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American Morning

The Big Question: Has Boxing Gone Down for the Count?

Aired March 14, 2002 - 09:49   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The big question this hour: Has boxing gone down for the count? The sport is known for its sweet science, but there was nothing scientific about last night's "Celebrity Boxing" on Fox. Can't even say that. It was all about the hype. What does that mean Keith Olbermann? Don't want to say that out loud. The main event featured bad girls Tonya "TNT" Harding and Paula Jones, "The Arkansas Pounder." They duked it out. Tonya, by the way, won a unanimous decision.

In one of the preliminary bouts, Danny Bonaduce beat the Brady out of Barry Williams in a battle of former stars from family sitcoms.

And elsewhere in the world of boxing, just this week, the District of Columbia approved a fight license for Mike Tyson, despite his track record of rape, ear biting, and a very public brawl just weeks ago.

So what does this all say about the future of the sport?

CNN contributor Keith Olbermann joins us now with a quick review on the boxing match last night on that other network.

Good morning.

KEITH OLBERMANN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning.

I thought that was the sport's high point this year, perhaps the last several years. I mean, think what we have done here. We've got Tonya Harding to fight by the rules for the first time. Her last three bouts, she winged hub cap at a boyfriend, she beat up her husband, and she had her seconds and cornermen come in to whack Nancy Kerrigan. So at least there's a referee now. There was not one before. And as we pointed out, it's probably better than we ordinarily would see it.

ZAHN: We don't have the preliminary readings in for this yet, but this is probably going to rate well, isn't it? And if it does, what does that mean, Keith, about all of us, including Anderson, who watched it late last night?

OLBERMANN: It's sports. It's constantly clad women with gloves hitting each other. The equation is not that complicated.

ZAHN: Was it also pretty stupid? OLBERMANN: Yes, but then again, you could argue that the entirety of boxing is pretty stupid, I mean, with, as you pointed out, with Mike Tyson getting a license in Washington, and getting a license to fight after everything that had gone on, how can -- where is -- the new high and low is achieved every week. It's no news here that there's a problem in boxing. It's farcical.

ZAHN: Well, look at this farcical scene. Remind us of what we're looking at here. This was at the press conference to announce the fight. At the fight, they're going to have a press conference, just to even things up.

The reason he got the license in Washington, Paula, was that on the index of bad behavior of the citizens of the District of Columbia, Mike only scores in the 40th percentile. So there was plenty of room for him there. They welcome him, the boxing and wrestling commission.

ZAHN: I understand you have to tread pretty softly when you're talking about Mike Tyson, a potential conflict of interest here. What is this conflict?

OLBERMANN: We always like to mention this disclaimer, because I'm Mike's cousin. I'm legally his cousin. You smile, and it's nice to see you smile, but it's the truth. He's my cousin by marriage and adoption. His trainer was Cus D'mato, who kept him on the straight and narrow for the longest time, and Cus legally adopted him. Cus' niece, Geraldine, is my aunt by marriage, my father's brother's wife.

ZAHN: You're serious? You're not making this up.

OLBERMANN: I'm Mike Tyson's cousin.

ZAHN: And when you said bad things about him in the past, what has the family done to you, Keith?

OLBERMANN: Well, my sister, the minister's wife, has always sort of approved of that kind of attitude toward things, but you know, it works out all right. We sponge off Mike for money like the rest of family.

ZAHN: And who wouldn't?

So what is the future of the sport?

OLBERMANN: It is going to become more and more like wrestling. It's already becoming so. The group that gave Tyson the license in Washington is not the boxing commission. It's the boxing and wrestling commission. In the future, there is of course the celebrity thing. This has been postponed a couple of time, Letterman versus Koppel. We'll see that in the fall, and then baseball commissioner Bud Selig will be fighting the Montreal Expos again.

And then the big one, this is after the "Harvard Business Review" merges with the "National Inquirer" and does a big review, Jack Welch versus Mrs. Welch.

ZAHN: And the battle is for who gets these remaining stock options.

OLBERMANN: It's a $340 million dollar purse, Paula, as the boxing analyst like to say.

ZAHN: When you look at the statistics has the sport -- we know it's lost some of the credibility, but has it lost any of its popularity?

OLBERMANN: Popularity in terms of financial success? No, not really, not really. The only people who have lost money in last few years have been the athletes themselves as usual. They get kind of, you know, the short end of the financial stick there. But the promoters still make their money, because it's rigged to make them money.

ZAHN: So some of your family members could be sitting out there this morning saying, why are you playing this purist role? I mean, people pay to go see this stuff. They want to see it. They seem to be happy with it.

OLBERMANN: Everybody has to have a job. And I'm a kvetch.

ZAHN: We're going to leave it there. Keith Olbermann, good to see you.

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