Boxing Isn’t Dead, but Newspaper & TV News Editors Are Trying to Kill It

Boxing is not dead. In fact it’s a powerful force that just can’t be killed.

Boxing fanatics that ignored that exhibition in Las Vegas and attended the WBO super welterweight title fight between Miguel Cotto and Yoshihiro Kamegai starkly provided the strongest example of boxing’s strength on Saturday.

A sold out crowd of more than 7400 fans spilled into the StubHub Center tennis stadium that seats 8,000 to watch a real boxing match take place on the Golden Boy Promotions fight card.

Despite every television news station and major newspaper putting nearly 100 percent of their focus on the Floyd Mayweather debacle, the boxing card in Carson still sold out.

What does that tell you?

First, it proves the power of newspapers and television does not matter. Boxing fans have become accustomed to not getting relevant boxing information from the LA Times, the Orange County Register or their affiliates. And television is even worse. Not even the Spanish language newspaper and television networks are helpful for boxing followers.

Hopefully promoters like Golden Boy, Top Rank, and others are marking it in their memory banks.

Instead of kowtowing to the LA Times, ESPN.com, USA Today, Associated Press, NY Daily News, Yahoo.com or any of them, remember who brought those fans to the StubHub. Those same reporters were at the Cotto-Kamegai fight card. They are the real power behind the sport now.

Do you need another example?

When Riverside’s Josesito Lopez fought Argentina’s Marcos Maidana in June 2013 it was during the same night as a UFC fight card. Those same newspapers and television reporters that recently ignored the StubHub show focused only on that MMA Las Vegas card that night too. The LA Times did no stories on the fight, but the Lopez-Maidana fight sold out. At the time, Maidana was not a big name. He couldn’t draw on his own. Lopez brought most of the fans from the Inland Empire based on coverage from writers in that area and the various boxing web sites from around Southern California.

Sports Editor Ignorance

 Southern California is the power base now for boxing. And it’s not due to the newspapers any more. Their participation has been impotent for more than 10 years now mainly because of editors that know nothing about boxing. They believe boxing is dead and that MMA is bigger. It’s due to ignorance of Latino culture, pure and simple.

Almost 95 percent of the editors are Anglo and not aware that boxing is a large part of Latinos here in the US. There are more than 100 boxing gyms in Southern California alone.

In regards to Spanish language newspapers, they are even worse. They think Latinos only want to read about soccer. You have editors from other Latin American countries who don’t realize that boxing is huge here in the U.S. for Latinos.

La Opinion, La Prensa, Excelsior and other Spanish newspapers are inundated with soccer because of a few really culturally ignorant editors. They grew up in other countries so they think they know Latino culture better than anyone. But it’s not the same. Latinos who grow up in the US are part of American culture and like Major League Baseball, NBA, NHL and other sports. Boxing is one thing that all Latinos share, even across the border. Soccer not as much.

Hopefully the major boxing promoters have learned a valuable lesson from this past Saturday when the Cotto-Kamegai fight card held its own with Mayweather-McGregor.

Newspapers and television do not focus on boxing. Blame it on the editors. Or better yet, ignore them. You don’t need them.

Belasco Fights

 It’s last-minute but a Golden Boy Promotions fight card at the downtown venue Belasco Theater will take place this Friday on Sept. 1.

The main event features L.A.’s Manny Robles Jr. (13-0) in an eight round featherweight clash with Jose Estrella (18-12-1) a veteran of 31 bouts out of Tijuana, Mexico. It should prove a good contest.

Cesar Diaz (5-0) fights Antonio Rodriguez (11-18-1) in a six round super bantamweight matchup.

Many of the top prospects have recently fought at the very popular venue in downtown L.A. it’s become a regular boxing scene the past two years.

Doors open at 5 p.m. For more information call (213) 746-5670.

Bonaventure Hotel fights

 On Saturday, the trendy Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown L.A. is the site of a large boxing card that features a clash for the vacant California super featherweight title between Ricardo Cuellar (5-0) and Luis Rosales (5-1-1).

All Star Boxing is bringing the fight event that will also feature female prospects Adelaida “La Cobrita” Ruiz (1-0) versus Haley Pasion (1-1) in a super featherweight match.

The Southern California boxing promoter has showcased some of the best fighters of the past 20 years including Murat Gassiev, Mariana Juarez and many others.

Doors open at 6 p.m. For more information call (323) 816-6200.

Check out more boxing news and features at The Boxing Channel.

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