Three Things Televised Boxing Needs To Fix It's Greed Problem

(http://losthatsportsblog.com/)

Boxing is not in a great state at the moment. Heavyweight boxing once the most prized division has lost almost all of it's box office appeal. It's been ruled so long by the klitschko's who's fights to be honest are just boring. That's not a criticism on them, they are good fighters; it's more of a criticism on the total lack of quality opponents who could draw them into producing a really exciting fight.

A few men prop up boxing and most reside around the Welter weight division. The two most popular boxers Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather typify at the same time the best and the worst of today's boxing culture. They are both brilliant example of speed, power and skill; studies in hard work and determination and great multi-weight champions. However their failure to arrange a fight all the fans have wanted for the last four years shows why sports like UFC have become a threat to boxing's prime time crown. Pacquiao has just signed a new contract with hist promoter Top rank until 2016. Many state that this deal effectively kills any chance that the fight which would be the richest in the history of boxing will ever happen. This because Floyd Mayweather wants to dictate the terms of the fight and Bob Arum CEO of Top Rank does not like being dictated to. 

There are many articles on the relationship between Arum and Mayweather so I'm not going to go into it here but I do want to offer some suggestion on how boxing needs to change so that they can bring the best fights to the TV and stop fans turning away:

1 Money should be based on who wins

One of the reasons fights fall through is the amount of money each fighter is guaranteed and what share of the PPV they receive. This is usually based on who is the bigger fighter at the time; for the Mayweather vs Maidana fight Floyd took home a guaranteed $32 million compared to his opponents modest $1.5 million. This is not how sport should work, the way all other sports work is the winner gets more money. Win Wimbledon get more than the runner up. Win the English Premier you get more than the team in second place. Mayweather wouldn't fight Pacquiao initially because they wouldn't give him the lion share of the purse. Boxing needs a hard and fast rule e.g. a 65% - 35% split with the larger share going to the winner and 50-50 for draws. The decision needs to be taken away from the greedy promoters who are failing to put together the fights we want to see.     

2 All technical decisions should be made by the governing bodies

Another reason the fight fell through was Mayweather demanding blood based drugs tests and Pacquiao refusing on religious grounds. Boxers or promoters shouldn't be able to make decisions on drugs tests, boxing glove weights/padding, ring sizes etc. An impartial body should make these decisions so they are fair for both fighters

3 Copy UFC and make the best fighters fight

The main advantage of UFC over Boxing is that they have one governing body and the power to make fights happen. Boxing needs this badly, when everyone wants a fight it should happen. Boxers have a bit too much power and are far too precious over silly things like undefeated records. Forcing the best fights to happen would elevate boxing back to the level it occupied in the golden days of Ali, Foreman, Frazier and the like.

Mayweather wants to be remembered as TBE(the best ever). Someone needs to tell him that most believe he can't have that title if he doesn't fight Pacquiao. Also with both these men close to retirement boxing needs to fix itself to stop fans leaving with a bad taste in their mouths.