If YOU could change boxing for the better, what would you do?

[CHRISHOGGALYPSE]

This forum likely will never reach the eyes of the people that matter in boxing, but what are your ideas?

The Performance Enhancing Drugs is a major issue right now so changes need to be made there.

Bad judging has always been an issue but damn near seems to be getting worse and this really threatens to kill the casual boxing audience, especially as boxing makes its way back into the public eye more often and possibly back to network tv.

The best fights not being made is one of the worst issues facing boxing right now too

Beyond those things, I feel like somehow, judging needs to be overhauled. I really feel like promoters have too much control and boxers need to form something along the lines of a players union. Every sports fan has hated the lockouts in the major sports, but right now the fighters have pretty much zero rights. The long term health of the sport hinges on long term fighter safety and financial protection but it seems like no one has the balls to step up. All these retired fighters seem to want to do is be a promoter themselves and help themselves instead of helping the fighters leverage themselves against the promoters.

 

[Stony Gwynn]

Championship fights should be a fight to the finish... No judges... Just fight until someone gets ko'd...

 

[2-0-Sixx]

I'd have 11 judges instead of 3. This would balance out the idiots.

 

[CZAR]

I would change the same things that go on in MMA as well. Get better judges. Dont let certain fighters duck other fighters. To me the problems are the same in both boxing & MMA. Ive seen terrible judges decisions in MMA as I have in boxing. While u are right about promoters having to much say in putting together bouts, ducking does go on in MMA especially for the more well known fighters. Rashard ducked Jones for forever until he finally fought him. Rashard has been ducking Texieria and wont fight him. Machida ducked Jones for a 2nd time not once but twice. He declined a replacement fight which is understandable but then they booked a later date and he still declined but claimed he wanted another shot at the belt before all this happened. There are more ducking scenarios as well so dont just focus on boxing as combat sports all have these problems. Got Em!!

 

[CHRISHOGGALYPSE]

I don't know what the solution for the judging is. Maybe more judges would be better? I can't call it. It's crazy how the crowd knows a lot of times when a fighter was robbed, even if the said fighter had no fans in the crowd. That can't be trusted either though, having a fan element in judging.

 

[CZAR]

Yea definitely wouldnt have fans judging a fight. Maybe have 5 judges instead of 3. Maybe have a system where if the judges decisions are split, throw out the score or scores that are the furthest apart. I dont know just a thought. Got Em!!

 

[antilabs]

the ufc style promotional model is best for fans. it's the only way of ensuring that belts have any clear relevancy when it comes to fans, casual fans, media observers etc. it simplifies rankings and makes it clear who's time has come for a title shot or contendership.

having 3 athletes that the mainstream cares about is bad for any sport. and the way the boxing promotional and title model protects and makes paper tigers out of these guys is ridiculous. mma fighters get sent to the wolves, that's why their records aren't all shiny and unrealistic.

 

[B-Buzz]

10% of every fighters purse goes towards bulding P Will a bionic mech-body that can shuffle faster than Ali and stole its' moves from a gamecock

 

[CZAR]

the ufc style promotional model is best for fans. it's the only way of ensuring that belts have any clear relevancy when it comes to fans, casual fans, media observers etc. it simplifies rankings and makes it clear who's time has come for a title shot or contendership.

having 3 athletes that the mainstream cares about is bad for any sport. and the way the boxing promotional and title model protects and makes paper tigers out of these guys is ridiculous. mma fighters get sent to the wolves, that's why their records aren't all shiny and unrealistic.

Again the UFC isnt perfect even when it comes to who gets title shots. I mean Sonnen seems to lose title fights and talk his way right into another shot. Same goes for Edgar. Then on the other side of the coin u got cats who never get their shot when they deserve it like Pettis, Hendricks etc....Its all about hype and what fights will sell more. Like I said before the same problems in boxing also go for MMA. Got Em!!

 

[antilabs]

You can take one look at the records and see which sport has the problems worst

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

I think a mandatory should be what they are, a mandatory.
No one is defending these days.

That and fair judging but what can you really do?
Adding more judges is a great idea but that just means there are more people to pay off. Peanuts for a fix.

 

[Stony Gwynn]

Do that shit like they do on the video games... Make fighters fight their way up the ranks...

 

[JLMACN]

If you want to retain your title in a weight division you MUST fight the TOP 3 fighters in that division. You can not win at 147 then jump to 154 because you don't want to fight the other Top fighters (for example)

Also, it would be nice to boxing to share their sport. I mean I get it Vegas is a big place and all the Stars want to go their but it would be nice for other cities than (LA, New York, Vegas, Dallas, etc) get all the fights.

 

[SuiPSYedKing]

Smaller gloves.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

You can take one look at the records and see which sport has the problems worst

what do you mean by that? You said something about the UFC throwing guys to the wolves. In boxing I wouldn't like that at all. I think in boxing it can take longer to develop as a pro fighter since the amateurs are SO MUCH different. It's almost like two different sports. In the amateurs it's like playing tag, it really isn't boxing. With UFC, guys can have MMA fights before they step onto the big stage. Also if they lose, it's more of a learning experience than anything.

There are often guys from Mexico, the Philippines, etc. who turn pro at age 16 and it just isn't realistic for them to be "fed to the wolves" so early. Guys careers would literally be destroyed before they ever got going and you'd see guys who are shot in their early 20's. So it's beneficial for boxing to let these guys gain experience and develop as pro fighters.

The reason in boxing some of the top fights aren't made is complex. First, there are the sanctioning bodies. It SHOULD be their job to enforce mandatory fights that make sense. But as we know that doesn't always happen. Maybe there is another fight that makes more money. Maybe for whatever reason one of the two fighters isn't ranked in their rankings. etc etc etc. At the end of the day, there are at least four major sanctioning bodies (WBC, WBA, WBO, & IBF), that's the real problem. They all have their own rankings, own belts, own rules and none really want to work together. That's what it boils down to. I wish some billionaire would be like fuck it and buy all four of them and merge them into one body, but that likely wont happen. So this is what we have to deal with.

 

[CZAR]

If you want to retain your title in a weight division you MUST fight the TOP 3 fighters in that division. You can not win at 147 then jump to 154 because you don't want to fight the other Top fighters (for example)

Also, it would be nice to boxing to share their sport. I mean I get it Vegas is a big place and all the Stars want to go their but it would be nice for other cities than (LA, New York, Vegas, Dallas, etc) get all the fights.

Actually those places u listed do host fights. Canelo pretty much has only fought in LA for the most part. Cotto fights in New York. Dallas had a big Manny fight recently. Vegas will of course host the most and important fights, but its Vegas. LA actually host a lot of nice fights though. Got Em!!

Smaller gloves.

Naw the actually fighting in boxing is great. The gloves do not need to be changed. Thats why things changed from back when do to cats getting seriously hurt. I have no prob with 8 ounce gloves. Now some fight with 8-10 ounce gloves. If u have the skill and power then u have it. Got Em!!

 

[WYNO707X4]

Smaller gloves.

This aint mma. This guys have hands they would brake there hands.... gloves aint to protect the boxers face.

 

[JLMACN]

Actually those places u listed do host fights. Canelo pretty much has only fought in LA for the most part. Cotto fights in New York. Dallas had a big Manny fight recently. Vegas will of course host the most and important fights, but its Vegas. LA actually host a lot of nice fights though. Got Em!!



Naw the actually fighting in boxing is great. The gloves do not need to be changed. Thats why things changed from back when do to cats getting seriously hurt. I have no prob with 8 ounce gloves. Now some fight with 8-10 ounce gloves. If u have the skill and power then u have it. Got Em!!

I meant besides those cities.

 

[CHRISHOGGALYPSE]

I have an idea for judging.. 3-5 judges ringside and 3 judges watching the fight on a screen not at ringside. Anyone who has ever been to a fight knows that being there and watching it on tv are 2 totally different things. Regardless of them being pro judges and being ringside, you can be swayed by the crowd easier or more by blood sitting ringside. One thing you probably hear announcers say but don't really think about, a fighters blood will get speckled all over your shirt if you're ringside and they have a cut on their face and I'm sure that sways judges.

Smaller gloves is a terrible idea.

 

[CHRISHOGGALYPSE]

And I've said for a long time that I thought promoters need to take their show on the road like MMA has done and I've even called to try and talk to someone at GBP and DBE about that. There is no reason that Jermaine Taylor or Allan Green didn't fight here. Cities like Oklahoma City are begging for something to do like that and they love sports here. You take a fight that there isn't much interest in like a Jermaine Taylor/Kassim Ouma fight and easily sell 10,000+ tickets here. Or even for the Andre Berto fights where they sold less than 1000 tickets, they could've promoted it easily here and had at least 5-6 times that turnout just by having a HBO fight here. Boxing needs to learn this lesson because they'd be creating a ton of new boxing fans and kids that go to those shows end up deciding to be pro fighters someday