KO for boxing?
“The Fight of the Century.” The fight we all waited seemingly forever for. It was about six years in reality, but the hype that has forever surrounded this very fight made it seem like an eternity.
Pacquiao vs. Mayweather.
Or better yet, Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, because Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather made suer his name came first on all marketing that surrounded the fight.
I won’t say I have ever been a huge boxing fan, but leading up to what seemed like it would be the fight to bring life back into the sport, I was very excited to watch. With so much hype leading up to an event, you can only hope it will be an awesome event, but it seemed that even from the beginning, things just never went completely right for the fight.
Although there would be a limited amount for the public, the tickets did not go on sale until a week and a half before the fight. They didn’t necessarily need additional time, but these are logistics that should have been worked out well beforehand. An event being marketed as “The Fight of the Century,” should have been planned a little better. However, this was an obstacle that seems small and would eventually be overcome.
Everything leading up to the fight was televised. The fighters every move, their weigh in, their entire life. There was so much riding on this event for the sport of boxing and they made sure to cash in on all of it.
The hype was starting to boil over on May 2nd, the night of the fight. But, wait! Many of the people who paid $100 for the fight were not able to view it on Pay-Per-View and so the fight was delayed until all TV issues were cleared. Couldn’t have all those people miss such an illustrious fight, but more importantly, they couldn’t afford to lose all that money.
In a fight that guaranteed each fighter $100 million dollars, whether they won or lost, viewers were generally disappointed. It went all 12 rounds, included a couple of exciting moments, but it was mostly 12 rounds of dancing. I don’t think anyone was expecting a knockout in the first round, though that may have been better, but the general consensus is that it would be a much better event overall. I thought this could make me a boxing fan, many thought it could brign life back into the sport once more.
We were all wrong.
Mayweather won by unanimous decision in 12 rounds, is now 47-0, and after all the TV fees and everything, he will make well over $200 million for an event that no one left overly thrilled about.
In my eyes, this was nothing more than a very elaborate marketing ploy. Yes, the way Mayweather fought is how he always fights, but that is not why people paid for this. The fans, and even new comers, wanted to see “The Fight of the Century,” but instead received a lackluster performance from both parties.
(Although Pacquiao having Jimmy Kimmell and Mayweather having the BK King was pretty cool)
Maybe this is my lack of boxing knowledge talking, but I am very happy I did not pay the $100 to watch the fight. (Almost did, but thank you Periscope)
While Pacquiao has come out and said he actually had a shoulder injury prior to the fight, solidifying the point that everyone wasted their money, Mayweather was already expressed interest in a rematch. But then changed his mind?
After this, who knows if I would even watch; Another fight like this does not deserve anyone’s time or money.
Definitely not the KO the sport needed.
