Boxing has seen the rise of many great figures that are regarded as heroes, or even villains. Fighters like Muhammad Ali, Jack Dempsey, Julio Cesar Chavez (Sr.) and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have helped define the sport as more than just a battleground for warriors, but a reflection of life itself. All of the aforementioned fighters, including Mayweather, have had to face losses that have defined their careers, mostly for the better. But underneath the currents of this sport lies a dark and deep hole that continuously threatens to drag the sport to the dark ages; brain damage and corruption.
Brain damage
The case of what brain damage does to boxer is well-known, but not often spoken about. Despite the huge entertainment factor behind boxing, both elite and mediocre talents face the same risks despite the presumption that more talented boxers are able to avoid damage. In fact, it is this stark reality that forced Floyd Mayweather Jr. to adapt his style after seeing the damage the sport has done to his father and uncle ― both of whom have served as his trainers at certain points through his professional boxing career.
Mayweather became more defensive as he grew into his late twenties, and by the time he was in his thirties he became known as one of the greatest defensive masterminds in the history of the sport; culminated by his impressive unbeaten and unstained professional record.
Despite Mayweather’s success and retention of health ― which has allowed him to continue fighting in exhibitions even after his retirement in 2018, it is generally understood that he is the exception to the rule due to adopting a fighting style that heavily emphasized defense; though even Mayweather has admitted to not being at his best mentally.
This damage, confirmed to be a form of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) but better known as “punch-drunk syndrome”, threatens every fighter ― whether they are at the top or not. One of the most recent examples of this condition can be observed through Nick Blackwell who suffered extensive damage during his fight with Chris Eubank Jr. in 2016 to the point he had to retire.
Though rarely spoken about, boxing knows quite a few cases where boxers have either died, retired or were facing health problems following their professional careers. This can best be observed through the heavyweights (200+ lbs) of old, the likes of James Toney, Evander Holyfield and other unfortunate boxers from the 1990’s who are still alive but have clearly shown a decline in their ability to process their thoughts and words.
Corruption
From a sudden display of incompetence by usually solid referees to modern-day sanctioning bodies clearly skirting their own rules, boxing has had to battle corruption since its inception; and it still seems well and truly rife within the sport. Through a multitude of examples alone this can be observed, most recently the decision by referee Steve Willis not to count a knockdown that Gervonta Davis (30-0-1, 28 KO’s) suffered in his March 1st bout against Lamont Roach Jr. (25-1-2, 10 KO’s), as well as ignore Davis’ corner interfering afterwards ― which is not allowed according to the Association of Boxing Commissions’ (ABC) rules.
Neither the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC), as the Davis-Roach match was regulated by them, nor the WBA ― who sanctioned the bout ― could muster up an appropriate reaction to the fight, choosing instead to ignore the two controversial incidents that occurred. Notably, both the NYSAC and WBA offered different perspectives on the entire matter, with the former acknowledging a knockdown occurred but leaving the decision up to the discretion of the referee. The latter opted to deny there was a knockdown at all, despite Davis’ knee hitting the canvas during his fight with Roach; which constitutes as a knockdown.
Though this matter makes up but a small sample case of widespread corruption in boxing, it forms a crucial example on how the sport has been tainted by self-interest, lack of diligence and apathy. Other examples often includes a decision being made by a stakeholder [e.g. a promotion, sanctioning body, or governing body] that usually affects a fight in some shape or form, at the detriment of at least one fighter. With no singular organization in the sport responsible for dealing out repercussions, the sport’s corruption continues to thrive which can impact a fighter’s career negatively ― often by decisions going against them, usually referred to as “robberies”.
A recent example of this includes the middleweight (160 lbs) title bout between Dominican WBC champion Carlos Adames (24-1, 18 KO’s) and British challenger Hamzah Sheeraz (21-0-1, 17 KO’s). Despite clearly winning the fight, Adames’ record was stained with a split-decision draw with only one judge scoring the fight in favor of Adames with a 118-110 scorecard.
The other two judges, Guido Cavalleri and Omar Mintun Sr., respectively scored the fight as a 115-114 for Sheeraz and a 114-114 draw.
The controversy surrounding this result was not made any easier by the interference of Riyadh Season ― which sponsored the event Adames and Sheeraz participated in ― head Turki Alalshikh, who notified Sheeraz’ corner of him losing. Though this does not indicate Alalshikh is the cause of the skewed scorecards for the Adames-Sheeraz match, it does draw attention towards the persistent problem in boxing where there is no proper oversight.
As the saying goes, “where there’s smoke, there’s fire”, and while Alalshikh has substantially contributed to the sport, his very presence is a result of the sport being a nesting ground for corruption and allowing anyone to come in and influence the sport, as long as they have enough money.
Alalshikh’s intentions were far from considered nefarious when he first arrived on the scene, but certain actions pinpoint towards an individual who, while he has a clear interest in boxing, also wants to have control over a sport that is not properly organized ― and will allow him to do so as he faces no opposition.
Last year, Alalshikh acquired The Ring to control one of the sport’s most important aspects: the media. By investing into the boxing magazine and striving to expand it, Alalshikh retains the ability to control the narratives he seeks to push. This ambition even led to a clash with another boxing media platform, BoxingScene, whose owner he appears to be in conflict with since Alalshikh was reportedly threatening the record-keeping website of BoxRec.
Other numerous cases involving the different stakeholders have allowed the boxing landscape to be fully surveyed and deemed a hunting ground for those who wish to profit from the sport in any way they can. From the promoters to the sanctioning bodies, interest in boxing seems to be preceded by a drive for profit than anything else.
For boxing to truly flourish, it needs to be adapted into a single organization with branches dedicated to upholding the integrity of the sport while continuing to ensure it functions in a capable fashion. However, such an organization would make the role of boxing’s current stakeholders obsolete, hence why there has never been a formal push to reorganize boxing.
Unfortunately, despite the recent investments of organizations such as Riyadh Season, this situation is not expected to change any time soon, and though money continues to be pumped into the sport there are still no retirement or health benefits given to any of the fighters that are competing.
And that, most of all, might be the most crucial part of the sport that continues to be ignored and hidden beneath the glitz and glamour of promos, highlights and social media outreach.
