Hopkins and Golden Boy competing with themselves

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Recently, Bernard Hopkins spoke with ThaBoxingVoice and made it a point to reiterate, that he and Golden Boy Promotions are in constant competition with themselves when it comes to making the best fights available. It is a recurring effort to not only continue to outdo your competitor, but yourself, that way you can stay on top of your game.

Hopkins made good points that you truthfully have to respect. As a promoter, he understands the risks to a boxer’s reputation that are present when you place him in fights that are 50/50 win or lose. He understands that it places the company in a wavering sense of vulnerability if their fighter doesn’t win or utter cloud nine when he does.

Even still, Hopkins is adamant that that won’t stop he nor Golden Boy from giving the public the fights they deserve to see. He believes it so much that he wants to nix the whole talking and build-up facet of the process and rather just show and prove.

 

So far, it wouldn’t be totally absurd to take their word for it either. Canelo Alvarez is up against an evenly matched opponent in Miguel Cotto in November and Francisco Vargas is in a very fan friendly fight versus Takashi Miura on the same night.

David Lemieux, who had only become a world champion one fight prior to Gennady Golovkin and Lucas Matthysse, who was fixed to finally get his chance to be one against Viktor Postol, both lost in brutal fashion. Each loss competitive, but in which will naturally hurt each fighter’s stock a little bit.

But that’s just what comes with the territory. Boxing isn’t a game you play and it isn’t for the faint-hearted. Even though it is sometimes shoved upon us that it doesn’t matter, in a world where sports like football and basketball are king, boxing needs the fans interest and the fans support to stay successful. And contrary to some belief, terribly matched fights are not the way to achieve that.

 

Not to say other promotional outfits don’t agree, but just maybe, a company who has former or current boxers representing them, will comprehend that just a little better than one who is led by someone who was only ever a spectator. It’s no secret that boxing is a business, but a boxer understands the importance of legacy, to be under those lights and receive the expectations but also grasps that as long as they deliver, the money will come.

In all honesty, shame on fighters who run to ANY company, that guarantees them a high purse for a weak challenge, bout after bout. Because, why are you here?
So let’s not throw salt in the wound of a great fight not doing great Pay-Per-View numbers too much, because at the end of the day the fighters were great and so was the fight they gave. The fans wanted it, the boxers permitted it and boxing needed it.