Ring Observer Boxing by Scoop Malinowski
By Scoop Malinowski
Michael Bentt, the former WBO Heavyweight champion, once told me an intriguing boxing truth I didn’t understand at the time about fifteen years ago, “Boxing is 90 percent bluffs.”
At first I thought it was more about the psyche warfare between fighters. But it’s actually also about the business side of the sport.
Boxing has become so fake and fraudulent now that managers and promoters actually fake negotiations to pretend they want to make a super fight and use that deception as PR value to boost the profile of their fighter.
Mayweather and Haymon faked negotiations with Pacquiao and Arum for years, pretending they wanted the fight. Who could forget when in the midst of supposed Pacquiao vs Mayweather negotiations, suddenly Leonard Ellerbe, the Mayweather Haymon mouthpiece, announced no negotiations took place? It exposed the reality that fake negotiations is a devious practice used by corrupt boxing powers that be. Now Tyson Fury just faked negotiations with Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk, wasting months of time and energy to pretend he wanted those fights when the secret plan all along was to fake it and fight a hired patsy like Dereck Chisora or an Aussie cruiserweight. Usyk exposed Fury when he accepted Fury’s 70-30 demands.
Now Fury is at it again, pretending to be trying to make a fight with Joshua for September, knowing Joshua is trying to set a fight with Wilder in December. In the last year, Big faker Fury has tried to make fights with UFC fighters, AJ, Usyk, Andy Ruiz, and two Australian unknowns.
It’s a very troublesome aspect of boxing that faking negotiations for PR value and media manipulation has become so prevalent. For a boxer and his management to fake negotiations is disgusting and despicable cowardice and corruption. There is no place for any cowardice in boxing. It’s a poison that ruins the sport. Boxing is supposed to be about the best vs the best, no fear, I’m the man, bring it on baby. That’s what attracts viewers and creates buzz and hype and excitement.
Fury was once a beautiful amazing fighter capable of masterpiece performances like the one vs Wladimir Klitschko. Now he’s a big fake who does more BS talking than actual fighting. The ultimate figure of power of boxing has reduced himself to a lying, double talking clown fraud pretender.
The sooner boxing can eliminate or boycott Fury out of his position of power, the better off boxing will be.
