A bad apple spoils the bunch I was always told when I was a kid. In boxing there are now so many bad apples or so it looks that way that though I love the actual sport itself. The problem is that money rules the sport (like many sports) and you do put your health at risk and so money isn't really the issue IF it didn't go to people's heads so much. The sport IMO has been ruined from it's roots of being "the gentlemen's sport" and now it's all about trash talking, PEDs, corruption etc. It's just a circus anymore. Boxing has helped a lot of young kids to be able to do something with their time rather than getting into the usual trouble that we often see these days with kids. The problem however is like anything else... the instructor or coach or whatever isn't always hard enough on his kids to preach to them that this is a sport, this is not to be used in school yard fights or in gang wars or anything else unless it's for SD purposes. The coaches many times are uneducated, don't seem to set good enough examples for their kids... or are just morons overall. This doesn't help matters much. I think about all of this and think that it's no wonder we have underground fighting and BNB coming back. Thoughts?
No, boxing has not become a classless sport, it's been that way for a long time, at least in the pro ranks. Just don't get amateur and pro boxing. The amateur side is mostly about the sport the pro side is about the money. Where's the money Lebowski, where's the "not TOS approved word" money!
Many years ago I was reading an issue of "Ring" magazine and someone had written an editorial letter to the editor that said: "Putting Don King in the boxing hall of fame would be like burying Benedict Arnold at Arlington..." The storyline of Rocky 5 did a pretty decent job of exposing that side of boxing. So far MMA has not gone anywhere near as far down that road. For the most part they make the right fights happen and people don't get away with ducking to hold on to titles. But there is not as much money in it yes. As for the sport attracting thugs, it's important to remember that some of the world's best boxing gyms are in the ghetto. Boxing is relatively inexpensive so far as monthly fees. And for many young kids it's a way to get out of the ghetto. (Like basketball, football, etc.) When you live in the ghetto is has an impact on who you are. It's a very different world and gets even more different the worse the neighborhood is. Kids who come up like that tend to be good fighters because in many cases they were fighting their whole lives. I was watching a documentary about Tommy Morrison and someone pointed out that he was raised in a bad situation. And that many American kids have no idea what it is like to grow up "tough". Growing up tough is the reason a young Mike Tyson caught Cus's eyes because he was hitting with "bad intentions".
Yes, I've heard that many times, and I don't believe it. Delahoya wasn't some thug kid and actually has said he has never been in a street fight in his life, but he is an ATG and could punch. Punching is technique, no more, no less. Hitting hard because it's out of anger IMO means you are sacrificing technique for power. There's always the poor little boy/girl story and while I feel for these kids, Lamont Peterson grew up pretty hard not to far from me over on D.C. and he and his brother used to sleep in abandoned houses or anywhere else, yet he is a well spoken, humble guy and a good fighter. I don't buy that whole "I grew up tough and that makes me a better fighter" thing.
Not everyone who grows up in the ghetto turns out like that. (I didn't.) But it's important to consider. My sister grew up in the same neighborhood and it completely took over who she is. If you saw the two of us interacting you would never believe we are related.
I agree with WW here, boxing in the pro game is classless fulll of idiots but those idiots sell tickets. All the trash talking sells tickets. So I think a lot of it is baseless and just an act, I think we can thank Ali for all his imitators here, but purposely put on. Unless it's Broner. He is an idiot. The amateur game is different. There's no real glory unless you get to a very high standard, just a lot of hard training and graft. And in most peoples cases, a lot more loses than you would want. And once you get to a certain standard you will training daily like a pro and fighting a couple of times a month so there no time for you to go out and act like a classless idiot.
Miguel Cotto, Andre Ward, Gennady Golovkin, Austin Trout, Timothy Bradley, Luis Collazo (donates so much of his time, winnings to help kids fight childhood diseases), George Foreman...
That's true but as stated a lot of boxing gyms are in rough areas. Most wannabes don't last long in a boxing gym as it's too tough for them. It probably helps more by taking them away from their troubles and helps them develop discipline, respect, dedication and gives them something to concentrate on. Without it they would probably be in more trouble than they were with the boxing, obviously assuming they remain a pain in the rear whilst dedicating themselves to the sport. But if you've got your first big fight coming up in a couple of weeks, chances are you ain't out making trouble. You're getting your weight sorted, getting the last bits of runs in for your cardio, trying not to soil your pants etc
But there are a few out there who aren't You're always going to have rubble. Lots of it. Its the gems scattered here and there that should capture our attention.
Have to agree. Given where many came from - and listen, its not about being tough. Its not having anything that approaches a role model to look up to growing up - seeing someone make hard, self-sacrificing choices and developing over time a sense of respect for that person and what they were doing; no family framework that instills these ideas of what's proper behaviour; what true courage under fire is; etc., etc.,. At a basic level, yeah, given the situation, the people involved, boxing can develop some of that; however, its not and cannot be, a total replacement for structured, functioning families - not in the sense that we know it. Again, I'm more amased at the ones that turn out fairly decent - the ones that don't end up on Death Row and so forth - than the one's who don't.
I think tough was the wrong word. It was early I'm the morning when I wrote that I think some walk in and expect to turn into world class punchers overnight but when they see the dedication and hard work that goes into that it puts a lot of people off
This is actually why I don't follow pro boxing very closely at all. I watch the odd fight every now and again and that's it. The trash talking, the bravado and utter nonsense that gets shoved around is frankly too much. David Haye's comment about beating Audley Harrison so badly it's going to be as one sided as a gang rape (paraphrased) is the perfect example of everything that is wrong with pro boxing. Which is a shame because boxing is an ace sport.
Haye went over the top many times yes... but there are the guys who Belltoller mentioned above... all very classy and guys you should try to remember so you can maybe catch their fights when they are on. Golovkin is an up and comer and while he hasn't fought a truly elite fighter yet, he's fought a lot of good fighters... solid guys, he's also very humble, as is Cotto (but he's a PPV fighter now until likely the end of his career) and many others. Remember Haye trash talked Vladimir and didn't win a single round and fought like a scared fighter.
Is any sport without it's wrongun's? Athletics, cycling, is there anyone in either of these sports that has competed at the top level over the last 20 years who wasn't juicing? Footballers, are they good role models? Hell no! They are pathetic! In my opinion, boxing produces more real characters than any other sport. It is the most fascinating sport in the world, and the toughest. A multi-millonaire can compete against someone from extreme poverty, and when in the ring they are treated equal. Don't get that in horse racing or rowing do you? The trash talk and bravado? I love it! I what other sport would a competitor turn up for a weigh in smoking and eating pizza? And when all is said and done, after the fights there is almost always a huge amount of respect shown. Classless, no. The best sport in the world? Absolutely!
Good points, except that the millionaire usually does get special ref treatment... there's a lot of pressure on officials to help the money maker win the fight.
Boxers can show qualities and bravery on occassion not found in any other sport I can think of. We can all focus on the negative of anything and come to a bad opinion without taking the positives into consideration. In soccer, for ever Messi there is a million Balotelli's, Suarez, Jose Mourinho's, etc. In athletics, for every, er, is there any role models who aren't doped up to the eyeballs? You get my point.For me, in boxing the pro's far outweigh the con's.
This is true, but that millionaire superstar had to start somewhere to earn his reputation. He would have had some rough times at the beginning too, whether it was pro or amateur. Unlike some sports, in boxing you have to work to get to the top. It isn't easy. No one can stop you getting KO'ed. Again, it's not football where things are handed to you on a plate before you've done anything. Sometimes even, the superstars get a rough deal too.
