It’s a strange time for boxing fans. There’s the huge mega-fight happening on July 29, 2023 between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence. This could be a legacy fight for either fighter and we seldom get to see two pound-for-pound elites facing off in the prime of their careers. It’s a fight fan’s dream matchup.
There’s also Naoya Inoue facing off against Stephen Fulton on July 25. Another pair of two undefeated champions in an exciting clash for the WBC and WBO super-bantamweight diadems.
These are all excellent match-ups between evenly matched and talented champions at the apogee of the sport where you could truly say the outcomes will be in doubt.
But then again—because it’s a strange time for boxing fans—you also have heavyweight champion Tyson Fury deciding to face off against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in another shameless farce of a match to be held in Saudi Arabia.
LETDOWN. This is not an overreaction, my fellow Last Rounders. This is coming from an old-school, hardcore boxing fan who holds the sport’s traditions in high esteem.
There was a time when the heavyweight champion was recognized as the best fighter in the world and ergo the most revered and feared. Yes, we had great champions in the middleweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions.
But the heavyweight champion was sui generis.
I blame it all on Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor. That circus of a boxing fight opened up the doors to all these crossover matchups that are nothing more than purely money-making events created for the spectacle of it.
Yes, these are events, and not anymore actual fight contests.
Just the other day, Ngannou’s manager Marquel Martin proudly trumpeted that Ngannou will make more in this fight than all his 14 UFC fights combined. How’s that for motivation?
Just a few months ago, it had been announced that Fury had come to terms to a much-awaited fight against Oleksandr Usyk. Unfortunately, that fell through as Fury reportedly made several unacceptable demands despite getting a 70-30 purse split in his favor.
Instead, he will now be facing an opponent who has never boxed professionally—and bellow boisterously on his way to the bank.
VERBATIM. “Let’s just say this: The bag is so big, he may actually just drop it on the way to the bank.” - Marquel Martin via MMAFighting.com.
LAST ROUND. It’s on a dear friend, lawyer Kenneth Yap, who recently celebrated his birthday and on my Rodan Benjamin Jericho who turns 13 this week. Time flies, my unico hijo. Cheers!