I’m always very firm in my stance on issues in boxing. There are times when people will make me see the other way and I’m always the first to admit when I’m wrong. On Wednesday night I was roped into watching the Australian heavyweight title fight between ex-Rugby League player John Hopoate and Australian veteran ‘Big’ Bob Mirovic at my local pub by my mates. This fight had a bit of a hype behind it and for some reason was shown on pay per view (thats another issue for another day). What I saw was easily the worst main event I’ve ever seen on a pay per view broadcast, which when I’ve checked the various message boards I lurk around in from time to time is in complete contrast to everyone elses opinion. This has really left me wondering where people set their standards or if it’s just me who thought this fight made Holyfield-Ruiz look like Castillo-Corrales?
The fight basically consisted of Mirovic doing nothing but tying up Hopoate and letting him fight the fight he had to in order to win the fight. Mirovic is usually very good at controlling the center of the ring, yet he was contempt to go to the ropes in this fight and let Hopoate wail away at him with his right hand (note that’s not an exaggeration or anything, Hopoate threw basically nothing but overhand rights until he strung a few punches together at the end and knocked Bob out with a left hook). The few times that Mirovic did back Hopoate up, he made him look very ordinary. I really don’t see where the quality in this fight lay? The action was sporadic at best with Hopoate winging wild right hand after wild right hand and Mirovic doing nothing but holding and throwing shots in the clinch. Yet both commentators labelled the fight as ‘the best heavyweight fight in the last 10 years.’ Yet you only have to go back to the Nathan Briggs vs Colin Wilson bout last Friday to find a better heavyweight scrap.
My theory on the whole thing is that Australian boxing promoters are trying to attract more fans from Rugby League. Thats why John Hopoate and Solomon Haumono have headlined pay per view events. Thats why that moron Andy Raymond who’s a Rugby League commentator with as much boxing knowledge as my left toe always commentates Australian Boxing outside of the Mundine shows. Thats why these so called experts are always talking up the Rugby League players and not rating them purely on their ability (or lack thereof) and their fights. Thats why we have people who don’t deserve to be on top flight professional cards like Lance Thompson end up as co main events on pay per view cards.
It seems boxing can’t survive as a proper sport in this country without having to resort to attracting the average moron from Rugby League as a fan. I find it completely insulting that hardworking top flight Australian boxers are looked over in favour of rugby league fans. If boxing in Australia is going to survive it needs to be because of the sport itself. There are plenty of good fighters out there, there just isn’t enough exposure to them. Boxing needs free to air coverage for domestic cards like there is in other countries and it needs it’s journalists to grow some balls and say it how it is. They need to bag Mundine when he fights a bum and they need to say Hopoate’s fight was shit when it was shit.
Nazi Josef Goebbels said ‘the bigger the lie the mroe people will believe it.’ That line fits this situation well here. The pay per view in Australian domestic boxing has to stop. When Mundine fights you get idiots like Barry Michael talking up this average Argentinian who got gifted a shot at the World title as a legitimate contender and the public soaks it up. When Hopoate and Mirovic wrestle for 9 and a half rounds and do a bit of boxing on the side you get Paul Upham and Fuck Face Andy Raymond saying it was the greatest heavyweight fight in recent memory. If people are going to to take boxing seriously they need to sell boxing for the boxing and not for the sideshow. They need to get some proper experts who aren’t going to suck the promoters cock like Andy Raymond as commentators and they need to put boxing back on free to air. And most importantly, they need to stop showing garbage like Mirovic vs Hopoate on pay per view and then try and convince the public it was a great fight!
