Former MMA fighter and outspoken personality Chael Sonnen recently discussed the state of boxing in 2021. Sonnen released a video to his YouTube channel discussing the Logan Paul vs Floyd Mayweather fight, but he also talked boxing as a whole being ‘broken’ by corruption.
“There is a failure of leadership in boxing to the highest of levels” Sonnen would begin on his YouTube channel. “The first thing that boxing failed at? Making it unacceptable to lose.”
“Because boxing leadership failed at making it acceptable to have defeats” Chael Sonnen would continue. “That’s where all the corruption came from. I mean that largely is what you can stem back to the root of all of its problems. Getting dirty managers in there, making matches that make absolutely no sense; getting people to sign off with them so you can run some guys record up to 20-0 and go fight for a World Championship. Even though he sucks? He’s got a beautiful record.”
Chael Sonnen on Olympic Boxers
Chael would then discuss Olympic level boxers and how they struggle to get a footing in the pro world. “That’s what the sport was based on, there was no competitive architecture. That’s where the guys who came through the Olympics have had such a hard time breaking into the pros. Because all the pros are looking around going ‘man, this is a real fighter! This is an actual talented guy who proved his worth!'”
“Every other sport has made it acceptable to have defeats” Sonnen continued. “The NCAA glosses right over it, you get down to the final four? You’re praised! They get down to a bowl game? They’re praised, because not one of those teams is ever undefeated in either basketball or football.”
Chael would finish by using a baseball analogy, comparing how the World Series works to Boxing. “You get into baseball? Baseball is so accepting of losing. They’ll go to game seven of the World Series and the guys that they crowned World Champion? They lost three days ago! Not three years ago, they lost last Tuesday! I’m not insulting that, I’m complementing that. That’s what real competition is. Real competitors get beat. Anybody who’s walking round with a 400-0 record has rigged the system.”
You can check out the full video below:
