Yesterday there was a long anticipated boxing match between heavyweights Vladimir Klitschko and David Haye. The fight was planned long ago, but did not happen until yesterday, and David did everything to annoy Vladimir. He called him names, belittled him and his older brother Vitaly... he really got under Vladimir's skin. I must say that Vladimir stayed civil, and it is not surprising from a guy who is a PhD.
I am a boxing fan, and it never ceased to amaze me that fighters would engage in belittling one another. You may say whatever you want, you may promise whatever you want, but then the day comes and in the ring you either can do something or you don't. And it is not only what you can do in the ring, it is what the other fighter would let you do in the ring, as well.
I was stunned to learn that the split was 50/50. They were to split the largest purse in the history of boxing, which would be between $15 Mil to $20 Mil to each of them. How on earth could David Haye with only 6 professional fights as heavyweight be able to get half with Klitschko, who dominates the division for about a decade? But somehow he did. I was even more stunned to learn that in England David Haye was actually a favorite in the fight, and they bet on him heavily against Vladimir Klitschko. Wow...
But then the day came. As Larry Merchant said, there was a lot of sound, so where is the fury? There was very little. David's biggest achievement was surviving 12 rounds, and Vladimir's biggest weakness was inability to put David out.
The fight was rather boring, as all it was Vladimir Klitschko chasing elusive David. Round after round. Even overly hyped Brits started booing him. Of course, after the match David told reporters that his toe was broken a few weeks before the fight and even showed them the toe, but as legendary Roy Jones said David either should have not gotten into the ring, or took care of his toe and not bring it up.
Isn't it similar to someone with big mouth getting the most expensive listing after telling to the Sellers how great s/he was and how easily s/he would sell this palace? Secure the highest commission and then ... just put it on MLS and do little to nothing to sell.
Similarity is that David stands to collect his half, no matter how shamelessly he performed (or did not perform). Same with the listing agent, as long as someone brings the buyer.
In both cases it is not a performace based payment
* Photo of Klitschko courtesy of bernjan via Flickr.com under Creatove Commons license
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