Boxing promoter Damon Feldman canceled the “celebrity” boxing match between rapper DMX and George Zimmerman last weekend. Zimmerman, who was found not guilty in the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin, agreed to a boxing match last month.

Thankfully, the match will no longer happen. However, the  problem is the possibility of the fight even occurring.

Damon Feldman orchestrates many celebrity bouts and said that the fight between Zimmerman and DMX wasn’t a “race thing.” It seemed it was a “race thing” for rapper The Game, who has a tattoo of Martin on his leg and previously said that he would fight Zimmerman.

Feldman called off the fight in response to public opposition accusing Feldman and Zimmerman of attempting to profit off racial tensions via petition and social media.

“Done with George Zimmerman if you had a major payday sitting in front of you, I know no one else would walk away like I did ***Next!!” Feldman tweeted last Saturday. Feldman is holding a press conference Tuesday to answer questions about the event.

Regardless of the fact that Zimmerman was acquitted of murder charges, Martin’s death left many scarred. The highly televised controversy shocked the country and led to a hoodie march on the University of Minnesota campus.   

While Zimmerman and Feldman may seem like the instigators of this barbaric event, we must also remember that it is Zimmerman’s celebrity status that brought about the initial interest. We often use the word “celebrity” to talk about movie stars, but Zimmerman now enjoys notoriety. 

Zimmerman is only still in the public eye because the public wants him to be. In a classic sense, this type of attention is the result of celebration. While Feldman wanted a celebrity boxing match, he put Zimmerman on a pedestal he didn’t deserve.

The fight would have reawakened bitter emotions, and not just of sadness but also of anger and revenge, which no capitalistic game should take advantage of.

While celebrity status should be the result of being famous, we shouldn’t be quick to give attention to those who ethically don’t deserve it.