Tough guys

Boxing is a brutal sport. That much is undeniable. The fighters, like gladiators, don protective gear that hardly protects them from the ravages of bones and brains battered by the blows of a professional boxer’s powerful fist.

That may be the sport’s appeal to its fans. It’s the kind of rough treatment that is best relegated to the realm of fantasy, the adrenaline rushof those injuries are more romantic when they are witnessed rather than experienced firsthand.

I would suppose that kind of strength and violence would give boxers a sort of higher ethical standard. That the ability to strike another human being in the context of their sport would mean a duty to be gentler, kinder in real life.

It’s up to the organizations that govern these players to enforce a set of ethics. But it’s also on the fans to decide what’s important—it’s their money, after all, that funds it, through tickets, TV and web tune-ins, and by supporting swag and sponsorships.

With his win on Saturday night, Floyd Mayweather has become the world’s top-paid athlete, out-earning basketball’s LeBron James, golf’s Tiger Woods, tennis’ Roger Federer and American football’s Matt Ryan combined in nonendorsement- based income and winnings. In one night, he made $180 million.

Not since the peak of Mike Tyson’s career has a boxer seen so much mainstream attention. Not since Tyson has this attention been so nauseating.

Shortly before his boxing career exploded, Tyson was charged and convicted of rape. He spent six years in prison.

Mayweather’s reputation for being an unbeatable boxer was established long before his reputation for beating women.

Last Saturday’s welterweight championship match in Las Vegas was labelled the “fight of the century,” and only slightly overshadowed by the fact that the American Mayweather had been charged with, and on two occasions convicted of assault. Each time it was against a woman. Mostly, media focused on Mayweather’s largesse, how the world’s richest athlete spent his cash.

Even one female sports reporter, criticizing the hype over someone committing domestic violence, supposed she wouldn’t have thought twice about it, had it not been for Ray Rice, who received far less heat for assaulting his wife than the NFL did for ignoring it.

Two well-respected female reporters, who had previously criticized Mayweather and the World Boxing Organization, allege their credentials were turned down by Mayweather’s camp. The team denied it. Nothing happened.

Sunday morning was full of headlines of the fight. Mayweather won, Mayweather is the undefeated champion, Mayweather is obscenely wealthy. His violence outside the ring was a nonissue.

You don’t need to care about boxing, or even sports, to be nauseated by this. But if you do care, if you do buy into these sports for the fantasy and the violence and the glory, think first. We live in a capitalist democracy, and vote with our money. When we glorify men like Tyson and Mayweather and reward their wins, we lose. Next time you enjoy sports, buy ethically.

mihal@mihalzada.com