It’s Show Biz, Baby!!!

It’s an age old adage, work smarter not harder. Yet in the boxing world it seems that hard work is valued over skilled work. The superhuman effort of a Rocky-esque figure will overshadow the clinical execution of a highly trained boxer. Why? I think I know. And I think that reason has a huge effect on the sport and is the cause of many of the problems and controversies that mire the sweet science in unnecessary drama.

It’s all about the story. Even the most ardent boxing fans and historians fall for the narratives that sell the fights. Is it the story we tune in for, or the actual fight? I admit that I have fallen into the pre fight hype of many a main event and picked a fighter based on a story sold to me in gloss and glitz. From the everyman tale of the working class hero’s chance at glory to the fallen champions return and quest for redemption. These tales color our impressions of the boxing event before the gloves are even laced up.

It’s all about relatability. The average person that tunes into a fight or follows the sport of boxing is not a fine tuned fighting machine. They are just regular normal people. So what’s more relatable than a fighter who seem like a normal guy? A puncher with a solid chin and a ton of grit, ready to risk it all for a chance to better their life. Thats who people can project themselves onto and feel connected to.

So where does that leave the slick and sharp technical boxer, the one not willing to wade face first into battle. The life long pugilist that would rather leave the ring unscathed at all costs, and executes that plan with a display of excellent footwork, head movement and defense? Is he relatable to the layman? Not generally. So this is where things get complicated.

Boxing is a business, and like any business the goal is to make money. As much as possible. So these promoters and managers create narratives that will sell. If a fighter isn’t relatable to the public they will twist and flip the tale anyway they can to get attention. One of the first ways they did this was to exploit ethnic stereotypes to align fans in favor of a fighter. There were some downright racist and shameful gimmicks in the early 1900s and sadly still today you see this tactic employed by shady promoters.

Its all about emotion, And if they can’t sell you camaraderie and love they will sell you hatred. Thats why the tactic of creating a character that is completely unlikable is the most successful method of selling a fight. Its a classic model that’s been used for decades. But today it’s created a system for boxing where talent and skills are the last things on the list of requirements for main event participants. It’s hatred, drama and controversy that get the sport headlines instead of skill or entertaining competitive matches.

I recently conducted a poll on my instagram page and found that the majority of people value effort over skill in the ring. And if you’ve ever watched a boxing movie you’ll see they always tell the story of a hard luck puncher that wins with his heart and not his head. As a coach and fan and former competitor in this great sport I find it interesting to consider all this. How can I train a fighter to be a perfect puncher with a hit and don’t get hit style when some of the highest paid guys are just master salesmen and mediocre athletes? I can because I have respect for the sport and an understanding that there is always an element of entertainment in the business of boxing. As someone once said, “That’s show biz, baby!”