Writing of George Best's brief spell with Cork Celtic over the Christmas period of 1975, Con Houlihan surmised that dwindling crowds in light of the furore surrounding his debut was rooted in the following; "You don't pay twice to see the same fat man in the circus sideshow."
While last year's boxing extravaganza between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather didn't possess one iota of Houlihan's "fat man", it was all circus sideshow.
As we now receive conflicting reports of Mayweather's intention to fight McGregor in the latter's ring of choice, one boxing man - among many presumably - is less than happy with the attention such news is getting.
One of those who Mayweather ruthlessly dispatched in his unbeaten professional career, Ricky Hatton is still sore about last year's 'event' and the harmful impact it had on professional boxing:
I think the McGregor vs Mayweather fight didn't do us any favours.
The fact they're thinking of doing it again in the fucking Octagon as well now, it just fucking makes me furious.
Speaking to the Star, the former World Champion boxer Hatton believes boxing to generally be in good health, but laments the kind of concessions that are made to accompany various, money-making narratives:
I think it is in good health. It's changed in so many years. It was only a few years ago we were moaning that there were too many belts.
Now there's too many belts, too many weights, catchweights, catch-fucking-sports, it's getting a bit silly.
Now it's like 'well, you've not made the weight so we're not fighting for the title. You can do it at the catchweight.' What the fuck are you doing if for if you're not fighting for the title?
Hatton is scarcely alone among the many dissenting voices that identify moments like last year's bout between McGregor and Mayweather as detrimental to the "sport I love."
