EP. 90

 “BOXING GAMES DESERVE BETTER THAN THIS ERA”

---

“You know, when people look at Undisputed, they ask: who’s really at fault? Was it Ash Habib? Was it Will Kinsler? Or was it the publisher, the investors, the whole system?

Let me break it down. Will Kinsler may have been holding the controller in terms of advising on authenticity and gameplay mechanics. He gave guidance on how the game should feel, what systems should work, what punches should land the way a real boxer would expect. But here’s the thing — he didn’t press the buttons. He didn’t greenlight features, he didn’t decide deadlines, and he didn’t manage the team.

That’s where Ash Habib comes in. He was steering the ship. He signed off on decisions, he chose what to implement, and he bore the final responsibility for the product. If the game felt off, or systems weren’t working, or features were half-baked, that’s on Ash. Will could give advice, he could point the way, but he couldn’t drive the plane.

Then add the publisher and investors into the mix. Deadlines, funding, milestone pressures — they push from the outside. They don’t make the creative calls, but they can force compromises that trickle down and amplify problems. Everyone has a piece of the puzzle, sure, but the ultimate responsibility rolls up to the studio head.

So when you look at Undisputed, it’s not as simple as blaming one person. It’s a perfect storm of leadership choices, outside pressures, and decisions that nobody dared question. Ash Habib signs off, but the echoes of everyone else — Will’s advice, publisher deadlines, investor expectations — are all in the wreckage.

In short: Will held the controller, but Ash drove the car — and it crashed.”

Let’s be honest: this era of boxing video games is embarrassing.
And the worst part is that the disrespect is happening in the most technologically advanced time in gaming history.

We’ve had boxing games for 45 years. The very first console boxing game—literally called Boxing—dropped in 1979. Since then, we’ve seen over 60 boxing games come and go. Sixty! That’s a legacy. That’s a foundation. That’s a whole lineage of developers who actually cared.

We had Punch-Out!!, a cultural landmark in 1984, and Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! in ’87—still iconic to this day.
We had Evander Holyfield’s Real Deal Boxing in ’92, pushing simulation before simulation was even a buzzword.
We had the boxer-branded wave: Foreman, Ali, Bowe, Roy Jones Jr—fighters whose names meant something and whose games respected their identities.

Then the golden era hit:
Knockout Kings, and then the undisputed king of the genre—the Fight Night series. Fight Night wasn’t perfect, but it understood something this modern era clearly does not: if you’re going to make a boxing game, you better respect boxing.
Not sell it, not cosplay it—respect it.

Japan gave us Boxer’s Road and Boxer’s Road 2, with systems some studios still haven’t matched: weight cuts, camps, gyms, tendencies, consequences. Even arcade-style games like Black & Bruised had style and heart. Even Don King Presents: Prizefighter swung for the fences.

And now?
Now we’re in the “empty promises” era.
The “patch it later” era.
The “marketing-first, gameplay-last” era.

Studios today act like they’re doing fans a favor by dropping a half-finished boxing game. They act like motion capture replaces understanding the sport. They act like graphics make up for lack of footwork logic, stamina systems, or ring IQ. They talk about realism without having any idea what realism looks like in the ring.

This era gives us:

• No real career mode depth

• No meaningful rankings

• No proper defensive mechanics

• No boxing tendencies or archetypes

• No inside fighting

• No gym culture

• No fighter evolution

• No respect for the sport’s history

Some of these projects feel like boxing games made by people who have never watched a full fight, let alone studied one.

And that’s the problem.

If developers from the ’80s could deliver classics with 8-bit controllers,
if EA could build Fight Night Champion on 2011 hardware,
if Japanese studios could simulate weight cutting in 2006…

What excuse do modern studios have?
None. Zero. Not one.

We’re in the strongest hardware generation ever—and somehow producing the weakest boxing games in decades.

So here’s the message:
If you’re going to make a boxing game in 2025 and beyond, study the history. Look at the 40-plus years of the genre. Learn the sport. Learn the details. Learn the craft. Respect the fans. Respect the fighters. Respect the legacy.

Because right now, this era isn’t just dropping the ball—it’s disrespecting everything boxing games used to stand for.

---

When we talk about why Undisputed sold the way it did, it wasn’t just because boxing fans were in a drought. If the drought alone could sell a game, every boxing title that dropped after Fight Night Champion would’ve blown up—and they didn’t. Fans weren’t going to support anything with gloves on it.

What really pushed Undisputed was what it looked like it was going to be. Those early ESBC trailers and the Official Alpha Gameplay Features video sold the idea of a true, grounded boxing simulation—something fans had never actually gotten before. Real footwork, real movement, real pacing. It looked like the game people had been imagining for over a decade.

So the drought made people pay attention, but the vision made people buy. Fans didn’t purchase the game they eventually got; they purchased the game they thought was coming. And that combination—hunger plus hope—is what moved over a million copies.

The Debate Over One Championship Belt in Boxing

Talking Points:

1. The “One True Champion” Idea

   • Some fans and purists argue that having a single world champion per weight class would reduce confusion and clearly define who the best fighter is.

   • In theory, it makes unification fights unnecessary and simplifies the narrative for casual viewers.

2. Practical Challenges

   • A single belt creates a bottleneck: only one fighter can hold it, and challengers must climb the rankings to get a shot.

   • A boxer ranked #100 could take years—maybe even a decade—to reach a title fight.

   • Divisions can stagnate if the champion is inactive due to injury, negotiations, or personal reasons.

3. Impact on Opportunities and Careers

   • Multiple belts allow more fighters to claim championships, gain exposure, and earn higher purses.

   • Limited title shots can stall careers, while multi-belt systems keep divisions active and provide pathways for emerging talent.

4. Concerns About Power and Control

   • One organization with a single belt could dominate rankings, matchmaking, and revenue streams.

   • It could favor certain fighters, promoters, or regions, leaving others with little leverage or opportunities.

   • Critics argue this could make the sport less about merit and more about organizational politics.

5. Conclusion / Thought Starter

• While one belt sounds clean, it risks concentrating power, reducing opportunities, and slowing career progression.

• A multi-belt system, while confusing for some fans, allows for more dynamic divisions and greater access for fighters.

6. 
   

• The debate ultimately balances clarity for fans versus opportunity and fairness for fighters.

“Today I’m breaking down all the belts in boxing, from the major world titles to the regional straps that help fighters climb the rankings.”

1. The Big Four World Titles
“These are the belts everybody recognizes as the true world championships.”

• WBC – World Boxing Council

• WBA – World Boxing Association

• IBF – International Boxing Federation

• WBO – World Boxing Organization

2. The Ring Magazine Championship
“This isn’t a sanctioning belt, but it’s respected as the division’s real champion when number one fights number two.”

3. The IBO
“The International Boxing Organization isn’t part of the Big Four, but a lot of top fighters have held it, and it has decent mathematical rankings.”

4. Secondary World Titles
“These are the belts you see underneath the main championship level. They help fighters get closer to mandatory status.”

• WBC Silver, Interim, and Diamond

• WBA Regular and Interim

• WBO International and Global

• IBF Interim, when they use it

5. Regional Titles
“These are the stepping stones. Win these, and you move up the rankings.”

• WBC Continental Americas, NABF, USNBC, and International

• WBA Inter-Continental and International

• IBF North American and Pan-Pacific

• WBO Inter-Continental, Asia Pacific, Latino, and European

6. Smaller Organizations
“Not usually counted as true world titles, but still active around the world.”

• WBF, WBU, IBA, UBO, and others

Wrap-Up
“So in short: the Big Four run the world-title scene, The Ring Magazine belt crowns a true champion, the IBO sits in the middle, and the secondary and regional belts are what fighters use to climb the ladder toward a shot at the top.”