Every War Has to End

There’s a war going on in boxing… but it’s not your typical battle.  War usually signifies a strong dislike for each side involved, but also a mutual respect.  No, this isn't the type of boxing war we’re used to seeing in the ring… instead it’s a war outside the ropes that severely hampers the product inside the ring.  Most importantly, war has always symbolized the greatest form of human interaction; competition.  Unfortunately, the war I’m speaking of discards competition and in the end will only damage the constitution in which both parties were founded on.  I’m speaking of the “Cold War”.  A war between promotional powerhouses Golden Boy & Top Rank. 

Origins of the feud date back to 2006 and is broken down in this 2010 blog written by Dan Rafael of ESPN.

Coming off one of the most exciting years in boxing history, 2014 would be the operative time for the war to end.  So how could such a bitter war between the two promotional companies come to a common ground for the betterment of the sport?  Well, in a perfect world, both promoters (Oscar De La Hoya and Bob Arum) could  go in a room for an afternoon and bury their differences… but we all know that won’t happen anytime soon.  There’s too much animosity between promoters and when you’re dealing with two individuals whose net worth is roughly 200 million dollars, compromise usually isn't in their vocabulary. 

The “Cold War” is about to have a heavy impact on Top Rank.  The strongest and most profitable divisions in the sport range from jr. welterweight to middleweight.  Golden Boy owns these divisions and it’ll be a hard sell for Top Rank to continue and “round robin” it’s fighters… There’s only so many matches that can be made and while Top Rank does employ some of the biggest names in the sport (Pacquiao, Bradley, Marquez..), the public will grow tired of them continuously fighting each other.  To make matters worse for Top Rank, after 2014, both Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley will be free agents.  Without a “Cold War” resolution, why would either of these fighters stay with Top Rank?  With Floyd Mayweather Jr. making it abundantly clear that he will not do business with Bob Arum, that adds more validity to the departure of Pacquiao and Bradley.  So if their only choices are to fight each other and fighters not represented by Golden Boy or Floyd Mayweather, it leaves two items of substance on the table that are most desirable to fighters; their legacy and money.

 

On the other side, it hurts Golden Boy as well.  Oscar De La Hoya has an impeccable list of young quality fighters in the aforementioned divisions, but without the opportunity to fight a Pacquiao or the undefeated Bradley, it puts the legitimacy of his fighters in question.  Imagine bouts such as Danny Garcia (27-0, 16 KO’s) vs. Manny Pacquiao (55-5, 38 KO’s) or Timothy Bradley (31-0, 12 KO’s) vs Keith Thurman (22-0, 20 KO’s) and what they would do for the sport! It seems that the only measuring stick for the greatness of Golden Boy fighters is a match-up with pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr.  Unfortunately, until one of these fighters dethrone Floyd, none of them will be able to capture pay-per-view magic without an end to the “Cold War”.  It’s a war that strips every positive connotation of the word and leaves us with no sign of resolution.

 

My solution is simple… someone needs to buy them out.  A Billionaire with a sore spot for the sweet science needs to swoop in and give both parties an offer they cannot refuse, merge the two promotional monsters and bring boxing the glory it deserves!  Am I delusional?  Maybe.  But you can’t deny that the idea is intriguing.  In the big scheme of things, it’s not too far-fetched.  The NFL and NBA have seen changes in ownership and the average NFL team is a billion dollars.  I know Bob Arum has been around the sport nearly 50 years… but he’s 82 years old.  He will always be a part of boxing.  He’s done more for the sport than any other promoter… but now his pride is hurting the sport.  As for Oscar, we all know some of his personal issues and some time away from the sport might be a good idea for the former champion.  Boxing could use some fresh blood with some new ideas.  

At the end of the day, my solution is unlikely to commence, but maybe it can spark a thought in a certain billionaire’s mind… maybe, just maybe boxing can capitalize on an incredible 2013, build on the momentum of the sport and end the “Cold War”.