By: Endzone Boxing
The brightest stars in professional boxing usually shine on the largest stages, garnering titles and accolades along the way, as well as paychecks to match. Yet for every household name, such as Canelo Alvarez or Tyson Fury, there are literally thousands of high-skilled fighters who receive little to no recognition. These boxers are usually underestimated talents, with dedication and capabilities no less than those of any other, yet due to myriad reasons, they just do not make it to the centre stage. There are so many hidden jewels among the boxing fraternity fighters who have what it takes to compete at the high level, yet aren’t known beyond their backyard. Here’s why some of the many talented fighters are overlooked and what can be done to give them the recognition they deserve.
1. Poor Promotional Support
Perhaps the single main reason there’s a whole bunch of missed talent within the sport of professional boxing pertains to lack of substantial promotional support. In the pro fight game, having the right promoter can make or break you. It’s their job to secure fights, build a fighter’s profile, and create the momentum that will carry them to championship-level fights. Boxers that don’t have major promotional backing simply don’t get the chance to appear on big cards or fight high-profile opponents. As such, many talented fighters in obscurity, though capable of competing against the great names in their division.
Boxers, without the belief of a promoter, will eventually have to go it alone in a very competitive and political sport. The fights they enter often lack the biggest or, in fact, any publicity whatsoever, fighting in minor venues that are quite far from the eyes of the fans and the broadcasters. Talents shining in the ring, never quite build up the momentum necessary for their upward movement.
2. The Business of Boxing
Boxing is as much a business as it is a sport, and that often works against fighters who don’t fit into the business model. Promoters, networks, and broadcasters are more likely to invest in fighters who are marketable-those with a fan-friendly style, an appealing backstory, or a strong social media following. Talent alone isn’t always enough to secure big fights. Fighters that seem less marketable-many through fighting style or lack thereof a public persona-are passed on for more charismatic or flashy opponents.
In some cases, extremely talented boxers of defensive, technical styles are passed over in favor of more aggressive, knockout-oriented fighters. Because while the former might have the skills to neutralize any opponent, they often come off as “boring” to the promoters trying to sell tickets and pay-per-view buys. And with business coming first in many matchmaking decisions, the technically sound fighters often find themselves not receiving the big-name fights they deserve.
3. Regional Bias
Another principal problem with the issue of missed talent is regional bias. Boxers originating from a region with more robust boxing traditions-the United States, Mexico, or the United Kingdom, for example-are much more apt to get attention from the media and opportunities for promotion. By contrast, those boxers who come from countries with less strong markets in boxing often find it difficult to get their due despite having the same skill set as world champions.
Many international fighters, especially those out of Eastern Europe, Africa, or Asia, often have to fight much farther from home in order to gain any sort of serious recognition. Even then, they may be passed up in favor of domestic talent if that fighter has a better chance of rallying local interest and media attention. It is because of this that a boxer’s geographic location can serve as one of the biggest hurdles when attempting to break through into professional boxing-regardless of talent.
4. Starting Late in the Game
The worst thing that happens to publicity is when boxers turn professional late in life. A fighter who turns professional in his late 20s, or even 30s, may well not have the time to build up those long, rambling careers that capture the public’s imagination. They might have a ton of talent and a lot of hard work behind them, but often their late start prevents them from developing promotional momentum, which the younger fighters bring to the sport.
The effect is that a lot of the late-blooming fighters fall to the wayside of the sport, never able to secure those big fights they’re capable of, simply because they started competing later in their careers. Their window of opportunity is often shorter, and without major promotional backing, they are often stuck fighting in relative obscurity.
5. Injuries and Bad Timing
Injuries and timing are usually just some of the frustrating factors in a boxer’s career and also one of the common reasons why fighters fall through the cracks. Those boxers who go down with injuries at critical junctions-when they were about to step into the spotlight or challenge for a title, end up missing some important chances that never materialize again. When they return, they may well find themselves passed over by other contenders, and the path to the top far more steep.
This could be due to bad timing with respect to an overcrowded division, or due to promotional issues. A world-class talented fighter may fall at a bad time or in an era where there is one or two superstars, meaning that it’s hard to get any recognition even in securing meaningful fights. For this select few, the timing may mean everything in boxing, and it simply never happened.
Conclusion
Boxing is a sport that requires huge amounts of skill, dedication, and resilience. But often, talent is just not enough to guarantee a fighter’s success. Scores of fighters possessing world-class ability are left standing in the cold due to promotional politics, business interests, regional bias, or even just bad luck. If boxing is to be a sport, then it needs to find ways to ensure that talent doesn’t go unrewarded. That can be done through more considerate promotion policies, better matchmaking, or at least offering chances to international fighters often overlooked. The sport would be better in giving voice to the voiceless.
A tough fight game it is, yet always fair on the people dedicating their lives to it.
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Published by: Martin De Juan