Downfall of the Culture: Legacy of Joe Calzaghe
by lcollins1 on Nov 10, 2008 12:35 AM EST
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PrintThe era of MMA is upon us. My coach Freddie Gatica calls it 'bum fighting'. He laments the rise of the game: "the whole purpose is to get good enough so that you don't wind up on the ground." I tend to agree. But the answer asks a more specific question, what is at the heart of 'getting good enough' at this boxing thing?
Answer: I don't know, but I've got an idea. On some level, somewhere deep and profound, this game is about artistic yet effective violence. Some combat sports, tae kwon do, most of karate, have an artistic element to them but are inherently lacking in effective, applicable violence. Boxing is not.
In the game of 'bum fighting' as Gatica called it, boxers are beginning to make their mark, to the detriment of our sport. Look up Marcus "the Irish Hand-grenade" Davis to see what a pedigreed boxer can do when he learns to survive on the ground. The base of boxing will continue to be ripped out, prospects sucked into the ever-growing limelight of MMA.
But still, there are some boxers, purveyors of artistic violence applicable in every arena, who ply their trade beautifully for us in the waning years of our sport.
Joe Calzaghe is a great athlete, but he is not one of those boxers. Joe is not a purveyor of artistic, applicable violence; he trades in the art of something else. And while we can cheer for his heart, determination, athleticism and unorthodox talent, he is a punch-line on the end of an MMA joke. That's a shame because our game deserves a better cultural representative right now, and it desperately needs one.
Joe lacks power. But more importantly, Joe has no intention of using power. Calzaghe's intention is to smother and push pace without ever closing his hands. And that's fine, that's his style and even his 'legacy', one poster on this sight said.
If that's the case, if a legitimate style in boxing includes what I saw last night, I'm not interested in watching. I can watch more effective boxing, in an applicable sense, in a different arena, in a different game.
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Bad hands.
JC superstar has bad hands, bit like JChrist.
He lacks power but has stopped 32 OUT OF 46. Come on man, nice piece but Joe is not the sole representative for boxing. He started having hand trouble around 1999-2000 and if you have ever bruised or god forbid broken your hands, you know the score and what damage it can cause. But he has battled on with it and still overcome all in front of him for that great record. So to lesson the risk of busting his hands on some blokes head , he increased his fitness to compensate, hence punchs in bunchs. If you are looking for more effective boxing style, watch Pac-man.
No body is making you watch. Its personal what you like and dislike. Joe wins but can win ugly. He can fight when he needed to but thats the skill aint it? Watch what he does when Mitchell drops him. He FIGHTS. The match this weekend did what it said on the tin. Two men on the slide fighting for a nice retirement payday. And i enjoyed it after the brown trousers incident in the 1st round.
Personally MMA for me is OK. I prefer boxing. Yes MMA is on the increase, I do watch it more, its does not get fair press over here and i can see why. Not many people can appreciate the skill these tough guys have with grappling and kicks etc but in drinking culture country like the UK we see people roll around on the ground choking people every week. I do see good fights on those UFC events but personally a classic MMA match is not as watchable as a classic boxing match.
If you think MMA is more exciting, in a more “applicable” way, good for you mate. I just dont.
Mainstream is brought to you ..
Underground you got to go there...
Rec'd
Well thought-out post. I disagree with the third to last paragraph though. There are plenty of better representatives out there, and there’s a reason why Calzaghe isn’t popular, despite being active and good. Also, FWIW, open handed punching is actually illegal in boxing. No ref is ever going to penalize Joe for it at this point in his career though.
Vogt early, Vogt often.
don't totally agree, but good post
Thanks for the thoughts. I rec’d it too.
"Yesterday I was lying, today I am telling the truth." -- Bob Arum
Respectfully...
MMA will soon run into the problems boxing has and it already is. With the multiple organizations that there are now, who knows who the “best” is, much like boxing with the multiple belts. Once more promoters and managers are involved, more people trying to make a buck you will see a decline as it will drive fans away. There is also evidence to show that MMA steals wrestling fans, not boxing fans.
Boxing is going nowhere and the reason MMA is growing is because is simplicity and better organization(less divisions, fewer orgs, deeper cards, ect.). What is happening in the ring is not what is driving people away, for the most part. I would find it hard to argue that when comparing top tier boxing to top tier MMA, MMA being more aesthetically pleasing.
That simplicity and organization will start to go when greed starts to set in, I would be more concerned as to whether MMA can maintain, I am leaning towards no.
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