Read Loyal Homer and Sports Geek’s opinions.
After one round of exciting boxing debate action, we go to the judge’s scorecard… Judge Bleacher Fan from Ohio has scored the bout 10-9 in favor of the winner, by unanimous decision…
-pause for dramatic effect-
From the state of GEORGIA, LOYAL HOMER!!!!!
Sports Geek raised a very interesting point about boxing, in the sense that the scheduling of fights is different than many other professional sports. Unlike professional football, baseball, basketball, golf, etc., a fighter in boxing has the opportunity to pick and choose who they face. Ironically, it was that point that he raised which ultimately convinced me to award the debate to his opponent.
There can be varying reasons for why a fighter will choose to accept (or decline) a fight.
Money, however, is the primary reason. I can remember an interview with Jermain Taylor, following a fight against Cory Spinks, Jr., where Taylor (who was at the time a much maligned middleweight champion for having taken the “wrong” fights) was asked if he would accept a fight against Kelly Pavlik. Pavlik at the time had just upset the favored Edison Miranda in a very exciting bout on the Taylor/Spinks undercard, and had made a case that he was the most deserving for a title opportunity against Taylor. Taylor’s response was that he would fight anyone as long as the money was right. The implication behind that comment was that he didn’t care about fighting the best competition; he just wanted to make sure he got paid. It didn’t matter that Pavlik was ‘deserving’ of a title shot, either. Taylor was the King of the Hill, and all of his fights would be set by HIS terms and no one else’s.
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has echoed that sentiment in his comments, stating that a fight with Manny Pacquiao (the current pound-for-pound champion) will probably never happen, because he “doesn’t have to chase fighters.” Basically, Mayweather is saying that he doesn’t want to concede “the lion’s share” to another fighter because he feels he should be the top earner in the fight.
Ultimately, this compensation format of contract fighting has resulted in a sport where the best fighters don’t always fight each other. If the athletes are more interested in a paycheck than they are interested in having beaten the “best,” they don’t have to fight the “best.” Today, boxers are much more self-serving in their decisions because the system allows them to be. They are not interested in what’s best for boxing because they do not have to be. Instead, they are interested primarily in what’s best for THEM.
While the boxing world would have liked to see Klitschko fight Haye (or for that matter, his own brother) he doesn’t HAVE to if he doesn’t WANT to. I don’t like the system, but that’s what we have. Wladimir Klitschko, despite the apparent fact that a fight against David Haye would have probably been better for the sport, was allowed the opportunity to replace Haye following his back injury.
To Loyal Homer’s point (which helped him solidify the victory), the Klitschko-Haye fight may still take place, but Klitschko had been training to fight on June 20, in front of an anticipated capacity crowd. If he felt the risk was too great that something (either an injury or a drop in attendance) would be compromised by pushing the fight date back 3 weeks, then he was completely justified in his decision. While it may have resulted in a less entertaining fight, he got what he wanted out of it.
At the end of the day, the question of whether or not Klitschko made the right decision to replace Haye with Chagaev, Klitschko can provide the best answer. If he is satisfied with the outcome, then he made the right decision.
Posted by Bleacher Fan 
