Hopkins vs. Dawson: Controversial Endings Starting to Plague Boxing

While it might go down as a Chad Dawson TKO of Bernard Hopkins, the real story of Saturday night was boxing's newest problem—bizarre, controversial endings. It's the second time in less than a month that fans have walked away from a major boxing event scratching their heads.

In September, confusion was paramount when Floyd Mayweather, Jr. knocked out Victor Ortiz while he was resetting after a break. It was a story that never gained the momentum it deserved due to Mayweather's post-fight shouting match with Larry Merchant.

And on Saturday night, Dawson gave a little shoulder barge to Hopkins, who proceeded to fall through the ropes and injure his shoulder. Even though Hopkins was legitimately injured, the immediate reaction was to wonder if Hopkins was only in it for the paycheck.

The Executioner clearly didn't bring the same intensity to the bout that allowed him to start his career 46-2-1. He's gone 6-4-1 over his last 11 fights and, at 46 years old, is nearing the end of his career. The knockout was the first of Hopkins' career.

So, what can boxing due to avoid these type of endings from becoming an epidemic? With the rise of MMA on a national stage, boxing can't afford for fans to think its athletes are giving anything less than 100 percent in the ring.

Casual fans certainly aren't going to keep shelling out upwards of $50 for pay-per-views if the shows don't improve. And if the viewing audience continues to decrease, so will the purses. It's a vicious circle.

It's just another problem on boxing's growing list of issues to deal with. Right alongside the lack of big name stars and a failure to setup a mega fight between Manny Pacquiao and Mayweather. That bout could revitalize the sport, but it doesn't appear to be on the horizon right now.

Although the diehards will always support boxing, it's the casual observers who buy into the hype and order PPVs that keep the sport alive and well. And just like any form of entertainment, if it fails to deliver what's expected, its appeal will lessen exponentially.

Not to mention the last thing blue-collar workers want to see is boxers collecting a six-figure or bigger paycheck for a couple minutes work and a shaky finish.

Hopefully these finishes are just a short-term fluke and not a long-term problem.