The Mayweather-McGregor mega event is going to be under tremendous scrutiny by fans and gamblers. There are so many questions around the event that I was a bit surprised that the NSAC issued a license and the NGBC are allowing betting, only because it was licensed as a "Boxing match" by the NSAC. In Nevada you can’t bet on exhibition events or anything with a predetermined outcome such as professional wrestling.
If there is a hitch, glitch or foul-up in the Mayweather/McGregor event with all the PPV and gaming money involved there will be an outcry and Boxing needs to get used to hearing the words; Congressional Investigation Committee! There were whispers in Congress by some after the Pac/Mayweather fight due to calls from dissatisfied fans and lawsuits against networks but that was about it; the Ward/Kovalez and Pac/Horn bouts not a word. Not a word said isn’t the same as not hearing.
We all know this is a huge Billion dollar event and there will be millions of judges and eyes everywhere and it could be a great thing for boxing but if it goes south watch out. Particularly if the strong MMA, McGregor fan contingent and bettors are the ones who feel wronged in the event, it won't be whispers coming out of Washington it'll be the load roar of a locomotive headed straight at boxing. MMA fans are not just in the prime TV demographics they are also in the prime demographic voting bloc. Given the fact that this event is even happening shows their prowess and strength in social media.
Being a boxing fan I am pleased with all the current positive attention surrounding the sport but it can also be a double edged sword, hopefully not “Damocles’ Sword”. Lest we forget how we got into the doldrums in the first place and history does have a way of repeating itself. Witness the current renewed interest in the sport by TV networks and the World Boxing Super Series this is reminiscent of the ABC-TV’s failed United States Boxing Championship which gave us the rise to power of Don King, Bob Arum, WBA and WBC in the first place.
In short, during the late 1970’s Don King was put in charge of ABC-TV’s “United States Boxing Championship”, the event was filled with bad decisions, rigged rankings(Ring ****zine), kickbacks, non-King associated boxers being excluded, etc. A Senate committee opened an investigation of TV exec’s and boxing figures including Don King but it came to naught. Furthermore the TV networks became tired of being charged by the public of putting on lop-sided bouts, bad decisions, unknown champions, contenders, so forth. Enter newly created organizations, the WBC and WBA to provide cover for the networks with official rankings. Subsequently they became suspect of bias, corruption and being influenced (controlled) by King and Arum respectively. In the early 1980’s Bob Lee (former cop) created the IBF as an honest organization or at least up until he was sentenced to prison for tax evasion and money laundering associated with taking pay-offs (DK) for rankings.
More attention and free TV for the sport is great thing but again more watching eyes means more scrutiny and boxing needs to be on notice. The sport of boxing needs to tighten its reigns on judges, referees, promoters, alphabet organizations, ********, etc., before we hear the roar of the locomotive. Not that boxing isn’t in desperate need of reform but involvement by government can (and usually does) go sideways, possibly leaving us with a further diluted and corrupted sport that we no longer recognize.
* In no way am I accusing, speculating or otherwise that the World Boxing Super Series is in anyway fraudulent, suspect or anything like the United States Boxing Championship. It is only used as a comparison of boxing interest at the time.
If there is a hitch, glitch or foul-up in the Mayweather/McGregor event with all the PPV and gaming money involved there will be an outcry and Boxing needs to get used to hearing the words; Congressional Investigation Committee! There were whispers in Congress by some after the Pac/Mayweather fight due to calls from dissatisfied fans and lawsuits against networks but that was about it; the Ward/Kovalez and Pac/Horn bouts not a word. Not a word said isn’t the same as not hearing.
We all know this is a huge Billion dollar event and there will be millions of judges and eyes everywhere and it could be a great thing for boxing but if it goes south watch out. Particularly if the strong MMA, McGregor fan contingent and bettors are the ones who feel wronged in the event, it won't be whispers coming out of Washington it'll be the load roar of a locomotive headed straight at boxing. MMA fans are not just in the prime TV demographics they are also in the prime demographic voting bloc. Given the fact that this event is even happening shows their prowess and strength in social media.
Being a boxing fan I am pleased with all the current positive attention surrounding the sport but it can also be a double edged sword, hopefully not “Damocles’ Sword”. Lest we forget how we got into the doldrums in the first place and history does have a way of repeating itself. Witness the current renewed interest in the sport by TV networks and the World Boxing Super Series this is reminiscent of the ABC-TV’s failed United States Boxing Championship which gave us the rise to power of Don King, Bob Arum, WBA and WBC in the first place.
In short, during the late 1970’s Don King was put in charge of ABC-TV’s “United States Boxing Championship”, the event was filled with bad decisions, rigged rankings(Ring ****zine), kickbacks, non-King associated boxers being excluded, etc. A Senate committee opened an investigation of TV exec’s and boxing figures including Don King but it came to naught. Furthermore the TV networks became tired of being charged by the public of putting on lop-sided bouts, bad decisions, unknown champions, contenders, so forth. Enter newly created organizations, the WBC and WBA to provide cover for the networks with official rankings. Subsequently they became suspect of bias, corruption and being influenced (controlled) by King and Arum respectively. In the early 1980’s Bob Lee (former cop) created the IBF as an honest organization or at least up until he was sentenced to prison for tax evasion and money laundering associated with taking pay-offs (DK) for rankings.
More attention and free TV for the sport is great thing but again more watching eyes means more scrutiny and boxing needs to be on notice. The sport of boxing needs to tighten its reigns on judges, referees, promoters, alphabet organizations, ********, etc., before we hear the roar of the locomotive. Not that boxing isn’t in desperate need of reform but involvement by government can (and usually does) go sideways, possibly leaving us with a further diluted and corrupted sport that we no longer recognize.
* In no way am I accusing, speculating or otherwise that the World Boxing Super Series is in anyway fraudulent, suspect or anything like the United States Boxing Championship. It is only used as a comparison of boxing interest at the time.
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