MAKING MORE COMPETITIVE FIGHTS
IT’LL be interesting to see over the coming weeks whether the UK’S leading promoters adhere to their suggested policy of making more competitive fights. It’s fair to say that fans of the sport will be elated to be able to watch regular boxing action again, and they won’t be too concerned about the lack of international world title fights, as long as they’re treated to some domestic dust-ups worthy of tuning in for.
There are too many fighters who have diligently stayed ready during lockdown for there to be poor matchups made. The Archie Sharp-jeff Ofori, Sam Eggingtonted Cheeseman, Terri Harper-natasha Jonas, Sam Maxwell-joe Hughes and Lyndon Arthur-dec Spelman fights have the potential to be tremendous scraps. Shaun Rye
IDEAS FOR IMPROVEMENTS
I READ Jack Hirsch’s suggested improvements to the sport with interest ( July 16 issue). I have long had some of my own in mind, such as returning to just eight weight divisions, not having a mandatory eight-count or threeknockdown rule, showing the score(s) after every round and having 15-round title fights again.
It would be great if the four major sanctioning bodies had their champions fight one another, giving us just one world champion per division again. Then we could do away with mandatories and instead make it compulsory for every world champion to defend twice a year against one of the top-five contenders. Mark Taha
UNDERCARD IMPORTANCE
JACK HIRSCH’S 12 Steps to Heaven feature in the July 16 issue made for interesting reading, and I agreed with a lot of what he said. His point about the need for decent undercards took me back 40 years – to the shameful night at Wembley in September 1980, when there was a near riot after Marvin Hagler dethroned Britain’s undisputed world middleweight champion, Alan Minter.
There was no excuse for what happened, and no doubt it was largely racially motivated. But I thought at the time (and still do) that there was at least one other factor – the undercard was terrible. I well remember thinking: ‘If I’d paid that sort of price for a ticket, I’d be feeling pretty sick.’ Fans will often forgive a poor undercard if the main event is good. In the case of the Minter-hagler fight, it ended inside three rounds, on cuts, and the home fighter lost. If promoters want fans to pay out – either to attend in person or to watch on PPV – they must put on a decent supporting bill as well. Simon Euan-smith