Exhibitions, Celebrities, and Why You Don’t Want Real Judges

One is competition, in my opinion the hardest, least forgiving of all sports. Everyone who reads this website knows the cliche, “You don’t play boxing.”

The other world boxing lives in is spectacle. The showmanship, nostalgia, and the irresistible pull of famous names under bright lights has gone on since John L. Sullivan, Jack Johnson and Jack Dempsey.

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High-profile exhibitions sit squarely in the second category, and there is nothing inherently wrong with that as long as everyone is honest about what they are watching.

If we’re honest that we are watching a show, I guess that’s fine. If you like watching Reggie Jackson and the Yankees old timer’s game and that’s a fun trip down memory lane, great. When you start to believe Reg could take Paul Skenes deep today, then you’re being delusional.

The recent wave of exhibitions featuring retired champions, crossover celebrities, aging legends, and social media stars has proven there is still a market for gloves, ring walks, and nostalgia. Fans want to see familiar faces again. Promoters want to monetize brand power. Fighters, many of whom earned fame the hard way, may want one more payday or one more walk to the ring. That is understandable.

It is different when these events try to borrow the language and structure of legitimate competition while avoiding the substance of it.

Instead of licensed, experienced officials, exhibitions frequently use celebrity judges, former athletes from other sports, entertainers, or members of the media. In truth, that may be the smartest thing they can do. Why? Because these events often cannot be judged in the same way a real contest can.

In a sanctioned bout, punches are thrown with commitment. In less flowery language, they are thrown to do damage. That’s bodily damage and it is often life changing and not in a good way. The risk is real and the commitment to conditioning is vital. Careers, hell, life, hangs in the balance. A loss means less income, an uncertain future and a return to a mundane and often impoverished life.

In exhibitions, the incentives are different. Punches are pulled and energy may be conserved. A formal or informal contract is agreed upon so that no one gets seriously hurt. Certain moments may be staged for excitement rather than tactical necessity. The intent is usually not to hurt an opponent but to entertain an audience.

How do you judge a pulled punch? How do you score ring generalship when the combatants, uh, participants is a better word, aren’t going all out? How do you judge who is forcing the action when neither of them are?

As uncomfortable as some people may be saying it plainly, the intent of boxing is to do damage within the rules. A boxer is trying to land effective punches, impose will, break resistance, and force defeat. Skill and courage exist inside that reality.

The intent of an exhibition is different. It is performance. It is a trip down memory lane and it is commerce. It is often two recognizable names giving the crowd a memory. It is a three inning game in July with Reggie, Bucky and Guidry.

But if the purpose is entertainment, then let us stop pretending the scoring carries the same meaning as a professional fight judged by trained officials. Let celebrity judges smile for the cameras. Let media personalities hand out novelty cards. Let the ring announcer declare everyone had a wonderful time.

Professional judges are tasked with evaluating contests where stakes are genuine and margins can alter careers. Their work belongs in fights where outcomes matter and competitors are truly trying to win under the accepted standards of the sport.

Exhibitions can have value. They can attract casual fans. They can honor legends. They can generate revenue. They can let all of us go down memory lane for one more night.

But boxing does itself a favor when it labels things clearly.

A real fight is a real fight. An exhibition is an exhibition.

Both can exist. But only one should borrow the authority of legitimate scoring.

And if the judging side of boxing interests you, my new book Judging Pro Boxing is now available on Amazon. It is a collection of many of these columns and essays, expanded with new material, added context, and behind-the-scenes perspective on how fights are scored, why controversy happens, and what fans often miss. Also available on Amazon are my new The Second Burning, a Notre Dame football weekend thriller, and The Split Decision, the latest entry in my boxing mystery series.