Oscar De La Hoya's open letter to fans to not support the UFC/WWE-fication of boxing

John Wick said:
Oscar is supporting his golden boy to fight Triple G. That's not just about the money. That's for the sport.
Click to expand...
No. He talked himself in a corner and had to make the fight. Canelo to his credit would have fought the fight already.
 
So I don't like Connor at all. His out of cage antics, the press stuff, etc. I actively root for him to lose when he fights.

However, this reeks of "don't steal money from me!!!!!" Let people watch what they want to watch. There is no way he could think this is the worst thing for boxing if he had been watching boxing for the last 40 years.
 
Tonfa said:
No he's not, not by these standards.
Click to expand...
What standards, winning 12 rounds? Maybe, but Conor will go for it early, chase him down and knock Floyds head off. Floyd can land his best punch and it won't do nothing to Conor but when Conor lands a left on wee little Floyd it will end quickly.
 
Oscar just wants a piece. Don't worry Oscar you can be a ring girl since you love dressing like one.
 
John Wick said:
To my fellow #boxing fans:

I write in the hopes that together we can protect the sport of boxing.

With each passing day, it looks more and more likely that the circus known as Floyd Mayweather Vs. Conor McGregor will be coming to town in the near future.

As undercard fights start to take form, athletic commissions give their blessings in exchange for millions of dollars and the fighters start counting even more cash, one group will eventually be left to make sure this farce doesn’t occur.

We, the fans, who are the lifeblood of our sport.

Boxing is starting to dig out of the hole that Floyd and Manny Pacquiao shoveled by waiting seven years to put on a fight that ended up being as dull as it was anti-climactic.

2017 has started off as a banner year for boxing. Joshua vs. Klitschko; Thurman vs. Garcia; Golovkin vs. Jacobs; Canelo vs. Chavez. All four of these fights – and many more -- have brought the fight game back and reinvigorated interest from the ever-elusive casual fan.

But if you thought Mayweather/Pacquiao was a black eye for our sport – a matchup between two of the best pound-for-pound fighters that simply didn’t deliver -- just wait until the best boxer of a generation dismantles someone who has never boxed competitively at any level – amateur or professional.

Our sport might not ever recover.

I fully understand the initial attraction from any fan of combat sports. McGregor is almost certainly the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter. Floyd is Floyd — the most dominant boxer of his time.

But success in one sport does not guarantee success in another. Far from it. And let’s be clear, these are two different sports -- from the size of the gloves fighters wear, to the size and shape of the ring, to the fact the one sport allows combatants to use their legs to strike.

Think about it, beyond Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders, what other athlete has successfully competed in two sports in the modern age? And Jackson and Sanders both played both baseball and football throughout their high school and college careers before going professional.

Furthermore, it’s not like McGregor would be fighting a good fighter, let alone a mediocre one. He would be fighting the best. To use a bit of an extreme analogy, I happen to be a pretty good golfer. Could I potentially hold my own on one of the second-tier tours? Maybe. But would I be able to compete with Rory McIlroy, Jordan Speith or Sergio Garcia? Of course not. Nor would I think to try.

Now, I know critics will say that I’m only writing this letter because my company is promoting what will be the culmination of an outstanding boxing year when Canelo Alvarez takes on Gennady “GGG” Golovkin in September, and I don’t want anything to distract attention away from that fight.

But my interest is in the health of boxing as a whole. It always has been. And if Floyd were to come out of retirement to take on someone like Keith “One–time” Thurman, Errol Spence or some other top welterweight, not only would I applaud the fight, I’d be the first one on line for a ticket.

That kind of fight is what the fans – and I am a fan first -- deserve.

Which brings me back to the circus.

Floyd’s and Conor’s motivation is clear. It’s money. In fact, they don’t even pretend it’s not. But it’s also a lack of consequences for when the fight ends up being the disaster that is predicted. After this fight, neither of them will need us anymore. Floyd will go back to retirement -- presumably for good this time with another nine-figure paycheck -- and Conor will go back to the UFC.

It’s a win-win for them. It’s a lose-lose for us. We’ll be $100 lighter and we will have squandered another opportunity to bring boxing back to its rightful place as the sport of kings.

At this point, only we can shut the circus down by making it clear that we won’t pay to see a joke of a fight and telling our casual-fan friends that they shouldn’t either.

Sincerely,

Oscar


--------

Let's face it. The McGregor era of UFC is the WWE era of MMA. It's all about trash talk, fight matches based on storylines than merit, and PPV sells. The most recent UFC press conference kicking off the summer fights was so cringeworthy bad. Guys throwing punches, guys with double digit losses talking shit and calling themselves killers, guys just saying shit for crowd reaction. Everybody wants to be Conor McGregor, but it's WWE that has clearly influenced McGregor with his Ric Flair-like antics, cutting promos, and walking like Vince McMahon. Now this VIRUS is attempting to spill into boxing. I agree with the golden boy here. Do not support this bull shit.
Click to expand...

I hate McG as much as anyone, but the man is a very skilled fighter. The only reason this fight isn't happening under MMA rules is because 1) Floyd is a coward who knows his legacy would tarnished when he loses and 2) there is more money to be made in boxing.

You act as if boxing doesn't have this exact same problem with showmanship trumping competition.
 
What a bitch. Millions of ppl want to see it. Its the biggest fight going right now and could be the highest PPV ever. Conor will do a lot better than these boxing guys think...with their "sweet science" BS. Its a fight. Conors a champion fighter...not some bum on the couch.Anything can happen.

I guarantee you though if Conor catche him and wins. Thats the final nail in the boxing coffin thats already in its grave.
 
Jermei said:
What standards, winning 12 rounds? Maybe, but Conor will go for it early, chase him down and knock Floyds head off. Floyd can land his best punch and it won't do nothing to Conor but when Conor lands a left on wee little Floyd it will end quickly.
Click to expand...

And then he'll fly off on his magic unicorn and pick you up to have tea and crumpets with the pixie faries.

Mixedfights will be there too.
 
Who gives a shit. People want to see it.

Let them see it.


This is entertainment first and foremost.
 
So he cites Klitchko who is old and past his prime as an example of whats bringing back boxing???
 
Jermei said:
What standards, winning 12 rounds? Maybe, but Conor will go for it early, chase him down and knock Floyds head off. Floyd can land his best punch and it won't do nothing to Conor but when Conor lands a left on wee little Floyd it will end quickly.
Click to expand...
You should close your account now. This is the only decent thing you've ever written and it's good to go out on top.
 
Jermei said:
You should stay retired.
Click to expand...
1cabd8210d3f98417a04615ae0780b10.gif
 
John Wick said:
To my fellow #boxing fans:

I write in the hopes that together we can protect the sport of boxing.

With each passing day, it looks more and more likely that the circus known as Floyd Mayweather Vs. Conor McGregor will be coming to town in the near future.

As undercard fights start to take form, athletic commissions give their blessings in exchange for millions of dollars and the fighters start counting even more cash, one group will eventually be left to make sure this farce doesn’t occur.

We, the fans, who are the lifeblood of our sport.

Boxing is starting to dig out of the hole that Floyd and Manny Pacquiao shoveled by waiting seven years to put on a fight that ended up being as dull as it was anti-climactic.

2017 has started off as a banner year for boxing. Joshua vs. Klitschko; Thurman vs. Garcia; Golovkin vs. Jacobs; Canelo vs. Chavez. All four of these fights – and many more -- have brought the fight game back and reinvigorated interest from the ever-elusive casual fan.

But if you thought Mayweather/Pacquiao was a black eye for our sport – a matchup between two of the best pound-for-pound fighters that simply didn’t deliver -- just wait until the best boxer of a generation dismantles someone who has never boxed competitively at any level – amateur or professional.

Our sport might not ever recover.

I fully understand the initial attraction from any fan of combat sports. McGregor is almost certainly the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter. Floyd is Floyd — the most dominant boxer of his time.

But success in one sport does not guarantee success in another. Far from it. And let’s be clear, these are two different sports -- from the size of the gloves fighters wear, to the size and shape of the ring, to the fact the one sport allows combatants to use their legs to strike.

Think about it, beyond Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders, what other athlete has successfully competed in two sports in the modern age? And Jackson and Sanders both played both baseball and football throughout their high school and college careers before going professional.

Furthermore, it’s not like McGregor would be fighting a good fighter, let alone a mediocre one. He would be fighting the best. To use a bit of an extreme analogy, I happen to be a pretty good golfer. Could I potentially hold my own on one of the second-tier tours? Maybe. But would I be able to compete with Rory McIlroy, Jordan Speith or Sergio Garcia? Of course not. Nor would I think to try.

Now, I know critics will say that I’m only writing this letter because my company is promoting what will be the culmination of an outstanding boxing year when Canelo Alvarez takes on Gennady “GGG” Golovkin in September, and I don’t want anything to distract attention away from that fight.

But my interest is in the health of boxing as a whole. It always has been. And if Floyd were to come out of retirement to take on someone like Keith “One–time” Thurman, Errol Spence or some other top welterweight, not only would I applaud the fight, I’d be the first one on line for a ticket.

That kind of fight is what the fans – and I am a fan first -- deserve.

Which brings me back to the circus.

Floyd’s and Conor’s motivation is clear. It’s money. In fact, they don’t even pretend it’s not. But it’s also a lack of consequences for when the fight ends up being the disaster that is predicted. After this fight, neither of them will need us anymore. Floyd will go back to retirement -- presumably for good this time with another nine-figure paycheck -- and Conor will go back to the UFC.

It’s a win-win for them. It’s a lose-lose for us. We’ll be $100 lighter and we will have squandered another opportunity to bring boxing back to its rightful place as the sport of kings.

At this point, only we can shut the circus down by making it clear that we won’t pay to see a joke of a fight and telling our casual-fan friends that they shouldn’t either.

Sincerely,

Oscar


--------

Let's face it. The McGregor era of UFC is the WWE era of MMA. It's all about trash talk, fight matches based on storylines than merit, and PPV sells. The most recent UFC press conference kicking off the summer fights was so cringeworthy bad. Guys throwing punches, guys with double digit losses talking shit and calling themselves killers, guys just saying shit for crowd reaction. Everybody wants to be Conor McGregor, but it's WWE that has clearly influenced McGregor with his Ric Flair-like antics, cutting promos, and walking like Vince McMahon. Now this VIRUS is attempting to spill into boxing. I agree with the golden boy here. Do not support this bull shit.
Click to expand...
translation: I wont make any money from it
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,237,663
Messages
55,508,154
Members
174,800
Latest member
kechan123

Share this page

Back
Top