Zach Arnold Says EliteXC Has Sinned, Must Die

Zach Arnold of FightOpinion.com has been around as long as I have, and in that time he's established himself as a journalist full of honesty and integrity. And in light of the recent EliteXC/Kimbo Slice stand-up bonus allegations, Zach really, really thinks EliteXC must die. Or at the very least, EliteXC honcho Jeremy Lappen and the Shaw father/son conglomerate need to be crucified, burned at the stake, dismembered and burned again. I admire Zach's fervor. Every sport needs a watchdog willing to decry every bad move and instance of possible unethical behavior. But one thing I learned in law school (yes, I went to law school), and especially in the New York City Police Academy (yes, I went there too), was that there's a difference between when something is wrong and when something is illegal. And in this instance, the Florida State Boxing Commission itself has already guffawed at the idea that EliteXC broke the law. Did EliteXC throw a stack of cash at Seth Petruzelli to encourage him not to go for a takedown against Kimbo Slice? Is the UFC guilty of the same thing when they show up in Phil Baroni's and Matt Lindland's locker rooms before their UFC 34 bout, promising them that they're gone from the promotion if they don't make their fight exciting? You know, it doesn't really matter. Because what happens in the cage is never what anyone plans. Not the promoters, not the fighters, not the fans. And that's what makes this sport so great.