Howdy all…Labor Day Rants, hot off the presses…
Rant #1: Being editor-in-chief of this ragtag group of drunken Welshmen, Buddhist Sicilians, and merry misfits known as The Boxing Tribune has its benefits. Unlike my side gig at Inside Fights and the occasional odd job done for FOX Sports, I call the shots here. While I usually run major decisions by the staff, I doubt there will be any objection to my latest call.
So, effective immediately, The Boxing Tribune will no longer recognize the myriad of bogus titles floating around the boxing hemisphere. While I will reluctantly continue to acknowledge the world titles of the four major sanctioning organizations, all interim, silver, and international titles will vanish from our world. The only exception will be IF the interim title is, indeed, an interim title where a champion is named due to an injury to the established champion.
Our official position is that any recognition given to these bogus titles takes away from the respect the true champion(s) deserves.
Also gone from our lexicon is the concept of “Super” world champs and “Regular” world champs.
The Boxing Tribune sincerely hopes that other sites adopt similar stances, especially the major sites which receive the greatest attention and, consequently, have the most influence on the way the sport is seen.
If we’re alone in this initiative, let it be known that we are at least walking alone on the right side of the road.
Rant #2: So, Floyd Mayweather apologized for his racist Ustream rant from a few days back.
A lot has been said about his motive for doing so. And, yeah, maybe he did apologize for fear of losing his endorsements. I guess it’s also possible that he’s just ignorant and ignorant people often dabble in racism and stupidity in the absence of wit.
The issue I want to explore, though, is how he will be received by the media when he the talk actually does get back to boxing.
For the most part, the media has been quick to attack Mayweather and hold him to a standard that they simply don’t ask of other fighters. Floyd, by being a disagreeable person outside the ring, has always been an easy target to boxing writers who, generally and historically, have disdain for fighters who don’t play the role of the humble warrior.
Now, with the scandalous statements and Mayweather’s insistence on taking a long vacation post-Mosley domination, the media is fuming…and itching to take “Money” down a peg or two. Expect the boxing media to further dog pile on him because now, especially, open season has been declared.
Casual observers will already notice the media slow burn. At this point, no matter what Mayweather does, expect a positive (or neutral) article about him to be about as common as a vegetable on Dan Rafael’s dinner plate.
For the record, here’s my take on Floyd: He’s not our butler and he doesn’t owe it to us to fight when WE want him to fight. He doesn’t have to please us or confirm his life to our expectations. He has every right to act as a free man and do whatever the hell he wants with his professional life. And, yeah, I still think that there has been a huge double standard in the way Mayweather is seen compared to other fighters.
Oh, and also, he’s a prick.
Let’s see if the media can get it right and learn to separate the personal from the professional.
Rant #3: Condolences to the entire Arum family on the loss of John Arum. It’s one of the world’s greatest tragedies for a parent to bury a child…I can only imagine Bob Arum’s grief in this horrendous moment.
But, again, separating the professional from the personal, I hope that this tragic death doesn’t indirectly allow for an endorsement of the upcoming Pacquiao-Margarito farce in Cowboys stadium. Arum, like any other promoter in the same situation, should be held accountable for this blatant disregard of professional ethics.
Ok, that’s all for now…I know, a rather tame Monday Rant…I’ll try to be angrier next time…
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