The lost art of matchmaking

The forthcoming Chris Eubank Jnr versus Connor Benn fight has made predictable headlines. Two sons carrying on their father's old rivalry is a promoter's dream. Nostalgia sells. It could be that the thirst to relive the heydays of their fathers is pushing a fight that doesn't make much sense.

Connor Benn is 21 years old and boxes at welterweight. He is an intriguing prospect but so far, the biggest name on his CV is an aging Chris Algieri.

Chris Eubank Jnr is 32 years old. But he has plenty of gas in the tank. He has mixed in more refined company — George Groves, Billy Joe Saunders, James DeGale.

Eubank Jnr boxes at super middleweight. That's 3 divisions heavier than his opponent. And though the fight is subject to a catchweight, it's a hell of a jump for Benn.

My money is on Eubank Jnr. The fight makes little sense to me.

There is a reason for boxing weight divisions. They go a long way to providing competitive match ups. You will always get bad matches within the parameters of equal weight and experience. But they provide a starting point at the very least.

This willingness of promoters to play fast and loose with weight classes isn't new. Boxers have always moved up and down the weights. Some outliers can blaze a trail through multiple divisions. But a good team will manage the transition with care.

There have been some egregious examples of bad matchmaking over recent years. These showcase the promoter's craven willingness to compromise a fighter's safety for money.

Kell Brook was a very good welterweight. Anyone good enough to beat Shaun Porter in his own back yard is someone to reckon with. In 2016, his promoter offered him the chance to box at middleweight — a two weight jump. That heavier weight would be challenge enough. But the money was good.

Why was the money good? The opponent was none other than Gennadiy Gennadyevich Golovkin. At that time, Golovkin was the most fearsome, dominant middleweight since Marvin Hagler.

Even the WBA — not known for attacks of conscience — refused to sanction their belt for the contest. But it went ahead regardless. Brook performed like a lion showing commendable bravery. He picked up the biggest pay check of his career. He also incurred a savage beating, and a metal plate in his face for good measure.

Not content with this, his promoter picked a real doozy for his comeback.

Many people don't understand how dangerous coming down in weight can be. Roy Jones Jnr's illustrious career unravelled on his way back down from heavyweight. So a trip back down to welterweight would always provide a challenge to the now bigger Brook. But to pick another stone cold murderer to face at welterweight was for me, unforgivable.

Yes, next up for Brook was Errol Spence Jnr. I am all for making the best fights, but coming off the Golovkin shellacking, this was a brave choice. Brave is the operative word here.

It’s easy to be a brave promoter. It’s easy to be a brave cornerman. But it isn’t the cornerman or promoter who takes the blows in the ring. Spence — a prodigious talent — was no ordinary challenger.

Spence did a number on Brook. Stopped in the 11th round, the Sheffield man cut a bedraggled, beaten figure. I don't think he was the same fighter again.

Even the matchmaking for up and coming fighters appears to have taken a turn for the worst. In the past, young fighters tested themselves against solid journeymen. These guys were tough, durable and capable of providing a stringent test. This gave an aspiring prospect the chance to hone their ringcraft. They gained valuable rounds of experience.

Promotions I’ve watched in recent years have offered up one-sided affairs. I’ve seen a host of hapless, over-matched opponents served up and knocked cold in short order. This doesn’t help the prospect and it doesn’t help the guy who gets starched for a modest return.

As with most things in life, one should follow the money. If it pays for promoters to make these one-sided fights, they will make them. It falls to the boxing fan to set the agenda.

If the fight does not appeal or make sense, do not pay for it.

Unfortunately, that is the only way we will see any kind of improvements. Maybe that way, we can see a return to astute, fair matchmaking.