Bring Hip-Hop back to Boxing...?



OK so tomorrow night, Zab Judah and Floyd Mayweather square off in Las Vegas LIVE on PPV. The thing that seems odd about this is the overwhelmingly fake Hip-Hop sidebar that is following this fight. This article by the AP talks about how the promoters (Don King & Bob Arum) are trying to work the Hip-Hop angle on this fight very hard. Not only are they trying to basically drum up new, young Black males to watch the fight, they are making some fucking OUTLANDISH comments... Don King christening himself the "godfather of Hip-Hop"?

The thing that's bugging me about this is that the only guys I know who watch fights are Black or Brown. Hip-Hop never left boxing! Aside from the commentators and the rich cats in the stands, I'm not familiar with too many White fight fans. Not that they are nonexistent, but they they don't seem to be as bountiful as Brown skinned fans. The key to understanding their stance in promotion is the young aspect. That's why they have
wack interviews posted up on prominent websites. That's why every article on this fight mentions Jay-Z being at ringside, and which fighter is saying they are going to knock the other out in front of Jay. Does Jay need that fucking light? He can buy and sell those niggas 4 times a round. Let's be serious. Also, who gives a fuck if either of these guys has a record label in the works? What the fuck do they honestly know aside from investing that "hard-earned" money.

The problem with professional boxing these days is the fact that, in all fairness, arguably 60% of the major fights are fucking dull. I don't buy pay-per-view fights, because the last time I did, Roy Jones looked like a drunken puppet out there fighting John Ruiz. There are no Tysons. No Holyfields. No classic superstars, no supreme athletes. We have 3 separate boxing leagues with a handful of great fighters, no truly dominant heavyweights... and the fact that the ESPN Friday Night Fights are better than most PPV cards! Not to mention that no matter how many times Mayweather whups on someone, he never fights anyone who is truly his equal... this fight is his closest to being equally matched in a long time.

Who knows, though... this "Hip-Hop audience" jazz might work. MTV force feeds garbage down teenage throats and makes them think its the freshest, dopest new shit. Why not force feed some garbage boxers the same way? I'll tell you one thing , though: I won't be buying it.

For the record: I think the smart money is on Mayweather. He is a premier fighter who needs one big break... I just don't applaud the way they are going about it. Especially when he says he isn't about the money, but about the victory, and then in the next breath he is making comments like "That's why we work so hard. The entertainment and sports business are the same it's all about selling tickets; it's all about selling that arena out and having that adrenaline rush." Say whaaa?

Give me Ali fighting multiple times a year, not some "Pretty Boy" who can't even take a serious contender to task. To whomever watches this, I hope you get your money's worth. I really do. If not, Mayweather can say "peace" to that HBO shit FORREAL. He basically needs this fight to solidify the hype and mythos surrounding him for the last number of years. Zab shouldn't worry though, he can be in the next Mobb Deep video, even though they are betting against him.
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