On My Radar: Alabama Shakes

You would find few that would argue with the fact that the music industry is more about image, marketing and branding more than is it about the actual talent of artists and bands. Sure, every so often you will find someone with the swagger and true talent of a Christina Aguilera, Beyonce or Adam Levine, but it most cases if an artists doesn't look the part, they'll get...well...overlooked.

This is why a group like the Alabama Shakes is so impressive. The fact that a group with a lead singer who is not exactly a Victoria Secret model backed by a band of nerds gives you no choice but to look past their lack of industry appeal and acknowledge that the girl can sing and the guys can play their asses off. It's refreshing. Hopefully we'll be hearing more from this crew.

After all, I did randomly run across their video while flipping past the very image-conscious MTV.

Manny Pacquiao's Greatest Opponent...Bob Arum

Let's get straight to the point: Manny Pacquiao has to grow some balls and take control of his own career. Instead of worrying about fighting Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (42-0) to cement his legacy as one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters that the world has ever seen, he must first defeat his biggest opponent--and promoter--Bob Arum.

It's very sad when a casual boxing fan, such as myself, can clearly see that Bob Arum is the main impediment to making a fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao come to fruition. Arum has done an excellent job over the past few years of successfully shifting negative public opinion onto the Mayweather camp as the cause for the mega-fight not taking place. Over the past year, however, that veil has slowly been lifted and Top Rank's chronic dodging of Mayweather has been exposed.

How is it possible to say that your fighter is available to fight against various in-house opponents potentially on May 5th when it was thought that Mayweather was going to jail, but then turn around the VERY NEXT DAY and say that Manny wouldn't be ready to fight until June after Mayweather's sentence was postponed to accomodate a May fight--citing an eye cut, that apparently, wouldn't have mattered had the May 5 opponent been Marquez, Peterson, Cotto or Bradley? Why not just admit that you don't want to fight Mayweather under any circumstances. At least that would be respectable. Why insult the boxing public's intelligence? Why lie?

Why lie about wanting to build a new stadium to accommodate the fight when you could just as easily make the May fight with Mayweather and put a rematch clause into the negotiations regardless of who emerges the victor? Maybe even take the rematch to the Cowboy's stadium that holds as many people as the suggested new construction would hold? It's obvious that this is just another stall tactic to kill the fight, but why lie?

I'll tell you why...

It's clear that Arum is more concerned with his own bank account than preserving the integrity of the sport. Sharing profits with other organizations would cut into his personal profit and force Arum to be transparent in his financial dealings with other promoters, Mayweather, and Pacquiao. He would, ultimately, be forced to be honest, and that's not good for Arum.

It's also clear that he has no faith that his prize fighter could defeat the undefeated Mayweather, thus potentially cutting into his long-term profits since a Pacquiao loss would hurt his marketing power.

I get it! Bob is only protecting HIS financial interest because, after all, boxing in a business; He wants to get as much mileage out of Pacquiao as he can before he cashes out on a Mayweather bout at the very end of his career; but in the process, Arum is singlehanded choking the life out of a sport that is already on life support. There is no viable interest in any other fights out there for Pac and Arum knows it. Instead, he would rather make as many in-house fights as he can because he knows that he can financially take advantage of his own guys on the front and back ends without any scathing questions being asked. It's all about greed.

Manny...

For the love of the sport, your fans, and the integrity of boxing, take control of your own affairs, fire Bob Arum like Mayweather did, and make the fight that the world has been unnecessarily waiting on for the past 2-3 years happen. He is not working in your best interest and is using you for every dime that he can muster out of you, and I am sure that if you look closely at your finances, Arum is making more off of you than you are making off of yourself. He does not care about your legacy and will be on to the next "champion" should you happen to get knocked out by the subpar in-house competition that he is currently spoon-feeding you. You don't need him! Be smart! Make your own decisions. Hire promoters on a per-fight basis and call your own shots!

When you look back on your boxing career, ask yourself if you stepped up the challenge of defeating your biggest opponent...Bob Arum.

And also, respond to Mayweather's Tweet calling you out @FloydMayweather. He's his own man. Perception is everything, and unfortunately for you, Floyd is winning that battle right now.

Back...

What's up folks? Actually, I'm positive that nobody will see this post, but I just wanted to let anyone who may be out there know that I am STILL ALIVE!!! LOL. It's been about three years since I left the blogosphere and in that time I've had a lot of life experiences that have changed my perspective on things in some ways.

And in many ways I'm still the same Ol' G...

We'll see how my perspective has changed (or stayed the same) soon enough. I think it's time for me to start writing again. I've been gone long enough. I'll talk to you soon...

B