FightHype.com

MAGNO'S BULGING MAIL SACK: USYK ATG, THE SAUDI TAKEOVER, MORE

By Paul Magno | January 02, 2025
MAGNO'S BULGING MAIL SACK: USYK ATG, THE SAUDI TAKEOVER, MORE

A new year brings a new dedication to spilling my seeds of wisdom all over the flinching face of boxing ignorance. So, let’s unleash the beast that is my bulging, bulbous sack and deliver the first money shot of 2025. This week, we have comments/questions regarding Usyk as an all-time great and the Saudi takeover of boxing.

Usyk ATG, The Saudi Takeover

If Usyk is an All Time Great (ATG), that would make Fury an ATG. If Fury is an ATG, then Wilder is an ATG. We know darn sure Wilder is far from an ATG. Which means Fury isn’t an ATG, and ultimately Usyk isn’t an ATG.  You got to beat at least several ATG’s in their prime in order to be even considered as an ATG.

Conversely, I’m not impressed with the dynamics involved in these boxing matches taking place in Saudi Arabia.  The bouts and the buildup to the fights miss so many elements of what makes boxing special.  The red carpet is rolled out and the atmosphere is similar to that of a tennis match or a golf tournament. The establishment have gotten on their knees and kissed the ring of Saudi Royalty, simply due to greed and hate towards major players in the boxing business on this side of the pond.

Putting on boxing matches on Saturdays during the holiday season at 2pm PST in the thick of College Football and the NFL is basically telling the American consumer to go shove it up their ass. This business model doesn’t have the American consumer, boxer, promoter, or distributor in mind. However, they’ve managed to virtually cease American boxing operations. Whether it’s fighters stalling out negotiations in hopes his excellency will offer them a life changing purse or promotional companies selling out their business and brand while letting his excellency dictate the boxing calendar.

In the long run, it looks like it’s a wrap for American branded boxing. The American consumer will have only one option, and that’s to watch what his excellency puts in front of us. Maybe I’m wrong, but this is exactly what a takeover entails. Flood the market at a loss and stall out the competition until they’re no longer able to remain in business. Once they dissolve, control the market on your terms and conditions. At that point the consumers and suppliers will have no choice but to obey your demands. Simply because they have no other option.

What’s your honest opinion Paul? Is there a way forward for American boxing?

– Na'-il Rahman

Hey Na'-il.

I’m still trying to wrap my head around how beating two guys who people have deemed as overrated proves that someone is truly legit. But you have to give Usyk credit. He did beat, arguably, the two or three best heavyweights in the present tense and he deserves the recognition. However, that ATG tag shouldn’t come so easy. There’s no way that Usyk’s resume puts him in that rarefied air.

As for the Saudis? Everyone should know my stance on their boxing takeover by now. If not, my Notes from the Boxing Underground column on Monday should make it abundantly clear. It’s disappointing, but not surprising, just how easily and happily everyone just rolled over for them-- even those who are ultimately putting themselves out of business by doing so.

The Saudi shows are sickly for every reason you laid out. What boggles my mind is that people aren’t questioning how these big-money shows that nobody is attending and relatively few are purchasing-- staged in a place far, far away from the principal markets--  could possibly be good for the sport as a whole. Well, it doesn’t really boggle my mind because those who should be bringing up these things-- the media-- have been bought off and won’t bring these things up.

But, yeah, this isn’t good for the health of the sport at all. This is merely a takeover of a very vulnerable sport headed by hustlers, con men, and the blindly greedy, for the benefit of Saudi public relations. Separating a product from its main consumers, and then isolating those consumers from that product, is business suicide. Turki Alalshikh and the Saudis know that, but they don’t care because none of this is about boxing or about benefiting boxing fans.

To be blunt, the Saudis have skull-fucked what they thought to be a corpse of a sport. And when they realize that boxing fans, for the most part, will simply walk away rather than acquiesce to a takeover, they’ll leave the sport behind like roadkill, after having run off many key business figures and mass-harvested the talent into oblivion.

Then, we rebuild...and hope for the best. I don’t see a turnaround until we go through the full-on collapse.

We are already seeing the American market drying up, with fewer shows and less general interest. The British scene, meanwhile, is now almost entirely living under Saudi boots. The purchased media can pretend otherwise, but all of this is deadly for the sport.

Riding This Out

Hi Paul.

I read your post on Fight Hype this morning and completely understand your frustration and disgust with the direction of professional boxing.  

That said, I have decided to fasten my seat belt and ride out the coming months.  I'm convinced that as the sport becomes more marginalized and disappears from public view behind paywalls and subscription services, its audience will dissipate and the Saudis will realize that their investment in the sport offers little return or exposure to the mass sports audience.

Let's face it "if a tree falls in the forest, does anyone hear it?"  This is not golf, tennis, soccer or even the UFC.  When it comes to boxing. only the die-hards care. Gimmick fights do more business than super fights. Can Japan and the UK carry the sport?

When the Saudi's abandon boxing, it will be interesting to see who picks up the crumbs and what crumbs are left to pick.

– John

Hey John.

I hear you. In terms of the long-term health of boxing, I think the only positive to be taken from this Saudi takeover is that it might bring on a full collapse quicker, thereby necessitating a proper rebuild. The problem may be that, by the time the Saudis leave boxing behind, they will have run many of the knowledgeable boxing people out of the business and run through most of the top fighters without creating new stars. Boxing will never be killed off, but things will be barren for a long time to come and that may cause even more fans to walk away from the sport.

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.

FEBRUARY 03, 2025
JANUARY 30, 2025
JANUARY 27, 2025
JANUARY 23, 2025
JANUARY 20, 2025
JANUARY 16, 2025
JANUARY 13, 2025
JANUARY 09, 2025
JANUARY 06, 2025
DECEMBER 30, 2024
DECEMBER 26, 2024
DECEMBER 24, 2024
DECEMBER 20, 2024
DECEMBER 16, 2024
DECEMBER 12, 2024
DECEMBER 09, 2024
DECEMBER 05, 2024
DECEMBER 02, 2024
NOVEMBER 28, 2024
NOVEMBER 26, 2024
NOVEMBER 21, 2024
NOVEMBER 18, 2024
NOVEMBER 14, 2024
NOVEMBER 10, 2024
NOVEMBER 07, 2024
NOVEMBER 04, 2024
OCTOBER 31, 2024
OCTOBER 28, 2024
OCTOBER 24, 2024
OCTOBER 21, 2024