In what to most boxing fans was a routine defence of his IBF belt, Anthony Joshua stopped Eric Molina in round 3 of their fight. In contrast to the absolute barnstormer that preceded it in Dereck Whyte vs Dillian Whyte, Joshua vs Molina was one sided and somewhat embarrassing as the so-called main event. The Manchester Arena was likely mostly populated with Joshua fans who otherwise take little interest in boxing and besides Joshua, may not even follow other boxers. Nevertheless, they buy tickets, PPVs and therefore make boxing a more marketable sport.
As a boxing fan, I recognise the need for said fans to make boxing a commercially viable sport. But this group of casual fans (typically known as the ‘casuals’ within boxing circles) are responsible for fights like Joshua vs Molina not receiving the disdain it should do. It’s yet another hollow defence by Joshua against a fighter who didn’t represent a credible challenge (amidst the already slim pickings of credible heavyweight fighters that could be deemed as world class).
A deal to fight Wladimir Klitschko, a former champion until he lost his belts to Tyson Fury in 2015, seemed to be on the verge of being signed for Joshua. Based on Klitschko’s performance against Fury, it’s clear that Joshua’s team were banking on Father Time having called on Klitschko. Indeed, he represented less of a risk than he would have prior to taking the L at the hands of Fury. Nonetheless, Klitschko was still a live opponent and respected name in boxing circles.
The story of that fight wasn’t written before either fighter had stepped in the ring and Joshua and his team knew that. Conversely, possibly with exception of his fight against Dillian Whyte, every one of Joshua’s opponents to date have been against handpicked fighters that were selected to pad Joshua’s record and protect his ‘0’. Hence the fight with Molina continuing that trend.
I’ve gone on record as saying that I think Joshua is a good prospect. Although the more he fights lacklustre opponents, the less likely he is of fulfilling that and the more likely he is of being exposed when he finally meets a bonafide contender.
Returning to Joshua’s actual fights, why hasn’t he received the opprobrium that was eventually met by his fellow Team GB boxing gold medal alumnus, Audley Harrison? By this point in his career, Harrison was getting booed out of the arena after every fight while Joshua seems to have staved off any criticism. Harrison too fought opponents that presented no risk but Joshua, to his credit, gets his opponents out quicker and in more impressive fashion than the borefests that Harrison’s fights descended into. Joshua also has the hype machine of Sky Sports and promoter Eddie Hearn behind him that could convince the casuals that a fight against a wet paper bag was a potential banana skin for Joshua en route to unification fights.
Herein lies the problems with the casuals. They provide demand and acceptance for fights that shouldn’t be accepted and aren’t good for the sport. They will happily part with their cash to pay for a Joshua PPV that actual boxing fans will scorn because we know how poor a match-up it is. Yet without their support, the sport of boxing arguably wouldn’t be as commercially healthy as it is now.
Boxing is flying high. Eddie Hearn has taken it as close as it’s been to the levels it experienced when it was a regular feature of Saturday night terrestrial television and boxers were household names. The heavyweight champions of the world were recognisable and transcended boxing even with sections of the public that didn’t like the sport. Despite David Haye’s popularity, not since Lennox Lewis has a heavyweight champion been so recognisable outside of the sport as Anthony Joshua is today. That is no bad thing for Joshua or the sport and we have to attribute it at least in part to the casuals.
There’s no doubt that there are some annoying casuals. With their sycophantic yearning of Eddie Hearn to retweet and repost their photos of their tickets for Matchroom Boxing events or photos of their televisions showing they’ve ordered the PPV, they’re an irksome nuisance on my timeline. On the other hand, some casuals are just casual fans who while not having more than a superficial interest in the sport, want to enjoy a night of boxing without having to pledge their allegiance as hardcore fans. And we shouldn’t lambaste them for it either.
I’m undoubtedly a casual fan to some sports where I just don’t have the same level of interest as I do in boxing and other sports that I actively follow. I’m happy to be a casual in other sports in that regard and I don’t claim my interest to be anything beyond that.
The casuals aren’t going anywhere as long as there are promoters and broadcasters that realise that boxing is a business and not just a sport. The casuals are what make boxing a viable business and they’re needed unless we want boxing to become a fringe sport. When you look at the job that Dana White has done with UFC, you realise that many of their fans are really fans of the atmosphere generated by their events and of big name marque fighters rather than being a concentration of hardcore MMA fans.
Even watching McGregor’s recent WWE-esque theatrics at the presser for UFC 205 shows that McGregor, clearly an astute businessman, realises how to maximise his audience and fanbase to include MMA casuals. And while I don’t want boxing to descend into that, it’s the direction it’s going in with fighters like Dereck Chisora already looking to up the ante on UFC.
Promoters need to acknowledge that while the casuals form part of boxing’s fanbase, there is no credibility without the hardcores. Not catering to core fans will cause the sport to relinquish its credibility as fans become disillusioned. The casuals often can’t see past the mesomorphic build and effortless KOs (because of the lack of quality opposition) of a Joshua or the snapchat videos of high workrate working the bag (which tells us little as the heavy bag can’t hit back) of a Eubank Jr. And that attraction has little validity upon which to determine who the stars of the sport should be let alone how they should be perceived.
We need the casuals in boxing and we should make them welcome without allowing their presence to influence what isn’t right for the sport. Boxing is a business. But after all, it’s still the hurt business.
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A deal to fight Wladimir Klitschko, a former champion until he lost his belts to Tyson Fury in 2015, seemed to be on the verge of being signed for Joshua. Based on Klitschko’s performance against Fury, it’s clear that Joshua’s team were banking on Father Time having called on Klitschko. Indeed, he represented less of a risk than he would have prior to taking the L at the hands of Fury. Nonetheless, Klitschko was still a live opponent and respected name in boxing circles.
The story of that fight wasn’t written before either fighter had stepped in the ring and Joshua and his team knew that. Conversely, possibly with exception of his fight against Dillian Whyte, every one of Joshua’s opponents to date have been against handpicked fighters that were selected to pad Joshua’s record and protect his ‘0’. Hence the fight with Molina continuing that trend.
I’ve gone on record as saying that I think Joshua is a good prospect. Although the more he fights lacklustre opponents, the less likely he is of fulfilling that and the more likely he is of being exposed when he finally meets a bonafide contender.
Returning to Joshua’s actual fights, why hasn’t he received the opprobrium that was eventually met by his fellow Team GB boxing gold medal alumnus, Audley Harrison? By this point in his career, Harrison was getting booed out of the arena after every fight while Joshua seems to have staved off any criticism. Harrison too fought opponents that presented no risk but Joshua, to his credit, gets his opponents out quicker and in more impressive fashion than the borefests that Harrison’s fights descended into. Joshua also has the hype machine of Sky Sports and promoter Eddie Hearn behind him that could convince the casuals that a fight against a wet paper bag was a potential banana skin for Joshua en route to unification fights.
Herein lies the problems with the casuals. They provide demand and acceptance for fights that shouldn’t be accepted and aren’t good for the sport. They will happily part with their cash to pay for a Joshua PPV that actual boxing fans will scorn because we know how poor a match-up it is. Yet without their support, the sport of boxing arguably wouldn’t be as commercially healthy as it is now.
Boxing is flying high. Eddie Hearn has taken it as close as it’s been to the levels it experienced when it was a regular feature of Saturday night terrestrial television and boxers were household names. The heavyweight champions of the world were recognisable and transcended boxing even with sections of the public that didn’t like the sport. Despite David Haye’s popularity, not since Lennox Lewis has a heavyweight champion been so recognisable outside of the sport as Anthony Joshua is today. That is no bad thing for Joshua or the sport and we have to attribute it at least in part to the casuals.
There’s no doubt that there are some annoying casuals. With their sycophantic yearning of Eddie Hearn to retweet and repost their photos of their tickets for Matchroom Boxing events or photos of their televisions showing they’ve ordered the PPV, they’re an irksome nuisance on my timeline. On the other hand, some casuals are just casual fans who while not having more than a superficial interest in the sport, want to enjoy a night of boxing without having to pledge their allegiance as hardcore fans. And we shouldn’t lambaste them for it either.
I’m undoubtedly a casual fan to some sports where I just don’t have the same level of interest as I do in boxing and other sports that I actively follow. I’m happy to be a casual in other sports in that regard and I don’t claim my interest to be anything beyond that.
The casuals aren’t going anywhere as long as there are promoters and broadcasters that realise that boxing is a business and not just a sport. The casuals are what make boxing a viable business and they’re needed unless we want boxing to become a fringe sport. When you look at the job that Dana White has done with UFC, you realise that many of their fans are really fans of the atmosphere generated by their events and of big name marque fighters rather than being a concentration of hardcore MMA fans.
Even watching McGregor’s recent WWE-esque theatrics at the presser for UFC 205 shows that McGregor, clearly an astute businessman, realises how to maximise his audience and fanbase to include MMA casuals. And while I don’t want boxing to descend into that, it’s the direction it’s going in with fighters like Dereck Chisora already looking to up the ante on UFC.
Promoters need to acknowledge that while the casuals form part of boxing’s fanbase, there is no credibility without the hardcores. Not catering to core fans will cause the sport to relinquish its credibility as fans become disillusioned. The casuals often can’t see past the mesomorphic build and effortless KOs (because of the lack of quality opposition) of a Joshua or the snapchat videos of high workrate working the bag (which tells us little as the heavy bag can’t hit back) of a Eubank Jr. And that attraction has little validity upon which to determine who the stars of the sport should be let alone how they should be perceived.
We need the casuals in boxing and we should make them welcome without allowing their presence to influence what isn’t right for the sport. Boxing is a business. But after all, it’s still the hurt business.
