IN HER magisterial work, Boxing: A Cultural History, Kasia Boddy asserts the following: “At its most cooked, boxing remains raw; at its most bloody, it can still tell a story. Although, as Sonny Liston pointed out, it’s always the same story — the good guy versus the bad guy — new versions of good and bad are forever forthcoming. Throughout its long and eventful history as a sport, boxing has remained unfailingly eloquent. At the beginning of the 21st century, our appetite for its stories remains undiminished.’

As we head into the start of the second decade of the century, Kasia Boddy’s contention remains both salient and profound in its insight into this most controversial and dramatic of sports. Because what cannot be gainsaid is the fact that, worldwide, boxing is currently riding the crest of an incredibly and outrageously lucrative wave — what with the gargantuan revenue and pay-per-view (PPV) buys the sport is now garnering on a regular basis. 

The recent Anthony Joshua v Andy Ruiz Jnr rematch in Saudi Arabia is a case in point. In what was tantamount to a festival of vulgarity and the sportswashing of a brutal kleptocratic regime, this much anticipated bout generated 1.6 million PPV buys, which at £24.95 a head translates into a mountain of cash. And this is without factoring in the $40 million-plus site fee the Saudis weighed in with for the luxury of hosting the fight, or the advertising revenue and various other revenue streams that are attached to such events nowadays.

Joshua’s purse for the rematch, at least according to some reports, was a whopping £60m. Needless to say, with that kind of money you can house a lot of homeless people and feed countless hungry kids.

So, yes, there is no arguing the fact that professional boxing at the tail-end of the second decade of the 21st century is drowning in cash. It is not, however, swimming in glory. Four ring fatalities in one year tells its own tale of woe which, combined with the cloistered mentality that pervades the sport when it comes to wider societal issues of racism and homophobia, does much to bring the game into disrepute.

There have been many big fights this year, but how many have been meaningful in a broader sense, involving one or both fighters fighting for something greater than self? 

Joe Louis fought for something greater than self when he faced Max Schmeling. Muhammad Ali fought for something greater than self when he fought just about anyone, as did Cuban amateur heavyweight legend Teofilo Stevenson, and as did Manny Pacquaio in his pomp. 

Surveying today’s crop of elite fighters, meanwhile, Tyson Fury is the only real stand-out in this respect. 

After suffering a justifiable fall from grace over various bigoted and sexist comments after his world-title victory over Wladimir Klitschko in 2015, the self-styled Gypsy King has reinvented himself not only as arguably the most talented heavyweight in the world, but more importantly perhaps as a high-profile ambassador for people suffering with mental illness. In the process, he’s matured and evolved as a human being even more than he has as a fighter, battling his demons and coming out the other end a flag-bearer for the powers of reinvention.

Though boxers do not choose to be ambassadors or role models, once they reach a certain level of success this is what they become, like it or not. The danger inherent in boxers being held up as role models is the fact that most hail from poverty — from working-class backgrounds and environments in which cultural impoverishment is a common affliction.

Most fighters are not educated to a high standard. Neither are they refined or in possession of a balanced and rational world view. Many fail to develop those traits in line with their ascent and growing success in the sport, having spent years shut away in gyms grappling not with any regressive views they may hold as a hangover from their impoverished beginnings, but with how best to throw a jab, hook or backhand.

Young men yet to shake off the mentality of the scheme, housing estate or ghetto are suddenly thrust into the spotlight with more money at their disposal than they ever dreamed possible. The most obvious example of this phenomenon is Floyd Mayweather Jnr — one of the greatest fighters – but by no means men – of all time,.

Fighters are not angels, of course, and should not be expected to have aspirations to be such. But by the same token they do have an obligation to aspire to represent themselves in a way that comes closer to covering them in dignity than in shame.

The latest sad example of a fighter falling from his perch in this regard is Scotland’s unified world super-lightweight champion Josh Taylor, who recently pleaded guilty to a charge of racially abusing an Asian nightclub doorman in Edinburgh, in a tirade that also included homophobic language — this after being forced to leave the premises over a disturbance he was involved in with friends.

To his credit, Taylor quickly issued a fulsome public apology over the incident — and though certain to suffer short-term reputational harm, the hope for those close to him will be that he can learn and grow from it.

In his public statement, issued after his appearance at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, where he was fined £350, Taylor said: “There’s no excuse for the comments and the disturbance. I’m going to take some time off over Christmas to reflect on my actions and ensure it never happens again.”

Taylor is a victim of a surplus of fame and money and a deficit of wisdom at this stage in his life and career. The harsh environment of the scheme develops a harsh outlook, which is why it is incumbent on young men like him — boxers who’ve achieved excellence after years of application and tortuous dedication — to work on the development of character outside the gym in line with the development of the craft and skills required to stay at the top inside it.

For Taylor and boxing’s sake, let’s hope he learns the right lessons and some good can come of this unfortunate episode. Those who know him will have every faith that he can. As Oscar Wilde reminds us: “Every sinner has a future, and every saint has a past.”

Taylor, like Joshua, is looking at a bumper 2020 with massive fights on the horizon, and on the level of talent it’s fair to say that British boxing has never had it so good. 

The sport itself, alas, is suffering from an acute case of greed. So much so that it’s in desperate need of a doctor.