Boxing Fan's Held Hostage

Riverside NJ- - Well folks, boxing has done it again. They just can't seem to help themselves, can they? We have a great night of boxing in store for all fans, probably one of the best cards of the year. Fans will see the legend, Erik Morales, fighting Marcos Maidana. Then, we have Robert Guerrero taking on Michael Katsidis, in a possible fight of the year match up. The Heavyweights are also dancing tonight, as Tomasz Ademak will try to cut down the 6’6 Kevin McBride, the last man to beat Mike Tyson and end his career. Then, to top the night off, we have Paulie Malignaggi, James Kirkland, and the young and talented Sadam Ali. All and all, a terrific night of boxing, but, in boxing, its never that simple. Is it?

Tomasz Adamek 43-1-28ko's

The fights will be pay per view. Now, you may say to yourself, " this card is worthy of pay per view", but here’s the surprise: these fights will be on separate pay per view networks and in different locations. Therefore, if you want to enjoy all these fights, you are going to have to buy both pay per views. Once again, the powers that be show the fans how much they don't really care about them.

Since the invention of the pay model, boxing promoters and networks have became supremely greedy and decided to make every fight pay per view. An inordinate amount of pay fights holds the fans hostage, making them choose between buying, waiting for next week's replay, or hoping someone puts the fight on YouTube. You wonder why MMA is dominating boxing right now? It's not because the sport is better, but the people that run boxing are not giving fans a chance to grow with the younger fighters.

Even though the cards are good, neither one of the cards are worthy of pay per view. Each main event, Adamak vs. McBride and Morales vs. Maidana, is merely a tune up fight for Maidana and for Adamak.

Sadam Ali 11-0-6ko's

Another major factor is what the fighters are paid; many fighters are getting paid championship salaries without ever fighting championship level competition. When this happens, this hurts the fighter's drive and ambition. Fighters started fighting two times a year rather then the traditional three or four times a year because there was no need to be active, if they were being paid millions, for one fight. 

  

If boxing wants to survive the next generation, the powers that be have to get back to their roots. The promoters and the networks have to get back to great fights on free TV or, at least, cable.  Boxing is still one of the greatest sports with the most intense competition. Boxers are unequivocally some of the best athletes, in the world. They're just not getting the exposure that they should get and that is hurting boxing, too.

For now, hardcore boxing fans, enjoy tonight’s fights. They are going to be very exciting. For any non-boxing fan reading this, I hope you get a chance to experience what the fighters, in boxing, bring to the table. Let's just wait and see if people are talking about the action on Sunday. If not, then you, now, know why.

  

-The Boxing King-

Gamboa Lights Up The Boardwalk

Gamboa Lights Up The Boardwalk

Atlantic City, NJ- Yuriokis Gamboa came to the Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, NJ on a mission and that mission was simple: seek and destroy. Gamboa scored a one-sided TKO against Jorge Solis, knocking down the durable mexican five times in four rounds; Solis was knocked down twice in round two, once in round three, and twice again in round four, prompting the referee to stop the fight. This was Gamboa's twentieth victory and his sixteenth knock out, making him the number one featherweight, in the division, in the eyes of most boxing experts.

Yuriokis displayed a combination of speed, footwork and power that hasn't been seen, in the boxing world, since the great Roy Jones Jr. Every punch that caused a knock down landed with a resounding thud that erupted the crowd. Gamboa darted in and out on his opponent like a coiled cobra, striking at will and evading his opponent, without being touched by a single blow.   

Despite his great performance and the praise he is getting from inside the boxing fraternity, the Cuban sensation, from Quantanamo, has not been able to break into the spotlight that he so desperately craves. The reason is that there has only been one great Cuban fighter, in the last twenty years (Joel Casamayor) and the fact that nobody wants to fight Gamboa.  Its going to be hard for him to achieve that feat.


If Yuriokis can keep winning with these impressive performances, the public will eventually demand that the other featherweights, in his division, fight him. After his win, the other top fighter in his division, Juan Manuel Lopez, came into the ring and agreed to fight him, next. Top Rank promotes both men and with Lopez being such a hot ticket seller, right now; I can't see that match up happening, in the near future.

Until then, Yuriokis Gamboa will probably be the most avoided boxer since Winky Wright. It's not good for him or for boxing, hopefully fighters will be lured into his range. So the Quantonamo cyclone can strike again.

-The Boxing King-