Boxing Fans Must Protect The Fighters They Love

Boxing Fans Must Protect The Fighters They Love

By Jonny Rashman

“A fighter doesn’t owe it to us to die, this isn’t about living to fight another day. It’s about living another day with your faculties.”

American Boxing Promoter Lou DiBella expressed these words in a recent interview.

The sport of boxing has captivated us since ancient Greece, a clear notion of two men fighting, until one or either could no longer continue, was what the sport was predicated on.

Although the safety aspect of modern day boxing is light years ahead of where it previously was, the dangers of the sport are just as evident.

Fighting is engrained in the human psyche, like a factory setting in the brain. For some it’s buried deep inside, for others it’s at the very surface of their being.

“Blood is just red sweat” is a quote that epitomises the brutality of the sport we all revere.

The tragic recent deaths of professional fighters Maxim Dadeshev and Hugo Santillan once again highlighted the perilous risks fighters encounter inside of the ring.

After watching the haunting image of trainer Buddy McGirt pleading with a disorientated Dadeshev to end his fight against Subriel Matias, a dose of reality sunk into my consciousness. As boxing fans, we need to ask ourselves the question, how can we protect the fighters we love?

You’ve heard it said many times “a fight will only happen if the fans demand it.”

Ultimately, it’s the fans who are judge, jury and executioner in a boxer’s career.

Although supporters may not be able to help inside of the ring, a significant impact can be made outside of it.

Fans’ opinions on a fighter has a ripple effect, careers are forged by the reputations bestowed on them, negative or positive. It only takes one punch or a cracked rib, to turn a hero to a villain and a warrior to a coward. This narrative can be changed.

Denigrating a fighter who decides they no longer want to take a sustained beating or compete against an opponent two weight classes above doesn’t have to be the norm.

Take Kell Brook for example, a man who has proved his willingness to share the ring with the best fighters of his era. After providing two thrilling fights against the feared Gennady Golovkin and Errol Spence, sustaining a broken eye socket in both contests. He was labelled “a quitter, a man with no heart,” all because he could no longer physically take anymore punishment from two of the most hellacious punching fighters out there.

Miguel Cotto was also tarnished with the same brush in his first bout with Antonio Margarito. After 11 rounds of pulsating action in a fight of the year contender, through sheer physical and mental exhaustion, Cotto, with horrifying facial injuries, took a knee and could no longer continue.

This would plague the Puerto Rican star’s reputation, until the realisation that the man in the opposing corner had serious history with making the sport even more dangerous.

Fans are so quick to judge a man’s path they have never crossed. How many people can truly identify with an 8-ounce boxing glove crushing against their fractured eye socket, with every blow increasing the risk of permanent blindness?

Does the pressure of keeping an image intact, force fighters to prolong a contest they should end? Retiring on a stool and continuing for a few more rounds could be the difference between life and death.

I’m not saying for opinions to be void or not to criticise a boxer who promised to bring war to a contest only to forget his ammunition. There’s a stark difference in a fighter deliberately quitting than physically not being able to continue. The Khan vs Crawford fight is a perfect example of a man seemingly intentionally looking for a way out.

What must change is the fickle nature a boxing supporter decides his favourite fighter is no longer worth supporting, because of one punch or an off night. The unconditional support other sport stars and teams receives from their fans can be transferred to the boxing arena.

How many Anthony Joshua followers were staunch advocates of the Brit on the morning of June 1st only to confine him to the scrapyard after his loss to Andy Ruiz Jnr?

Boxing fans have become spoilt to a degree. If a Gatti vs Ward isn’t contested every week, automatically the fight is deemed as boring. Our thirst for blood has taken over rational thinking.

Social Media has brought us closer, yet further away from our heroes. The next time a combatant decides they can no longer absorb a right hand pounding against their broken jaw, think twice before abusing them.

If a loss or two occurs, continue to support your favourite fighters. Old Trafford, Anfield and St James’s Park is always packed, win, lose or draw. Let’s bring the same ethos to professional boxing.

To successfully navigate through a professional prize fighting career with your faculties in place and money in the bank, is like solving an endless Rubik’s Cube. Luck, chance and circumstance all play a major role.

Granted, It’s the promoter and trainer’s job to ensure this is successfully achieved. However, fans play a more pivotal role in the boxing landscape than what may be perceived.