We all get excited by the big fights. They promise to deliver explosive action and have you on the edge of your seat. Some fights do live up to the hype. Anthony Joshua had a thrilling fight with Wladimir that had me on the edge of my seat. But most of the hype fights aren’t worth the PPV money.
Pacquiao vs Mayweather is the best example of a hype fight that failed to deliver on its promise.
A few points can easily explain the problem. We hype fights up ourselves. The fighters hear the hype but it doesn’t pump them up. They will the pressure and over train. This leads to injury, bad timing or turn out. When you are over trained you feel the same as being unfit.
Hype involves a fight between two huge stars. Mayweather and Pacquiao were both considered the best of the best. No knock out, no knock downs, no one rocked, in fact they hardly hit each other. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. two boxers in a hype fight are often to good for it to be a classic war, Leonard vs Hagler excluded.
The big one. They have less reasons than they once did to win. Most boxers are from very poor and rough backgrounds. Their options in life don’t look good. Boxing is a way out. They are desperate to have a good quality of life. They are willing to sacrifice everything for it. Canelo sits in his mansion with very little worries. He can stop boxing, never work again and still live a life of luxury. Those things that once inspired him, cars, houses, wealth, belts, he has already achieved. When Canelo faced Golovkin, he seemed to lack the drive needed to win. When he fought, he was getting the better of the exchanges. The exchanges he took part in were few and far between, and so he should have lost.
I go to shows at all levels. Small hall shows are what I most enjoy. You see classic after classic. The sad thing is, only 200 other people saw that classic. Small hall shows are where all the best fights happen. Those lads have nothing to lose and everything to gain. They fight their hearts out.
Stephen Church
English Boxing Union 