{"id":56501,"date":"2015-11-03T14:13:31","date_gmt":"2015-11-03T19:13:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=56501"},"modified":"2015-11-03T14:13:31","modified_gmt":"2015-11-03T19:13:31","slug":"boxing-rankings-politics-payoffs-and-utter-bullshit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=56501","title":{"rendered":"Boxing Rankings: Politics, Payoffs and UTTER BULLSHIT!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Corrupt\"<\/a>By Luca “MamaLuke” Balossino<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I watch old fights on YouTube and DVD\u2019s from my favorite era, the Heavyweights from the late 80\u2019s until mid 90\u2019s, I sometimes wonder why I see fighters like “The Atlantic City Express\u201d as a WBA Champion. At the time Seldon was the champion, the top 12 ranked heavyweights for the WBA were 7 fighters like Lionel Butler, Larry Donald, Nate Tubbs, Buster Mathis, Joe Hipp, Frans Botha and Tony Tucker. My common sense cannot consent to agree that those were the best fighters that era had to offer.\u00a0Take Tommy Morrison for example, he wasn\u2019t even in the top 15 ranked for many months during the 90\u2019s. This also explains why his only championship shots were to fight for less regarded titles like the WBO\u2019s and IBC\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Speaking of Tommy, he was not Don King\u2019s man \u201cyet\u2019\u2019 and was managed by Bill Cayton (which he was known not to be the best friends of Don). This didn\u2019t help in the rankings to get shots at other belts such as: WBC, IBF, WBA.\u00a0In 1993, when Riddick Bowe was defending his IBF and WBA titles against Michael Dokes, it showed just how boxing rankings can be manipulated by putting up a washed up version of former heavyweight champion a decade before in the ring against the man who beat Evander Holyfield. There is no question on anybody\u2019s mind, this was an obvious manipulated mismatch.<\/p>\n

At that time, Morrison won the WBO strap against George Foreman…and a fight against Bowe, would\u2019ve had been much more leveled and more crowd pleasing matchup.
\nBut politics, again, took care of their business and had less risky opponents to or their \u2018’protected\u2019\u2019 fighters. This \u2018manipulated BS\u2019 goes way back to fighters like Jack Johnson who was not able to fight for a World Title because of the color of his skin. It\u00b4s in boxing\u00b4s nature to manipulate who fights who, based on a dirty business (behind the scenes) that allows many times for a fighter who is not the best out there to face a current champion.<\/p>\n

In order to avoid this kind of corruption as much as possible, what would be the best thing to do? Not hiring external promoters and try to do it on your own? Let me mention one extreme successful case for that: Floyd Mayweather, JR. When I say successful it\u2019s based only on his undefeated record, but it all honestly, did he fight the best out there while in their prime? The answer unequivocally is NO!<\/p>\n

Maybe the best solution is to only have 1 title, like the WBA back in the days. The best fights the best, rankings will eventually be for real and we can avoid seeing so many unworthy ranked fighters like it has been for years.<\/p>\n

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