A Fine Pedigree

By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

An opinion piece from the only Donald worth listening to…

Full Stop – In British English grammar a full stop is a lengthy pause, in the US, you call it a period. In the UK that tends to suggest feminine products. Here it means a period of time where I look at something in boxing in a little more depth. I am typing from my perspective of a fan who watches the sport closely. It’s an opinion. It is my opinion. Don’t like it? There are other opinions out there but if you don’t like it then good, debate and democracy are a good thing. If you do like it, feel free to spread the word.

A Fine Pedigree

In the shadow of Michael Conlan’s defeat in Belfast, a man who has the most famous (infamous) middle finger in world boxing, I was reminded of what is going on or may not be going on in the world of Olympic boxing. Conlan, who was defeated at an Olympics, unfairly, used the gesture of flipping the bird to show his anger and disgust to the judges who robbed him of Olympic progression and a certain medal. Crude, though it undoubtedly was, it was clearly a symbol many within the amateur code felt appropriate to the AIBA led circus that was trying to organise and regulate world amateur and Olympic level boxing.

Since then, of course, we have evidence of corrupt practices within AIBA and the Olympics in 2020/21 had the IOC step in to regulate boxing at the event. AIBA, now IBA with a Russian president has tried to muscle their way back but a rival organisation, World Boxing, which now boasts the majority of reputable world boxing organization, is in the driving seat.

But so, what, what if there was to be no boxing at the Olympics? Does it really matter to Matchroom, Golden Boy, DAZN or any broadcaster?

Simply put, yes it does.

Most of the greats fought in the Amateur code. Whilst some, like Conlan or even Ali who threw his medal in a river, may have negative impulses when it comes to the sport and how it is represented in the amateurs, Olympic Boxing is vital for the growth of the sport. Elite fighters come through there. They do, of course come through elsewhere but they come through the Olympics with a positive spin.

In the UK, we have an entire, funded programme in Sheffield, GB Boxing which has the top fighters at each weight division looked after professionally with coaches, nutritionists and the best that sports science can offer. As training goes it is second to no other in the UK. The elite benefit but so do the rest. When there are breakthroughs, people notice and the coaches in the UK set up also work in the professional code. The professional game gets a benefit from having people like Rob McCracken lead the programs and then coach some of the Olympians who made it big – he was AJ’s first professional coach, and he was also Carl Froch’s coach in his heyday.

It also has a prime audience watching it every four years, falling back in love with the sweet science as boxers manage over 3 x 3 minute rounds to entice, suggest, hint at and create greatness. It promotes name recognition for free. People watch without sponsors getting in the way and promotional deals being dominated by broadcasters operating on a limited platform – everyone gets to know, and national news gets to tell us. People love the Olympics – despite the evidence to the contrary, it feels clean. As a format, the way that boxers start in a round robin tournament where you can follow it, don’t need a thesaurus to understand who is in charge and it feels like any other sport is a bonus. Nobody needs to explain anything. Boxers start in a pool, and they fight and fight until the last two are left standing and we call that the final. There are no rematch clauses, no appeals and little by way of controversy, unless there is cheating. Which there was. So, we have to rethink?

Only who runs it.

The format is exactly what the professional code would love.

Boxing will be at the Olympic top table in Paris next year but thereafter? World Boxing is vying to become the body to oversee boxing. There are many who think it is the only way of preserving boxing as part of the Olympics after an unbroken 120 years. Would it be a disaster? It would be a travesty and whilst the leadership of IBA, a Russian who was elected without any proper democratic process, is sending out messages of defiance, like another Russian leader, has the backing of Gazprom, a major Russian manufacturer, much like another Russian leader appears to have commercial backing and is looking increasingly like a man devoid of reality, much like another Russian leader, this is a travesty that could be fixed quickly. Give World Boxing the job and let’s get on with things…

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