[ClearCase_guy]

When I was young (1970s) there were frequent discussions about professional wrestling -- was it a real sport? was it faked?
People really disagreed on this, and a lot of people thought that it was a totally serious sport, and there was nothing fake about the Good Guy/Bad Guy design, and that there was always real suspense about who would come out on top.

I think that, today, everyone knows professional wrestling is 100% showmanship.

I was surprised lately to find myself in a discussion with half a dozen people who seriously thought of professional boxing in exactly the same way. I was the only one who considered it a sport. I actually thought the outcome was determined by the ability of the athletes. Everyone else in the room considered to be basically a fake sport, with the winner decided well in advance.

I really can't say either way, I guess, but Boy, this country sure has changed since my youth.

[9thLife]

I think its a sport with a ton of showmanship and cahoots thrown in for good measure.

But assuming those guys enter the ring planning to win, it's sportsmanship.

[PUGACHEV]

Although it is a place where bizarre thing happen all the time, the boxing world nevertheless has several has some few guiding principles which are rigidly adhered to. First, it is all about the money. It is not fixed or scripted the way professional wrestling is, but at local bouts the red corner always wins, unless the out of towner is a ranked fighter brought in to test the local boy's mettle. Second, it is all abut the money. In the larger bouts you see on TV, the refs and the judges are paid by the sanctioning body, and get all of there expenses paid as well, but they are generally chosen by the promoters. They know where the money is, and if there is any way they can possibly accommodate that money, they do.

Professional boxing is THE ONLY activity I believe could benefit from regulation by the Federal government. Think about that for a minute.

[BBell]

Wrestling’s not fake. The fighting is real, we just always know whose going to win.

[eclecticEel]

If the decision goes to the judges, then yes, boxing is completely fixed.