Boxing fatalities and economics: determination or deathwish?

July 6, 9:21 PMHouston Boxing ExaminerMarv Dumon

Previous Next

4 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Houston Boxing Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

The vast majority of Americans either keyboard patter away inside office cubicles or work as hourly laborers.  In an article on MSNBC, fewer than half of Americans are satisfied with their jobs.  With young workers under the age of 25, less than 39 percent are satisfied with their jobs.  And in a survey by CareerBuilder.com, more than four out of five U.S. workers do not have their dream jobs. 

Most people hate their jobs

We surmise that most boxers - who enter the ring on their own free will, and without external pressure to do so - pursue prize fighting as a passion.  In pursuit of this calling, with traditions that extend far back to the Ancient Greeks and Romans, boxers are not defined by the statistics of ordinary workers and professionals, most of whom are dissatisfied with their line of work.  People watch tons of television and movies, and the Hollywood alternative reality contributes to a feeling of not "being in prime action" when fixing plumbing leaks for a living, or invoicing a third-party provider, or selling shoes to a customer at a retail shop.  Afterall, these are not the action items of Brad Pitt or Bruce Willis on the movie screen.

Unfortunately, by pursuing their boxing passions the economics do not always work out for prize fighters.  Try your luck with the lottery instead of risking body and brain injuries if money is the biggest motivator.  Today, only two fighters (Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather) can currently demand at least a $15 million guarantee purse, prior to the endorsement and sponsorship deals which adds millions of dollars more to the total pot.  Of course, at this level, pay-per-view shares can also provide added incentives.  Uncle Sam takes his cut at the maximum tax rate of 39%, but that's another matter. 

People want what they don't understand - like wanting to marry a sexy girl prior to knowing that she's been "around the block".  Ah, perception, perception.  Most uphold an investment banker in high esteem, more so than say an entrepreneur with a successful bakery.  "So all you do is peddle bread."  They might not understand all the details behind closed doors.  That an investment banker may actually be a mere hourly worker, considering all the hours they put in at the office.  Burger flipper dude may make about the same amount of money than cocaine-snorting banker a-hole.  Investment Banker Salaries Vs. McDonald’s: Hourly Pay  Out with Disneyland.  Welcome to life on Earth at ground zero.

Outside of the fairytale scenario, we are forced to confront harsh reality.  Hobby jobs often do not pay the most amount of money, relative to a "regular job." 

Boxing as a goal in life

If a high school senior told his guidance counselor that he wants to become a boxing champion when "he grows up," chances are he'll get blatantly laughed at, or laughed at behind his back.  The more ambitious the goal, the more the mockery of that goal.  "Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world," according to George Bernard Shaw.  He continued, "unreasonable people attempt to adapt the world to themselves. All progress, therefore, depends on unreasonable people."

If you want to be a boxer, you are unreasonable (economically-speaking).  Your friends remain jealous.  Because you are pursuing your passion.  They are stuck pandering 20% off on women's shoes at Macy's.

Cash flow and Exponentiality

Mind you, with the diversity of promotional outfits around the U.S., you can see a wide variety of practices and payment structures.  A four round fight can get a boxer a few hundred dollars. Six round fighters can get amounts close to a thousand dollars.  Eight rounds fighters may get $1,000 - $1,500.  A good record can translate into more exposure, and can put the boxer in a position to negotiate higher pay.  When you got the goods, you get the gold.  (And the girls.)

The world's elite boxers, especially those with wide recognition and a strong fan base, (Ricky Hatton, Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, Juan Manuel Marquez, and others) can earn upwards of $1,000,000 to $20,000,000 per fight. 

CONTINUE TO PAGE 2