Despite one of the most terrible and worrying knockout blows landed on Nate Robinson, a vlogger who caused outrage went unpunished – typical boxing.
Firstly, once the most envied of sports, boxing is now damaged. Possibly beyond repair. That’s the cold-hard truth that needs addressing in some form over the next few years.
As the United States entered a new dawn, pugilism could do with a similar freshening up as its reputation continues to hit the skids.
At the forefront of keeping professional boxing and Pay Per View events solely for those who deserve it, World Boxing News fears what will come next.
This week, a press release came through the usual channels. It pointed to a vlogger headlining a boxing event as if he’s a professional – a respected fighter.
Let this be abundantly clear – he is not.
The YouTube presenter in question may be top of the bill, and once again not going anywhere near a boxer with any real skill, but he’s far from a talented fighter.
We must make this apparent to those who will be paying good money to watch him degrade the sport entirely.
Part of the release, which WBN received on Wednesday, read as if the person in question was defending a world title.
“Triller’s Fight Club announced today that (said YouTuber) will return to the ring following the record-setting PPV event (Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr.) produced by Fight Club’s Ryan Kavanaugh and Bobby Sarnevesht.
“Tyson vs. Jones shattered all digital fight PPV records. It became the 8th most successful Fight PPV in history.”
Now, there’s the first mistake. Leading readers to assume the YouTuber had anything to do with the Pay Per View figures. He did not.
If he weren’t on the bill, Mike Tyson’s return would still have generated massive numbers.
Despite this fact, the YouTuber is handed the same spotlight as Tyson. It all begs the question of whether this might have been the plan all along.
Taking advantage of boxing to capitalize on someone’s social media followers is entirely wrong. But sadly, it’s now a part of the sport.
It merely doesn’t matter what kind of skills you have. You can make millions of dollars facing another celebrity – of even lesser talent. Subsequently, score a knockout shockingly and come back for more with a reward. What?
An incredible situation we have reached with this novelty.
Knowing full well what he’s doing, the YouTuber admitted in with his quote.
“Hate me or love me, you can’t stop me. I headline a global PPV event, and I am getting my third knock-out in a row.
“I look to prove to the world that I am and I will remain one of the biggest names in this sport.
“Thank you to Triller, Bobby, Ryan, and Snoop for allowing me to showcase my talent to the world.
“Given their leadership, I know the visuals, performances, and production value on this show will be unlike anything anyone has seen. Together, we will continue to break records!”
Now, unless there’s a significant boxing presence on this card, let’s be honest that he doesn’t stand a chance of breaking any records.
Triller will know this and will have cautioned accordingly.
That’s why Snoop Dogg is on hand to oversee proceedings, also why high-profile musical acts and legends of the sport have to run alongside.
If this guy were fighting on an average bill and doing what everyday boxers had to do, he’d be like a bum squeak in the wind.
No skill usually equals no ticket sales in the real world.
Triller has planned for this and hired an ‘expert’ events organizer.
“Snoop Dogg, Ryan Kavanaugh, and Triller are partners and co-founders of “The Fight Club.”
“In addition to being a co-owner, Snoop also provides strategic counsel to The Fight Club. He is helping to select fighters and musical acts for the show-stopping events.
“An entertainment expert who has successfully maneuvered through a range of projects in a variety of different fields, Snoop secured his spot as a fan favorite during Triller’s first sporting event, Tyson vs. Jones.
NATE ROBINSON
Using their announcement to big up his last knockout over Nate Robinson, which was despicable and should certainly have been accompanied by an investigation into sanctioning the fight, the money-making opportunity was made entirely apparent.
Unbelievably, the victory came with a ‘breakout athlete of the night’ moniker from Triller, who must have been watching another fight as Robinson lay prone and in trouble on the canvas.
“Our efforts for the Tyson vs. Jones event proved that Triller is capable of hosting high-quality, culture-changing sporting events.
“We listened to the more than 30 million fans. They have expressed interest in watching (said YouTuber) fight again,” said Ryan Kavanaugh, Principal of Proxima, co-founder of “The Fight Club” that hosts the show.
Thirty million fans? – I’m sure the actual sales of the event were just over one million. If this gets thirty million sales, that statement would be remotely accurate.
It won’t. That’s a certainty.
Bobby Sarnevesht, Executive Chairman of Triller – added: “After the success of the last event, I gave Ryan no choice but to expand his vision further.
“Say what you want, but Ryan gets content unlike anyone else I’ve ever met.”
Discussing a boxer’s headlining with no skill and taking advantage of his fanbase by competing in the only sport (and scoring shocking knockout wins over Nate Robinson) that allows this kind of thing is quite incredible.
Dumbfounding too.
Furthermore, let’s call it what it is. It’s a celebrity exhibition.
How did we come to this?
World Boxing News has had over one billion views since its inception in 2010. Follow us on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
