The Case Against Colón: A Brain Injury Campaign Against Buthelezi, Amaeze and Quiones in Boxing
Simiso Buthelezi, Miracle Amaeze and Luis Quiñones are some of the talented boxers who have died this year as they pursued their sporting careers and chased dreams of world titles.
It’s an accepted risk of the profession. A database first compiled by anti-boxing activist Manuel Velazquez and updated in the Electronic Journal of Martial Arts and Sciences estimated 1,604 boxers died as a direct result of injuries sustained in the ring between 1890 and 2011 – an average of 13 deaths a year.
If we can mandate having a neurological consultant at every professional boxing event, I believe that would be a huge step.
Earlier this year, South African lightweight boxer Buthelezi appeared to turn away from his opponent and fight in the direction of an empty corner of the ring in the middle of a fight.
The sport of Boxing has made many strides in making it safer, such as the reduction of the total number of rounds and the introduction of sports neurologists.
In a complaint filed in 2017 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia by Colón’s parents seeking more than $50 million from the ringside doctor and promoters connected to the fight, it said Colón had been left in a “persistent vegetative state requiring full time care.”
“You all don’t f**king understand what we go through, man,” an emotional Wilder said to the media after his first-round knockout of Robert Helenius in October.
As well as the deaths in boxing this year, the sport’s reputation has taken a battering over the handling of the highly-anticipated Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn fight in October.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/21/sport/state-of-boxing-benn-eubank-jr-spt-intl/index.html
UKAD and Benn: Resolving the Controversy of the World Anti-Doping Agency vs. the BBB of Control
According to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), clomiphene in men can potentially boost testosterone levels “by interfering with the negative feedback loop of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis.” The drug is also included on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list under anti-estrogenic substances.
Benn’s alleged rules violation emerged after a test done by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) which is a third-party testing agency used by the fighters to ensure a clean fight.
The British Boxing Board of Control has not made a decision about the fight, according to Hearn. That does not mean the fight is off, but there is a process we have to go through.
The decision to overlook potential safety concerns and stage a bout including a fighter who had tested positive for a banned substance prompted criticism that boxing prioritizes the fight’s money-making opportunities rather than the boxers’ safety.
Weeks later, the BBBofC claimed that Benn voluntarily relinquished his licence with the governing body just before allegations of misconduct against the 26-year-old were upheld.
“At the appropriate time Conor will speak out on this and on the doping allegation, to the extent that he can whilst legal proceedings are ongoing. In no uncertain terms, he reiterates that he is a clean athlete.
UKAD will not comment publicly on the specifics of any case that may or may not be ongoing. We do this to respect and ensure the confidentiality of information as required by the World Anti-Doping Code and other applicable laws and regulations.
“Athletes know their rights and responsibilities when it comes to anti-doping and we will continue to work tirelessly to remove anyone from sport that breaks the rules.”
The fight between Jake Paul and Tommy Fury: a critical review of the ESPN/Bosemack ringside incident in Mayweather Jr.
The upcoming fight between Jake Paul and TommyFury is one of the most highly anticipated bouts in modern sport because of the bad blood between the two.
Tommy and Paul will fight twice, with Tommy withdrawing both times. Paul criticized his abilities and goaded Fury during the undercard fight with Bocianski, which was a bout that was on the Floyd Mayweather Jr. exhibition fight against Deji.
The whole evening – between the ring-side incident and the nature of Mayweather’s fight with Deji – has led to criticism of YouTubers’ involvement in the sport.
“I think boxing is experiencing the exact opposite of a state of decline,” Latimore told CNN, citing recent research which suggests boxing is now amongst the top four sports in the US.
That trio of fighters grabbed the attention of the world, notably a couple of Ali’s fights – the 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” and the 1975 “Thrilla in Manila” – while Mayweather Jr.’s bout against Manny Pacquiao in 2015 was billed as “Fight of the Century.”
In part, this is down to the convoluted negotiations between organizers, promoters and broadcasters. And with four boxing organizations, each with their own titles and champions, that only complicates matters further.
Meanwhile, the unwillingness of some champion boxers – either undefeated or on long winning runs – to potentially lose their marketability by suffering a defeat has become another key stumbling block.
league sports are similar to it because the brand is the league. The brand is the fighter in combat. Latimore explained that when a fighter takes a loss, their cash cow falls off.
By the time the two stepped into the ring together, Mayweather was able to command a large slice of the purse – which totaled an eye-watering $300 million – because he had been able to maintain his status as an undefeated fighter; Pacquiao had lost twice in 2012 after a 15-win steak.
Four years ago, Wilder faced Tyson Fury in their first of what would be a trilogy of fights. The defending champion was the one coming off a three-year absence.
According to the California State Athletic Commission, Wilder earned a base purse of $4 million, while Fury earned $3 million. That was arguably because Wilder was the main draw, with Fury the challenger and less marketable.
It was a decision that paid off for Haney, as he beat Kambosos Jr. twice in Australia, winning by unanimous decisions both times and outclassing him twice.
The fight between US stars Terrance Crawford and Errol Spence and Gervonta Davis: a business decision for the boxing fans
The fight boxing fans are eagerly anticipating at the moment is the welterweight clash between US stars Terrance Crawford and Errol Spence, due to take place in February 2023.
“Or if it happens, it’s going to happen after one of them loses and somebody has significant leverage … it comes down to a business decision,’” said Latimore.
I don’t think the fighters think this way, that is for sure. I really genuinely believe that Spence and Crawford are like: ‘Let’s go, bang.’
“But there’s the contract and business end of it and the business end of it, very often at this level, when there’s this much money involved and this much prestige involved … the business end of it gets in the way.”
US star RyanGarcia took to social media to vent his frustration that the fight with Gervonta Davis was taking so long to organize. In November, Garcia and Davis announced their catchweight fight will take place in April, 2023 in Las Vegas.
“I think that would fix a lot of stuff,” admits Latimore, before quickly adding, “but then you remove all the ways you can make money … No one will give up power without their consent. I do know that moving closer to any type of regulation is better for the fans.”
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/21/sport/state-of-boxing-benn-eubank-jr-spt-intl/index.html
Carl Frampton in the spt-intl fight: Why should I want to go into that nightmare? A tribute to Carl
Why would I want to go into this nightmare? That’s why I haven’t really done anything. It’s not easy to fix a broken business.
There is no love lost between fighters in boxing. Whether that manifests in a weigh-in scuffle or a war of words beforehand, intense rivalries have been commonplace over the years. The sport’s newest rivalry has a very modern edge to it.
The card will get underway at 2 p.m. ET (10 p.m. local time), with the eight-round cruiserweight bout scheduled to start at about 5 p.m. ET (1 a.m. local time).
It is a huge fight for the man who has to live in the shadow of his brother, while also facing criticism for not achieving more in the sport to date.
“But, at the end of the day, it’s a big event because one man is a superstar on the internet and the other man is a legitimate boxer and people want to see [Paul] go up against one.
People from all walks of life have swapped gloves in the ring in the last year and a half, with the exhibition demographic of the sport growing rapidly.
Carl Frampton said that at first he didn’t like the fight, but that he now understands how popular it is.
“At the very, very start, I was kind of like: ‘What is this?’ Frampton said that at the beginning he was somewhat annoyed that the guys were getting so much attention.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/26/sport/jake-paul-tommy-fury-fight-preview-spt-intl/index.html
The Top 40 Cruiserweight Ranking and the Diriyah Belt for the World Boxing Council (Boston, Germany, June 2016)
The top 40 cruiserweight ranking was announced by the World Boxing Council, which is one of boxing’s four major organizations.
A special commemorative belt has been created by the WBC. The winner of the fight will get the Diriyah Belt, with the World Boxing Council saying it continues to support the growth of our sport by attracting thousands of new viewers.