Fight of the Year Nominations Should be a Statistic

Stop Rewarding Mediocrity they say, "they" are writers like myself who by the way use whatever methods we have available to get the job done. Thousands of fighters show up at the gyms every day, and guess what? only one of them is a Floyd Mayweather or Ray Leonard. The History of "Boxing" is made up of "fights" and many of the unskilled "fighters" create the rich history we the writers boast about and profit from. Brandon Rios aint gonna ( i put it that way because that is the skill level i "have") develop into an elite "boxer",but Robert Garcia as a strategist understood how to coax and guide his pugnaciousness to a degree that it gave us something special. Heart, and combativeness is in the process of devaluation due to my ilk wanting to view themselves as more sophisticated- and to me that's a personal problem. Men who aren't of elite skill level outnumber the Juan Manuel Marquez's of the world, and like the working class they make everything in Boxing go around. Last week there was widespread consternation about Arturo Gatti's Hall of Fame induction, and alot of the blowback was due to his performance against "elite" competition. I would argue that his very presence in fights of that magnitude was proof that he was an important figure in Boxing. I would also say that if your looking for mind blowing statistics to support induction to Canastota the one number to remember is FOUR. Four times Gatti was a participant in a Fight that made you proud enough to tell a non Boxing fan they had to see it. Four Times he came to mind during award season for taking whatever God Gave him and laying it all out there for the world to see. This should be a statistic of relevance, because we live in an age where men more talented than Gatti avoid fights because something special just may break out. Actors aren't just revered for the times they won the Oscar; they're revered for Nominations, the # of times they produced performances that you could not forget-because that industry is in the business of drama. Boxing, like it or not is in the business of Drama and when we are Good it's no coincidence that men like Gatti, Diego Corrales and Rios are always nearby. It is a criminal misdemeanor to nitpick a Fight of the Year Candidate, and like most small crimes we call them what they are..petty and often meaningless. This is a business where the most skilled fighter wont fight the fighter who just may force him to "fight" despite having all of the advantages. Manny Pacquiao is that rare animal who combines both the skill and the dramatic, and Mayweather knows that nobody has beaten him (Yeah i said it @TimBradley) without conduct worthy of FOY. Floyd's elite skill level made Gatti look look like he should be parking cars-but Gatti's relevance as a warrior ( 4 FOY's) is what introduced "Money" to the actual money. Ring Magazine honors the Fights of the Year for a Reason, and we feel honored to see them as they unfold for a reason..because they matter like a no-hitter in baseball. Not only do they matter, in most years when elite fighters avoid one another FOY's and their candidates keep us hanging on to the Sweet Science; they often reaffirm the love affair we have with Boxing. Like i stated earlier in this post, writers want to be "sophisticates" but sometimes we outsmart the room and ourselves. We love talking about elite skill level and "breaking down" like trainers, but we tend to sound like the guy in the strip club marveling over the athleticism and intellect of the girls. When that girl comes off that pole and starts bouncing in your lap the truth (about why you  there) comes out, the same can be said for round one of Israel Vasquez vs. Rafael Marquez. The Truth is statistics can tell lies, legitimize a perception or tell the story about an athletes intestinal fortitude. "You are what your record says you are",which is why many fans are held hostage by unbeaten fighters who market the "0". Boxrec should institute "FOY" as a statistic; it should position right after "drawns" because it serves as a story about who that fighter "is" and a consumer stamp of approval -the # of times a fighter went "beyond". Ring Magazine should gold stamp the new stat and make it a part of a fighters statistical history, if an "elite" can get one FOY under his belt it only adds to his legacy, ask Tommy Hearns. Maybe then in the future skilled fighters wont be wary of facing an opponent who will make them fight; they can earn a "win" and an added FOY to their resume. Remember , statistics are records of "actual occurrences" so a FOY is a part of what actually occurred between two fighters. "Going to the well" should be something to brag about, something you can bank on because it isn't as abstract as a bunch of wins-you gave something tangible to fans and frankly the "RECORD" should reflect this "occurrence"-it shouldn't become a referendum of what a man "isn't".


Gatti for the 2013 Hall of Fame