The Exploitation of Race in The Business of Boxing
Mark Anthony Howard | Opinions Editor
The sport of Boxing is a sweet science.
Boxing is an art.
Boxing is strategy.
Boxing is a business.
The sport of boxing is both an artistic and scientific strategy of business.
Even in its earliest days of Joe Lewis, boxing has found a way to exploit and capitalize upon the rivalry for superiority between races.
Boxing’s exploitation of the rivalry between Black and Latino men has made the sport and its constituents very rich.
In 2007 pay-per-view created the highest paying fight in history with over 245 million viewers.
Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. came together each to represent their race in the best promotional fight ever recorded.
Since then the two have continued their rivalry between each other as elite boxing promoters.
Mayweather for himself and De La Hoya for other up and coming Latino fighters.
Each year Floyd Mayweather Jr. 44-0 schedules a fight against a “Golden Boy” Latin fighter and makes millions.
Every year the barbershops, workplace, bars and Internet forums go deep into intense debate over “who’s your pick?”
Black or Brown?
Many people hate Mayweather’s arrogant persona, his tasteless boasting, and his playful flaunt of his riches.
But despite these character turnoffs, Floyd “Money” Mayweather is the most Marketable man in boxing.
He is a genius boxer, genius promoter, genius self marketer, and a genius showman.
Across the entire board of his accumulative skill is a genius strategy.
He finds a weakness or an opening, repetitively exploits it, and assertively capitalizes upon it. All the while talking trash and boasting.
This same strategy is what is being applied as marketing strategy.
The rivalry between Black and Latino races is being exploited and capitalized upon.
Floyd Mayweather found an opening in 2007 against a Latin hero at that point has continued to exploit its marketability ever since.
Mayweather, Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy CEO Richard Shaefer’s exploitation of the rivalry between black and brown cultures have
grossed over $700 million in revenues since 2007.
Mayweather alone has made over $145 million in purses alone, not including pay-per-view incentives, advertisement, sponsors and
other network endorsements.
Mayweather and Schaefers exploitive strategy shows no signs of slowing as Mayweather has been guaranteed a record breaking $45 million in his latest fight versus Latino fighter Saul “Canelo” Alvarez on Sept. 14.
Just as boxing, pay-per-view, the Money Team and Golden Boy Promotions have exploited and capitalized on the interracial rivalry between Black and Latino men.
I expected to see Floyd “Money” Mayweather exploit and capitalize on the many weakness of “Canelo” in another decision in “Money’s” favor and perpetuate the lucrative strategy that’s been in place since 2007, so next year around this same time Mayweather and Golden Boy can break more records and make more millions and we can all ask again
“who’s your pick?”
Black or Brown?
I’m going with money every time!
