Tinju Profesional Wanita Lebih tidak Bermoral Ketimbang Pria
Womens Professional Boxing is Even More Unscrupulous Than Men
Editor : Cahyani Harzi
Translator : Dhelia Gani
 b.jpg)
PIMPINAN badan tinju AS memperingatkan petinju Irlandia peraih emas Olimpiade, Katie Taylor untuk berpikir dua kali sebelum hijrah ke negeri 'Paman Sam' untuk mencari keberuntungan.
Promotor licik, organisasi penyelenggara curang, honor tak dibayar dan beberapa bintang kontroversial di ring telah memberi aib bagi olahraga tinju, sehingga eksekutif televisi menolak memberi hak siaran.
Kesuksesan Katie di Olimpiade mendorong tinju wanita menjadi sorotan - promotor pun berencana mengeruk laba - namun hasil investigasi Irish Mail mengungkap ada 'rahasia' di balik olahraga menarik ini.
"Tinju profesional wanita lebih tidak bermoral daripada pria," kata Don 'Moose' Lewis, Ketua Dewan Tinju Profesional Wanita Internasional. "Saran jujur saya untuk Katie adalah berhenti bermimpi. Tinggallah dimana Anda berada sekarang. Bidik prestasi untuk Olimpiade mendatang."
"Sebagai peraih medali emas, Katie akan mendapatkan sponsor dan dukungan. Dia bisa menghasilkan uang di Irlandia. Dia tidak perlu mencari rejeki di Amerika," tambah pejabat tersebut seperti dilansir Mail Online.
"Orang mengira petinju mampu bisa mencetak uang. Fakta sebenarnya hanya satu persen di antara petinju pria. Petinju pria rata-rata mendapatkan honor antara US$6 ribu hingga US$15 per pertandingan. Seorang petinju wanita yang beruntung paling tinggi hanya meraih US$3 ribu."
"Ini semua tentang uang, mendapat bayaran per tayangan. Perempuan dipandang sebagai aksi pemanasan. Mereka hanya bertarung selama 10 menit, sedangkan petinju pria dianggap lebih menguntungkan sehingga mereka dapat bertanding selama 12 menit dalam tiga ronde.
"Ini menjadi sesuatu yang harus diubah, tapi dalam tinju nilai honornya tidaklah sama."
"Seksualitas jadi utama, kaum pria ingin melihat gadis-gadis cantik berkelahi."
Lewis melanjutkan, "Laila Ali adalah atlet besar di akhir 90-an, yang merupakan zaman keemasan tinju wanita. Namun Anda harus bertanya, adakah wanita yang kelebihan berat badan bisa bertinju kalau bapaknya bukan Muhammad Ali?"
"Kemudian didapati gadis-gadis cantik yang berhenti menjadi model atau muncul bugil di halaman Playboy dan Penthouse. Itu tidak baik untuk tinju."
"Jika Katie memutuskan menjadi petinju pro Amerika, itu akan menjadi publikasi luas. Mungkin, saluran tivi HBO dan Showtime akan mulai menampilkan tayangan tinju lagi."
AMERICA'S top boxing officials have delivered a knockout blow to Irish golden girl Katie Taylor’s pro dreams – warning her to think twice before moving to the US to seek her fortune.
Dodgy promoters, badly organised bouts, rotten pay and some controversial stars have given the once-popular professional sport such a bad name that TV executives refuse to air fights.
Katie’s Olympic victory has thrown women’s boxing into the spotlight – something professional promoters plan to cash in on – but an Irish Mail on Sunday investigation reveals that the sport is anything but pretty.
‘Women’s professional boxing is even more unscrupulous than men’s,’ said Don ‘Moose’ Lewis, chairman of the Women’s International Boxing Council. ‘My honest advice to Katie would be, “Don’t do it. Stay where you are. Aim for the next Olympics.”
‘As a gold medal winner, Katie will get sponsorships and endorsements. She can make money in Ireland. She does not want to be scratching around America trying to make a living,’ added the official.
‘People assume boxers make millions. That is true only of the top 1% of men. Your average male boxer earns between $6,000 and $15,000 per fight. A woman is lucky to get $3,000 (less than €2,500) tops.
‘It’s all about money – getting on pay-per-view television. Women are seen as the warm-up act. They fight 10 two-minute rounds, whereas men are considered better value because they go 12 three-minute rounds.
‘It is something we are trying to change but in boxing there’s no such thing as equal pay.
‘Sexism is rife – men want to see pretty girls fighting.’
Mr Lewis continued: ‘Laila Ali was big in the late 1990s, which was the heyday of women’s boxing. But you have to ask the question: would anyone have watched an overweight woman fight if her father wasn’t Muhammad Ali?
‘Then you’ve got the pretty girls, who quit to become models or turn up naked on the pages of Playboy and Penthouse. That’s not good for boxing, either.’
‘If Katie decided to go pro in America, it would be a tremendous publicity boost. Maybe, HBO and Showtime TV channels would start showing fights again.
