What is with all the injuries all of a sudden? Chavez Jr, Keith Thurman, etc. It would appear that the limited fighters who make money are getting hurt, and only before fights which were risky. I am not sure if this is a ploy to gain time for ticket sales, or legitimate injuries, but it has made me not want to get excited for any matches. This is boxing, we do not get the same fighter fighting every day or week like baseball or football. We have to go months, sometime years without seeing the action we want. Do us a favor, and fight with a sprained pinky finger. You're being paid more than enough to do so.
Speaking of excited... don't hold your breath for GGG-Canelo or Kovalev-Ward to happen this year, if at all. It seems that the fighters who stand to risk the most are already planning their other options. Ward-Kovalev depends on ward staying active, which is unlikely to happen, if he insists on taking two more fights before Kovalev matchup. that means ward would have to fight 3 times this year, and I do not see that happening. Stevenson has two mandatories in the WBC, both of whom, like Stevenson, are Haymon fighters (Alvarez and Fonfara). Therefore, don't expect Kovalev or Ward to get any Haymon fighters as a consolation.
Speaking of tied-up divisions, will Wladimir Klitschko piss or get off the pot already? It is March... the rematch with Fury should be happening this month, yet there has not even been an announcement. Does he think he is getting younger with time? I was a Klitschko fan, but he already held the division hostage with his skills and lax schedule. Now, he is holding it hostage with his mandated rematch. Joshua, Parker, Martin, Wilder, Fury, Browne.. we'd love to get excited, but it's as if Klitschko is offended by the idea of us enjoying ourselves. Make a move, Wlad, or just retire. I hope for the latter.
Speaking of making a move, I am not a fan of Shawn Porter's decision to have an exhibition this Saturday in lieu of his cancelled fight against Keith Thurman. It is certainly not his fault that the match was cancelled, but now he is taking wear and tar for no money, and giving the fans the impression that the Thurman fight was cancelled, not postponed. It is already fishy that no new date has been given. Careful, Big Al... if you don't make this happen (or an even tougher assignment), no one will ever pay to watch Keith Thurman again.
Chris Strait
www.convictedartist.com
