey Van.
Spence-Crawford won’t/wouldn’t do the same numbers as Tank-Garcia no matter when it’s held (or would’ve been held). Neither Spence nor Crawford has the crossover mainstream appeal of Gervonta Davis or Ryan Garcia and the ability to reach the casual-curious fan-- which EVERY boxing pay-per-view needs to do for next-level success. I think Spence-Crawford does between 400k-500K buys at any point in time, which is good for a boxing event these days, but it just wouldn’t garner the mainstream attention Tank-Garcia got. If anyone is telling these guys that they could do a million-plus buys, they’re at the root cause of why the fight hasn’t happened yet.
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