Comments Thread For: BoxingScene: Our contributors' unpopular boxing takes from 2024

[BoxingUpdates]

The BoxingScene writers have thought long and hard to bring you their takeout from 2024 that may not be shared by all
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[PittyPat]

Failed drug tests remain an inconvenience for pretty much everybody in the sport and still it is difficult to watch great accomplishments and not wonder whether the winner just got away with it that time. Sadly, this makes the experience of watching a big fight not unlike that of celebrating a goal in a football/soccer game and waiting for VAR to check it and potentially spoil the fun.

This. I can no longer watch any masterclass performance (Usyk, Beterbiev, Dubois, Inoue, etc.) and not think by the end, "Hope he's clean..."

That's how badly the cheaters have ruined the sport in my eyes, although of course PEDs have been around for donkeys' years.

[Marchegiano]

Kieran, 2 points, you won this brah

[SteveM]

The Saudis have taken the ball away boo-hoo. And as a consequence boxing will inevitably fall into a massive recession. Oh, and we shouldn't be dealing with a treacherous regime.

Lets examine first the evidence and then the hypocrisy.

The charges:-
A/ Its a brutal murdering regime.
B/ Less successful fighters will struggle to get on to a Saudi card.
C/ Having all 'the power' concentrated in the hands of one power-broker will inevitably see the decline of boxing.

The Defence:-
A/ There seems no doubt that people who fall foul of the Saudi regime are likely to be persecuted and even murdered. Civil rights are sub-standard compared to those of Democr-a-tic nations. But how we sneer and hold our noses. Lest we forget, just sixty years ago when the good 'ole USA was at the centre of World Boxing, the mafia were heavily involved in boxing, black people suffered tremendously under segregation and B1 bombers were dropping napalm over Vietnamese children as captured so movingly in the black and white photo of the child blindly running in her diaper down the road, her face contorted in a hideous never ending scream as her skin peeled from napalm. Dropped by a US bomber directed ultimately by the Commander of the US Forces - a certain Lyndon Johnson if I haven't gotten my timelines muddled. Yes the Saudis have had some enemies bumped off but have their actions led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians in another country? Or is war excusable? I smell extreme hypocrisy.

B/ Haven't less successful fighters always struggled to get on major cards? We have had articles in Boxing Scene about the issue some boxers not signed to major US promoters have had progressing their careers. I might be wrong on this but isn't the ethos of ProBox to give a platform to just these very boxers?
I haven't yet seen prospects struggling to get a fight on Saudi cards - admittedly they are prospects of the major promoters involved but we have seen Itauma and Ball get moved along and fighters who have 'no appeal to US audiences are given a platform - in other words, to these eyes at least it is a meritocracy where Eastern European fighters get a chance to shine. It seems if you do well on a Saudi card even in loss, then you will get a 2nd chance.

C/ That hasn't been the case with the UFC nor need it be the case with the Saudis. In any case, there are still other centres of boxing excellence such as Mexico and Japan. In essence, what is happening here is that whereas previously the best foreign fighters found their way on to US or Canadian cards, for he last two years they have been finding their way on to Saudi cards. This has led to a lot of faux outrage from American boxing writers who as I say, are unable to see the hypocrisy of their stance.

[MulaKO]

Lewis just doesn’t get the hatred towards Haney is self inflicted
Between Bill and Devin , it is quite hard not to chit on them

[Rockybigblower]

For Jason Langendorf....none of the american boxers you mentioned are at the top of the tree. You might say they are at the top of the financial tree...but even that is somewhat smoke and mirrors. Saying you are worth ten million doesnt make you worth that. I can claim i wont fight for less than ten million...but if i dont get a fight signed...i aint becoming no millionaire.They are if anything responsible for the state of boxing in america. Fighting once a year if lucky against lacklustre opponents whilst sitting back pricing themselves out of meaningful fights. When they square off....or actually put themselves through a genuine test...come see us....but for now lets call divas for what they are. Fighters who talk a lot and do **** all.

[The D3vil]

Owen Jones is 100% on the money.

The people who let their hatred of The Haneys overpower their desire to have a clean sport is proof that the sport are absolutely disgusting.

I hope Devin wins his lawsuit & other fighters in the futures start suing the cheaters the hell out of the sport.

[Rockybigblower]

Owen lewis....there are two sides to every story. People came down hard on both Haney and Garcia...but for very different reasons. Of course Garcia for the violations....but also for Haney being such a whiny beach after losing a fight he chose to take regardless of the infractions because he was money hungry.