Alright, where do I even start? Boxing media today is like a hot mess dipped in clickbait sauce — and not the good kind like your grandma’s secret gravy, but more like the questionable stuff you find at the back of the fridge, ya know? It’s like every time I glance at an article, it’s all affiliate links and PR fluff. “The best shape of his life” — yeah right, tell me something real for once. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the bigwigs who’ve handed the reins over to people who probably should be nowhere near editing, like that Turki Alalshikh dude at Ring Magazine. I mean, when your publication’s owned by a regime accused of, well… let’s just say they’re not winning any awards for free speech, maybe hit pause and rethink things, right?
I thought, okay, let’s hear from some actual folks in the biz. So, I reached out to some folks, and I was kinda surprised. Jake Donovan from Boxingscene, he was all about how cash is corrupting everything (shocker, not!). It’s like one big game of musical chairs but with money — align with the rich kids on the block or get left out in the cold. And it’s a cold world out there if you’re standing solo, lemme tell ya.
Some folks, anonymity intact, pointed out the glaring issues without pointing fingers. Journalism? Psh. Nowadays, it seems like unless ya cozy up to promoters and certain “interested parties,” you’re gonna find yourself eating ramen for dinner every night. Tough scene, indeed. Another fave was Gordon Marino, who simply yearns for more realness — less drama, more technique breakdowns. Yeah, the “sweet science” deserves better than a sideshow.
Then you got the clueless squad, as one veteran put it. These writers, man, they’re just in it for the scoops without knowing squat about the sport’s history or its heroes. Makes me wonder, are they fans or just jumping on a trend because it’s, I dunno, safe? Proximity is power, sure, but when did journalism lose its grit?
Donovan also mentioned how breaking news is king now. Everyone’s racing to announce the latest fight, but when it comes to digging into boxing’s darker side — nah, that’s “unfavorable.” How did we reach a point where being neutral or even fact-based feels almost rebellious? Ain’t that a riot?
Then this one anonymous writer threw down a rather spicy take. They reckon too many boxing media peeps are scared witless. It’s like trying to push a marshmallow through a keyhole, these guys just won’t budge. And haha, one of them actually gave a shout-out to a guy named Paul for having the guts to ruffle a few feathers. Props, buddy!
And finally, gotta mention Mario Salomone from Italy. He spoke about how some folks, when they get things wrong, try to do mental gymnastics worthy of an Olympic gold medal to deny it. Ego, man — it’ll get ya every time.
So here’s the million-dollar question: How do we fix this? I mean, let’s be real, boxing journalism has always been a tad messy, kinda like my room back when I was 15. Cliff Rold basically said, “This is how it is, always has been.” But in an ideal world, maybe we could work without strings attached. Maybe journos could say what needs to be said without worrying about backlash. A pipe dream? Maybe. But hey, one can dream, right?
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