Boxing Isn’t Supposed To Be A Popularity Contest
I know what you are thinking, “The most popular person gets more people to watch their fights, etc, etc,.” I don’t mean like that. I am talking about the people that get popularity and skill mixed up when we are debating boxers. Just because you like a boxer and they are well known does not mean they are great. I have personal favorites, but I do not let my personal interests interfere with my logical thinking while debating this wonderful sport. My opinions and predictions are drawn from the fighter’s style, attributes, past fights, determination, and the opponent they are facing –among other things. If all you have to go off of is the fact that you like them and a lot of other people liked them, you should remove yourself from the boxing forum world immediately!
I tried to address this issue a while back, but I continue to run into these delusional fans that will magically give fighters skills and/or erase skills depending on if they like them or not. Popularity sells tickets and gives a fighter more fans, but it doesn’t win the fight for them. If popularity is all a fighter needs to be a great fighter, Oscar De La Hoya would be one of the greatest of all time. However, he’s barely one of the best of his era. He has lost almost all of his big fights. But, he could sellout a boxing venue with little to no effort because he was marketable.
On the other side of this, just because a fighter is obnoxious and showboats, does not mean he has no skill. Floyd Mayweather Jr and Roy Jones Jr were/are great fighters. I understand that their tasteless attitudes might rub you the wrong way, but you can still see their skills. And, the fact of the matter is, if they were not great, they wouldn’t be as cocky or you wouldn’t care that they were cocky. Take Ricardo Mayorga… who cares if he showboats. The man has lost a lot of fights.
All I’m saying is if we are talking about someone’s skill set, and their level of greatness, please refrain from using emotional opinions of these people outside of the squared circle. Oscar isn’t as good as his popularity would have you believe, and the amount of people that could not stand Roy Jones Jr. was not a reflection of how bad he was. There will always be OK fighters with a large fan base, and great fighters that people don’t really follow.
I know this will not change the way people like to think when talking about boxers. But, if it reaches one person… I will still have to talk about this again in the future!!!!
