Yo Rocky - From the Archives

“Men with Tyson’s personality traits are often unable to project the consequences of their actions or even learn from them.” Courtesy of PschologyofSports: Iron Mike Tyson.

Scholarships are not handed out for boxing superiority as they are for football or basketball. The boxing ring is still one of the few places a poor kid can use as a launching pad out of the ghetto and poverty. In every metropolitan area of America, they pound the bags in the local P.A.L. gym. They work and dream the “Rocky” dream. They dream about beating the odds and becoming a world champion. They dream about the money, the fame, and the adulation. They listen to those promoters who want to make a buck off their broken bones, and broken noses. No one has told them about the broken lives, and dreams that line the halls of boxing-dom. No one has told them that they will sacrifice their future for a quick and elusive buck that will go into someone else’s pocket. But they dare to dream, and when you are living in poverty, when your greatest accomplishment is making the next rent payment, then the promise of a better life, of a star’s life is much too tempting to turn away from.

Legislation may help the fight game’s image.

Since World War II boxing has continued amid corruption, chaos, and controversy. Pay Per View fees, the confusing and varied standards used by the three “sanctioned organizations” the IBF, WBC and WBA, leave most fight fans scratching their heads at the lunacy of it all. Each organization with its own set of fighters and titles. Each claiming the champion in each weight classification. There are seventeen, count them, seventeen distinct weight classifications.

Recently, Senator John McCain held hearings on boxing reform. There is little doubt any change would be a change for the better. The key to creating a climate of legitimacy in boxing is the creation of a national governing body. Let’s start by installing a boxing commissioner, and making sweeping reforms. The fight business needs to organize into a boxing "league" with standard guidelines. These changes would go a long way towards cleaning up the boxing world’s dysfunctional act.

Financial scandals, injuries, deaths and the exploitation of the lower-class fighters by greedy self-proclaimed promoters have boxing on the ropes. The recent deplorable actions by Mike Tyson have left the fight fan agonizing over the sport’s questionable decisions and dubious self-regulation. Yet, the sport continues to attract large audiences and deep pocket investors.

Is there another great man out there waiting to inspire the “lost fight fan?”

The great American fighters, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Sugar Ray Leonard elicit admiration and fascination. Unfortunately, too many of today’s fighters elicit disgust, controversy, and sorrow.

Felix Trinidad, Shane Mosley, Roy Jones, Virgil Hill are all fine fighters, but they don’t yet inspire awe, and only time will tell if they will make their mark in boxing history.

But who will make his mark in the heart and soul of the boxing fan?

Yo, Rocky, where are you?

By Ivette Ricco