I
read with
some amusement that Top Rank President Todd duBoef is kicking around the
idea
of putting the “prize” back in prizefighting in the wake of the 12-round
snoozer that was last weekend’s bout between Nonito Donaire and Omar
Narvaez
(yahoo/box/ iole donaire bonus).
It's
a concept that has been kicked around and debated for years. duBoef
seems
pretty intent on making this happen in the near future.
It’s just
my opinion but I actually don't think it's a bad idea at all. However, I do
think it comes with one fundamental flaw- why should fighters who are already
paid pretty well (in the case of Donaire, over $700,000 and Narvaez around
$125,000) need any more incentive to win the fight or at least give a much more
strident effort than Narvaez did this past weekend? Being a professional
fighter means first and foremost being a “professional” and putting out a
certain effort.
Could you
imagine having to offer a “winning” or “try hard bonus” to the likes of Marvin
Hagler and Tommy Hearns? They'd be insulted by the mere thought of it. That
said, it's a different age and a different breed of prizefighter we have today.
The reality
is that Narvaez, already near the end of his career and knowing that he'll
probably never fight again in the States, didn't care how badly he stunk out
the Theater in Madison Square Garden.
While Donaire can't be completely absolved of what took place, he at least
tried to win. For Narvaez, this was his 401K retirement fight, funded by Top
Rank and HBO. His goal was to come out of this as unscathed as possible and
unfortunately, for the paying audience and HBO subscribers, he was successful
in that pursuit. Don't cry for this Argentinean. Feel bad for those poor saps
that plunked down their hard-earned money for this farce.
Again, when
you have fighters like Darren Barker and Narvaez who were huge betting
underdogs (Narvaez was listed as high as 30-1), what else do you expect than to
have fighters who will do their best to be in survival mode and just try to
exceed very low expectations by merely going rounds and calling it a moral victory?
This is what most overmatched opponents do: find ways to survive. You can argue
that Barker boxed cautiously (although I think some British media members with
pom-poms will have you believing he was John Mugabi to Sergio Martinez's Hagler
earlier this month) and actually won a few rounds. All Narvaez did was do
everything to stay out of harm’s way.
When a guy
celebrates this type of outing by raising his arms triumphantly and gets lifted
up by his cornermen as if he were Carlos Monzon after a victorious conquest,
ask yourself this- did that individual ever come to the States with any
intention of really winning or to simply collect an annuity? (Sources tell me
that that they had problems getting Narvaez out of his dressing room to even go
into the ring for the fight.)
I also
think “The duBoef” bonus would work best when there isn't such a discrepancy in
the fighters’ purses. If you had a bout where both boxers were each paid
approximately 30-40 percent of the available license fee and the rest of the
money was set aside for a winner-take-all prize, now you’re on to something.
Think about if a fight sees one boxer gets a $400,000 guarantee, the other,
$350,000, and have them fight over the remaining $250,000, you might just have
something. But getting back to reality, good luck getting managers and fighters
to agree to such a risky set-up. And the way the pay structure is set up in
boxing, your market value correlates with how well you draw (both at the gate
and the Nielsen ratings). So fighters who are true attractions would never agree
to such incentives (nor should they, to be honest with you.)
Again,
while this idea might have some legs to it, I think the real solution is that
better opponents should be chosen by the promoters and then approved by the
network in these instances. Boxers who have a real chance to win and will go in
there with an honest effort (perennial underdogs who always give a solid outing
like Orlando Salido
and Glen Johnson). The only bonus they need is the mere opportunity.
Top Rank
knew what they were getting in Narvaez, a career flyweight who will never be
mixed up for his countryman Marcos Maidana in style or temperament inside that
ring. And HBO didn't exercise enough quality control on the behalf of its
viewing audience. The whole week leading up to that fight worked out perfectly
for Donaire. Thought to be a burgeoning star, he was getting great press,
building buzz and they nearly sold out the building but in the end, it was like
Lucy pulling away the football from Charlie Brown.
A big whiff when it really counted.
Bonuses and the like are great but what's really
needed are boxers to be chosen who don't need such incentives to go out and merely
attempt to survive.
2012
In talking to duBoef a bit on Wednesday night,
right now, with nothing being scheduled at HBO till Ken Hershman joins the fray
in early January, the preliminary plan could be a pay-per-view show featuring
Donaire in February (perhaps in Mexico against
Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. in Mexico with Jorge Arce co-headlining). The goal for Top Rank and Donaire's
manager is to have the “Filipino Flash” fight four times in 2012.
Bottom line: active fighters make better fighters and
ultimately are easier to promote and market.
