Ethan Miller - Getty Images
Floyd Mayweather does not have an exciting fight style yet people still want to see him box. Why? (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
It's early in the morning. You yawn, make some coffee, and meander over to the television. Time to flip on some Sportscenter before heading off to work. What you see shocks you a bit. ESPN is actually covering boxing news after effectively ignoring it for at least the last 10 years.
What kind of momentous event has awoken the sleeping giant? Was it a great fight or a stunning KO comeback? Was it yet another fight of the year candidate coming from Asia? No it wasn't about anything that happened in the ring. Was a big fight announcement? No. The even that made ESPN care about boxing for a millisecond was that Floyd Mayweather called out Manny Pacquiao via Twitter. There was no contract in place and there were no current negotiations. Just a simple couple of sentences got the world talking about boxing.
Why? Why do people who are normally not boxing fans want to see Mayweather fight Pacquiao?
There is a mythos in the matchup between #1 and #2. People just naturally get excited about this matchup because of what happens in other sports. When #1 faces #2, the winner is the undisputed best in that given sport. The clearest example of this phenomenon is the BCS in college football.
A somewhat arbitrary system ranks the two best teams, and then forces them to play each other for the crown at the end of the year. To connect it back to boxing, the regular season games are title eliminators with the BCS championship game being the one fight for the vacant title. I have no idea why this is true, but determining who is the best is more important than having an entertaining experience.
This concept is strange for something like sports, which is purely for entertainment purposes. Strangely the top talent is far more celebrated than the teams/people that have the ability to entertain. In football no one remembers the game of the year but most people remember the champion.
Whether #1 and #2 are determined via a tournament or by some ranking system, it is always a big even when the top two meet each other. This is why people want to see Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. They want to see who is the best boxer of this generation. It doesn't matter that the actual fight between these two will probably be somewhat boring. This fight will not be Ali-Frazier, not even close to it.
However, the spectacle behind the fight will be the real show. I don't need to tell you guys, but boxing will go on without a May-Pac fight and continue to produce great fights. True fans of boxing have nothing to worry about if this fight doesn't happen, whereas casual fans will bemoan the death of boxing.
0 recs | 42 comments
The fight is attractive not because they are #1 and #2, but mostly because it’s a defensive master vs a speed and combo guy. I personally find Floyd to be the most entertaining fighter, but it’s sheer awe of his style. If I wanted to see guys slug it out, I’d watch kickboxing or UFC. I like the sweet science and Floyd definitely brings that. Despite him not being extremely active, he’s definitely anything but boring.
RyanSexton - January 17, 2012
"The fight is attractive not because they are #1 and #2, but mostly because it’s a defensive master vs a speed and combo guy"
100% correct.
APG1 - January 17, 2012
Yeah
The article isn’t all that insightful, not when there are waaaay too many stories about Mayweather/Pacquiao cluttering boxing news. Ironically, an article purporting insight just adds clutter.
And I don’t know about the casual assertion that ESPN ignores boxing. I know they didn’t renew Max Kellerman’s contract around the time he created PTI, and Brian Kenny recently left for MLB Network, but Friday NIght Fights is and was a show. And based on the logic of this article, any time Max Kellerman (on ESPN radio) or Brian Kenny (when he was still on ESPN) talked about Mayweather/Pacquiao, it was apparently through their narrow ESPN BCS-obsessed eyes, hoping to sate the non-genuine boxing fans. They wouldn’t want to see the fight themselves if they were actual boxing fans or experts. That’s absurd.
Arthur from Anaheim Calling - January 17, 2012
Friday Night Fights is a non-promoted, cheap piece of programming. Yes, it is a show, but let’s not pretend it reveals that ESPN has any commitment to boxing coverage or support. It’s gotten about as inexpensive as it can get without being canceled at this point. The next time they decide to slash production costs, there’s a good chance that Friday Night Fights will not be a show anymore.
Scott Christ - January 17, 2012
Their budget is $50,000 per show
As you said, not much of a show at all.
pakinpower - January 17, 2012
The NHL would kill for a $50,000 recap show on that network.
Arthur from Anaheim Calling - January 17, 2012
FNF actually has a $100K budget. That doesn’t mean every show is $100,000 or anything, but yeah. ShoBox is a $50K budget. for the record I also wish the NHL still had a recap show on the network.
Scott Christ - January 17, 2012
Plenty of good fights have happened on Friday Night Fights, and I will remind you that ESPN no longer produces NHL2Night. So, what, exactly, is the crime in the amount of coverage that ESPN gives what is essentially a pay-per-view sport? How have they ignored it more than, say, hockey? They still make attempts to actively broadcast it. That’s something that disappears from Golf and Tennis when exciting players don’t invigorate their ratings.
Arthur from Anaheim Calling - January 17, 2012
I didn’t say there was any “crime” in the amount of coverage ESPN gives boxing. I couldn’t care less if they ever talk about it. They’d takl about it more if people watched it.
But I’m just talking about Friday Night Fights. Yes, good fights have happened. That doesn’t mean they put much into advertising that they were happening, or that they have any serious commitment to Friday Night Fights, which often gets bumped for tennis coverage. It could very easily go the way of NHL 2Night with little fanfare or outrage.
Scott Christ - January 17, 2012
Honestly, if anything, I’m genuinely surprised they still have Friday Night Fights. They killed Wednesday Night Fights and they’ve cut the FNF budget a few times.
Scott Christ - January 17, 2012
Yeah, but it’s a niche sport that the boxing powers that be intentionally transformed into a niche sport by taking it to pay per view. I just don’t see what coverage ESPN is supposed to give it when, even when there are exciting name fighters, exciting name fighters will never be fighting on ESPN. They bother to schedule and broadcast fights, and they do a better job than Versus. It’s not “ignoring” boxing when you compare it to USA Network’s coverage. Maybe when you compare it to ABC’s coverage or some other network coverage it would be.
Pacquiao gets coverage on PTI. They keep his figurine and the Mickey figurine in the background. When Kenny and Kellerman were on the network, they fought to include boxing discussion on Sportscenter and Around the Horn (I misspoke earlier when I said he created PTI) respectively. I mean, the boxing talking heads at ESPN have gone out of their way to talk about boxing in the past 10 years. I just disagree with the casual assertion that ESPN ignores boxing. Compared to what? USA in 1989? VERSUS in 2008? Or are we only talking about in comparison to Showtime and HBO, who actually stand to benefit from hyping fighters?
Arthur from Anaheim Calling - January 17, 2012
The two of us are saying the same thing. I agree that boxing hasn’t really earned any more coverage than ESPN gives it. Like I said, I’m surprised FNF is still around. I really am. All of four years ago or so, I was convinced it was on its deathbed.
Scott Christ - January 17, 2012
It’s just tough for me to hear a boxing fan (and by that, I mean Waldo) say that. I mean, looking in my fight library, there are scores of ESPN fights, ESPN Classic fights, Ringside episodes. And I can’t imagine a boxing fan who wasn’t sad to see Brian Kenny leave. Now every time they need to talk about boxing, you have to put Rafael on camera.
Arthur from Anaheim Calling - January 17, 2012
It got bumped for old tapes of tennis coverage.
BoxAnne - January 17, 2012
That might be why boxing fans care
But I think this is more focused on why people like Skip Bayless, who couldn’t care less about boxing, continue to talk about this potential fight. This non-fight has gotten more mainstream media coverage than any fight I can remember since Tyson retired.
Brickhaus - January 17, 2012
Yeah it’s always quite shocking when boxing is a topic of discussion on espn, or when they have a bit of information of boxing news. It’s horrible when I hear Skip Bayless and Stephen A Smith argue about Mayweather/Pacquiao and pretend to know what the hell their talking about.
36_chambers_ofdeatH - January 17, 2012
YES!
It makes me want to punch myself in the face. Skip Bayless…I hate that guy. Stephen Smith – I hate that guy…There are few people on ESPN who I don’t just hate because they don’t know shit about sports.
erod - January 17, 2012
Because as much as real boxing fans are almost over it....
The delays have actually allowed their names and the idea of the fight to filter down and into the general sports discourse. Most casual sports fans only know two boxers today; if any at all.
pakinpower - January 17, 2012
They’re the only two I’ve ever been asked about in my everyday life for the last…three years or so. Active fighters, I mean.
Scott Christ - January 17, 2012
Yep
As much as we read our fellow posters say they won’t stand for this or that nonsense (in negotiations and delays) anymore……..the only two guys your regular Joe or Josephine have even heard of are Manny and Floyd.
pakinpower - January 17, 2012
I’m a relatively new boxing fan, having only started watching in 2009. How frequent is it that the two consensus best boxers in the sport happen to fight in the same weight division?
theninthlayer - January 17, 2012
Good question
Frequent enough that fans demand and expect them to fight…..but infrequent enough to make their fighting a very big deal.
Ask Bossman. He’s our historian
pakinpower - January 17, 2012
Schaefer, last week
http://www.badlefthook.com/2012/1/13/2704411/manny-pacquiao-next-fight-timothy-bradley-richard-schaefer-prediction-cotto-chavez-marquez-peterson#comments
In Rainbows - January 17, 2012
The only thing Schaefer knows for sure is that
Pacquiao, Cotto, Marquez, Bradley and now Peterson are not with Golden Boy.
So I’m not sure what he knows
pakinpower - January 17, 2012
Look look, at the end of the day, “Jinkee says Cotto”.
APG1 - January 17, 2012
If we can’t believe in Jinkee, I don’t want to go on.
Scott Christ - January 17, 2012
Reason people care is because the fight is packaged in a manner that people can easily understand and swallow. Powerful, speedy, Manny vs the slick, obnoxious and rich Floyd.
Both their fighting styles and persona translate into an excitement that can easily be grasped and draw the casual viewer in.
A lot of people don’t want to be bothered to sit through the intricacies of Arthur Abraham or Andre Direll’s style because it requires work to understand. Manny-Floyd has already been packaged in terms of style and significance.
Look at any of the parameters that defines a good conflict and its all here. Good vs bad, mythical no. 1 vs. no. 2, opposing styles and what each one represents. I’m sure there are more.
That’s why people want this fight. And I’ll admit, I’m probably the biggest mark for it.
cyke - January 17, 2012
I agree with this. A Pacquiao-Mayweather fight is simplistic and minimalist. It appeals to everyone who might like to kick back and watch a fight that undoubtedly has a history, and starkly divergent narratives.
But, it really doesn’t make the slightest of differences.
DrRck - January 17, 2012
So you’re saying you wouldn’t watch it?
Its still the best matchup out there.
cyke - January 18, 2012
No, I’m not saying that I wouldn’t watch it.
But I also wouldn’t be at all bothered if it doesn’t happen. I just don’t think it will matter much to boxing, just a dash of the old sound and fury, signifying nothing in the long run.
DrRck - January 18, 2012
"Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: Why Does Everyone Care So Much?"
Some of us no longer do.
BoxAnne - January 17, 2012
Exactly, though we are not really the target, I suspect.
The truth is I wish they would just do the fight so we wouldn’t have to hear any more about it. That’s the only motivation I have for that fight at this point. It’s NEVER going to live up to the hype anyways, so hopefully it gets done, it dies, and we move on
Apprentice - January 17, 2012
i really cared from 2009-2011..new year new resolutions was not to care about this fight but i always get sucked back in!!
Vicmatic1 - January 17, 2012
me too.. i even tried to ignore already any post in this site that involves those names.. but here i am..
richmondk - January 17, 2012
I want the fight to happen, just not in May. I have plans to go see Mayweather fight a second rate opponent for second rate opponent prices. I’m not paying 1000 a ticket. Any speculation on how much a Canelo vs Mayweather ticket would cost? I’m assuming expensive, I just hope like, 400$ and not 800$ kinda thing.
RyanSexton - January 17, 2012
Tickets will be expensive. If that fight happens it’s going to be serious money. Alvarez’s fanbase is legit and they will descend upon Vegas with great fury.
Scott Christ - January 17, 2012
In that case, bring on Guerrero because I wanna see Floyd fight on the cheap ;)
RyanSexton - January 17, 2012
I still care
About the fight..not the media circus. If the fight gets made I’ll be really excited about it.
Other then that…Floyd said something …YAWN…Arum says something…YAWN…Shafer says something…YAWN…Pacquiao says something…YAWN…Wake me up when someone says Mayweather and Pacquaio have signed to fight each other.
erod - January 17, 2012
Perhaps a more apt title would have been
Why Do the Masses Care So Much?
Brickhaus - January 17, 2012
I might actually change it to that since there seemed to be some confusion.
Waldo Rastel - January 17, 2012
Not everyone does care--
Not anymore
Don From Prov - January 17, 2012
This better be the Fight poster if it ever happens
TheBod - January 17, 2012
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