That Ninth Round: A Boxing Historian Struggles to Maintain His Interest
by Bad Left Hook on Aug 26, 2010 11:52 PM EDT
in Boxing Commentary & Opinion
Email
Print
Need a little late-night reading? Ted Sares is back at Bad Left Hook.
* * * * * * * *
"There's only one way you can lick [Tony] Zale-you gotta kill him."
--Rocky Graziano
"I'll get you, you son of a bitch!"
--Rocky Marciano
"When I go out there, I have no pity on my brother. I'm out there to win."
--Joe Frazier
"It was a tough fight, but that's the way I like to win them ... I said I was going to introduce new blood to the sport, and I guess you saw a lot of new blood."
--Michael Katsidis
Recently I have had a hard time getting excited about the sport for which I have such a passion. It's not exactly writer's block; maybe it's because I have been spending an inordinate amount of time on a book project in another genre. But it's never been a problem before.
Listening to endless debates about performance-enhancing drugs and related testing, Pacquiao and Mayweather, issues associated with Antonio Margarito, and whether James Toney has it in him to take the measure of Randy Couture in a "boxing versus MMA" contest have drained me. At this point, I don't care if Manny and Mayweather ever get it on. And if the Toney-Couture affair turns out to be a farce, the entire deal will be a loss all the way around.
Watching the Super Six World Boxing Classic begin to fall apart because of injuries hopefully can be remedied by having new tournaments in other weight classes. The concept is both creative and sound.
But listening to guys like Maurice Harris and Timur Ibragimov call out the Klitschko brothers tests my patience. And I suppose we will have to suffer through Tomasz Adamek versus Lance Whitaker in the not-so-distant future. I understand the need for a big payday as much as the next guy, but seeing these guys line up like sacrificial lambs to take their inevitable beat down has become almost farcical.
There is a pattern here and I don't like it. Thankfully, we still have a Marquez-Katsidis fight, and a Marquez-Lopez one to look forward to. These men do fight with a fury that is reminiscent of warriors from a different time -- warriors who defined fury. Guys like Diego Corrales, Gatti, Ward, Julian Letterlough, a prime Tyson, Nigel Benn, and before them, Tony DeMarco and Carmen Basilio, and back even further, Zale and Graziano. But that kind of special "leave it all in the ring" style is now the exception and certainly not the rule. Vasquez and Marquez showed it in their first 3 fights. But when was the last time you witnessed it in a major heavyweight fight?
Now then, when I review my video footage of some of these older fights, I am astounded by the manner in which punches were thrown. The third Zale-Graziano fight should be witnessed by every serious fan for its sheer ferocity, not to mention one of the worse refereeing jobs in history. I wince every time I think of the ending.
This leads me back to my initial thought; namely, that I am having an atypical degree of difficulty getting excited about what I see on the current boxing landscape. More PPV fights are on the horizon, but their prices will begin to reflect revenue rather than quality. Aside from the Klitschkos, the heavyweight division is quality-challenged. Good grief, when "The Nordic Nightmare" Robert Helenius starts to make waves, you just know things are not as they should be.
Maybe I am too nostalgic and miss the old school stuff more than I should, but that's never been a real issue with me. I have always taken care to avoid falling victim to generational or era prejudice and know full well that looking through the prism of nostalgia makes everything seem better. In this regard, I have always tried to be thoughtful and objective when making comparisons between the past and the present.
A few weeks ago, I watched Tavoris Cloud get past an aging Glen Johnson (who re-hydrated to a whopping 190 pounds) over 12 grueling rounds. But in the ninth round of that fight, Cloud simply stopped fighting while Johnson threw 105 punches. And right there and then, my current malaise set in. Men who fight for a living do not stop fighting when the outcome of a championship fight is one the line. That ninth round troubled me, because back in the day, I never saw much of that. You left it in the ring; you did not take it back to the corner with you.
188 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Two immediate thoughts:
The first is the new affinity for volume punching/punchers. And why not? If you are fighting in the squared circle, the fight. Let your hands go. try to be effective. But try!
The second thought is our current crop of top fighters, Floyd and the KBros in particular. yes, they are parsimonious in breaking down their opponents with accuracy. but who other than technical experts care. Casual fans want to see a fight…not a pitcher’s duel.
I’ll think of more….but I hear you, Ted.
Oh, one more thing. Every time I watch a fight I wait for the moment when a Corrales and Castillo to breaks out. Unless you watch a lot of fights, you’re bound to miss the one that keeps you coming back.
Honestly, casual fans are in love with Mayweather, whether he’s one of their favorites or they want to see him shut up finally. He did a million buys against Marquez and 1.5 mil against Mosley. The Klitschkos can’t even get on American TV (which I think is kind of bullshit given some of the fights that DO get bought for more than they’re worth, but that’s another story).
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Aug 27, 2010 12:09 AM EDT up reply actions
But I do hear what you’re saying, too. In the words of Lennox Lewis, “Absolutely. Definitely.”
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Aug 27, 2010 12:09 AM EDT up reply actions
hell, I'm 28
And I have trouble getting excited sometimes, and this is really my generation of fighters for all intents and purposes. If I were able to break down my 10 or so favorite fighters in boxing today, I think the majority of them would be non-stars that I know will give me a fun fight, win or lose (or draw). Yonnhy Perez is one of my favorites and if you ask 100 people on the street where I’m from who Yonnhy Perez is, I doubt you get one correct answer.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
hell, I'm 18
And I have felt the same way recently.
Boxing came close to a huge surge recently, and managed to bugger it up.
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Aug 27, 2010 7:27 AM EDT up reply actions
Sulking :)
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Aug 27, 2010 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions
This here PROVES
that I haven’t gone off my rocker half-cocked as of late……. I’ve been saying for the last 3 or 4 years that boxing has ran amuck with meaningless matches and uncharismatic figures making headlines, etc…….
Oh, sure, we get a goodie of a card here and there, but them nights are getting farther and farther apart…… Especially if you are hoping for network TV or regular cable TV to air these kind of events……. Them nights are long gone……..
Now we have this Jim Toney horse-manure happening in the MMA…….. PUH-LEASE! That too is PPV…….
I miss Wide World of Sports with Alex Wallau, Jim Lampley and Al Michaels calling the shots on Saturday afternoon……. That also applies to CBS Sports Saturday and NBC Sportsworld……. ALL GONE!!
MR.BILL
Bill Petersen
MR.BILL
Raleigh, N.C.
by MRBILL40 on Aug 27, 2010 12:24 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
To be fair
The Toney fight is not the main event of the PPV, a rematch for the Lightweight Championship of the World is.
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Aug 27, 2010 7:28 AM EDT up reply actions
It's Coming.........
The World Series and Superbowl will go PPV within the next 10 years……. Free TV is dying out……. Hell, all regular TV is good for is CSI: Miami…….
For regular TV, I watch the Retro TV network here in Raleigh that airs my classic 60s & 70s shows like: “Quincy, Ironside, Emergency, Kojak, Adam-12 and Dragnet.”
Yeah, modern TV has gone to hell with sports coverage……..
Even “Monday Night Football” seems bland to me these years…… The guys who work the booth bore me with their gab…….. Cosell is dead; Gifford is old as hell and Madden retired…….. Also, what the hell was Dennis Miller doing on Monday Night Football anyway????
MR.BILL
Bill Petersen
MR.BILL
Raleigh, N.C.
again, I'm 28
All I watch on TV is reruns of old shows.
And MNF has really fallen off as a broadcast. You’re not crazy there either.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Aug 27, 2010 3:09 AM EDT up reply actions
ehh there are good comedy shows on the free networks (community-nbc, 30rock-nbc, modern family-abc), and basic cable has Breaking Bad and many others that i can’t be f’d to think about at 2:30 am
the premium cable shows have many shows that are constantly viewed as some of the greatest shows ever made, and most aren’t even 10 years old yet.
maybe i’m just biased, but i really don’t like the “everything was better back then” attitude
Texans 19-0 in 2010-2011 season PERIOD
by battle axe of doom on Aug 27, 2010 3:37 AM EDT up reply actions
I don’t either, but all my favorite recent TV shows (The Sopranos, Deadwood, John From Cincinnati, The Wire) are done, and I…don’t like network TV shows. I liked the first couple seasons of House. Modern Family and Cougar Town are OK comedies. I’d rather watch Cheers re-runs than fuckin’ Two and a Half Men any day.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Aug 27, 2010 3:41 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
the wire has only been gone for two years, both breaking bad & dexter had really strong seasons and can build up into something epic their next seasons, mad men is still getting critical acclaim (i hate it, but whatev). modern tv is still going very strong if you ask me
the only area where i can legitimately see a claim that “modern” crap blows is in music. pop music (girl pop, rap pop, rock pop) is godawful, and at least in the 60s pop was comprised of the beatles, the stones, etc.
Texans 19-0 in 2010-2011 season PERIOD
by battle axe of doom on Aug 27, 2010 3:47 AM EDT up reply actions
Not into Dexter, haven’t watched Breaking Bad. Probably should. Everyone says it’s good.
There’s still good music, but you have to dig to find it. Thanks, record industry.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Aug 27, 2010 4:02 AM EDT up reply actions
lol i’m a music nerd, so yeah i know there are some excellent bands out there. by pop i was referring to the lady gagas, katy perrys (who i’m ashamed to say that i listen to), and lil’ waynes of the world
Texans 19-0 in 2010-2011 season PERIOD
by battle axe of doom on Aug 27, 2010 4:39 AM EDT up reply actions
i know what you mean. that’s why i have avoided the radio for a couple of years now. everything’s commercialized.
by erasedcitizen on Aug 27, 2010 7:10 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I can't say I even like the people you need to dig for much
90% of what Pitchfork recommends makes me want to take a real pitchfork and stick it in my eye.
At this point, I think I’m just getting old and crotchety. Even bands I like are consistently disappointing me with their recent efforts. I probably end up downloading various dubstep mixes for free and listening to those 80% of the time lately.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Some modern stuff is great
I’m really enjoying finding some relatively new stuff to add to my own personal library: My Chemical Romance have been a recent edition, never to leave.
Also, like SC is saying about the lesser known fighters, some lesser known bands are awesome. I’ll give you an example: BLH’s very own Bazzlad is in a band called Rhesus, and their stuff is quality. There were a few other bands he linked me to (I’ll try to find the link) and I went through some of their stuff too, it was a genuine pleasure.
I saw MCR on a couple of very small shows in Detroit a couple of years before they hit it big here.
I think Fang Island is my favorite “new” band of 2010, even though their videos make me want to gouge out my eyes.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Aug 27, 2010 4:08 AM EDT up reply actions
Rhesus' album 'Narcolepsy Baby' is class.
Took me a couple of listens, but then so did all my recent favourites, Keane, Fall Out Boy, MCR, even the likes of the Counting Crows and the Stereophonics didn’t strike me as that good on first listen.
i loathe MCR, but an example of modern stuff i really, REALLY dig is arcade fire. been obsessed with those dudes recently
Texans 19-0 in 2010-2011 season PERIOD
by battle axe of doom on Aug 27, 2010 4:41 AM EDT up reply actions
everything on radio is commercialized. i have been avoiding it for a couple years now, and everytime i hear someone praise lady gaga to high heavens for her supposed lyrical genius, i gag. ‘’bluffin with my muffin’’, yeah right.
by erasedcitizen on Aug 27, 2010 7:20 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I’d rather watch Cheers re-runs than fuckin’ Two and a Half Men any day.
Cheers and Frasier always will be two of the greatest shows of all time.
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Aug 27, 2010 7:29 AM EDT up reply actions
Cheers I understand
But Frasier?
It’s like the TV equivalent of power pop, but of currently airing shows I also like Burn Notice and White Collar on USA quite a bit.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
We're going to differ big time
On the Frasier thing, so let’s not go there.
I really like House, but the finale of season six was atrocious. Time to let it die.
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Aug 27, 2010 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions
DR has a point. Fraser is one of the best written shows bar none.
Check out Friday Night Lights. Great looking kids. Very good profile of small town Texas football.
Yes, in fact, Frasier is a better show than Cheers. It’s one of the few spin-offs that can claim that honour.
Officially boycotting Pacquiao vs. Margarito.
JOEY!
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Bring back 15 round championship fights!
No, it wouldn’t solve every problem, or even the primary problem you’re discussing. But many great fights of the past had their decisive and dramatic moment after the twelfth round. And often times when we are watching a fight bordering on greatness, the damn thing is over before it has a chance to achieve it.
Of course today we have so many title fights that are not worthy of the word “championship.” I watched every round of Mancini-Kim, and, as great a fight as he put up, Kim did not belong in a 15 round title fight he only got because of a corrupt ranking system. I’m also well aware of the impediments today to getting a 15 rounder sanctioned.
But today, more and more big fights are made or at least almost made regardless of whether the alphabet boys sanction them. That leaves the issue of the state commisions. I realize Floyd Mayweather will probably not really fight in Dubai. But imagine if Floyd and Manny scheduled a 15 round fight (which is the length that that match should actually be) there or in another nation that doesn’t legally restrict fights to 12 rounds. Or Floyd-Paul Williams. Or Manny-Bradley in the Philippines. Those nations would certainly take the fights, and they would certainly be huge events, and they would have the potential to be historically great fights.
And once a precedent was set, at least some state commisions would likely loosen up on the issue, though hopefully with higher standards as to who should be permitted in such fights than they once had.
I actually agree with this.
If it was good enough for the Four Kings, it should be good enough for the miliad ‘champions’ of today. It might even prevent some of these guys saying they are World Champion, since 15 round fights really seperate the men from the boys.
Or
We get to see exhausted men, with diminished skills due to fatigue, stumble around a ring for 3 rounds at the end of every fight.
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Aug 27, 2010 7:30 AM EDT up reply actions
"Or" Is the One
with diminished skills due to fatigue, stumble around a ring for 3 rounds at the end of every fight.
Getting severely injured. I miss the last 3 rnds too, but it really did a lot of damage.
You're probably right.
But I can’t start merging my nostaligia with moralising…. I’d never get anything done!!
Sorry to moralise
But they did get more hurt more often. I’ve gotta be a prune on that one, even tho’ I hear you, and It’s seductive, the 15-rnd fight idea.
Not every fight
Remember, these would be rare fights that promoters feel would be worth leaving the country for. A general approach should be: a) the consensus top 2 in a division or b) the consensus number 1 fighters from two different divisions.
If (a huge if) the current corrupt alphabet soup sanctioning bodies are ever replaced by a respectable governing body, 15 rounders could then be reserved for mandatories between #1 and #2.
by geraldmcgrew on Aug 27, 2010 11:26 PM EDT up reply actions
If (a huge if) the current corrupt alphabet soup sanctioning bodies are ever replaced by a respectable governing body
Won’t happen. Too much money involved for too many greedy b****rds not to get involved.
Would be nice, though.
Don't like wrestling in MMA? Go watch K-1.
Can't deal with the occasional boring fight? Let me introduce you to ROH.
by Monday Morning Martial Artist on Sep 3, 2010 6:56 AM EDT up reply actions
"...the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice."
-MLK (paraphrasing Theodore Parker)
i’ve only been into boxing for about 5-6 years now, and i’m just as excited as i was when i first saw ODLH-Mosley II (my first fight). 2010 has been pretty drab, but boxing is my true sports passion and if a fight comes along that gets me pumped up i get f’ing PUMPED. even though i knew PBF-JMM was going to be a miserable fight i still had prefight jitters. hell i prefer the FOTY from the past few years then i did any of the older fights i’ve seen. the only fight that comes to mind that was from previous generations that got me pumped as much as a fight from the 2000s was Sanchez-Nelson
Texans 19-0 in 2010-2011 season PERIOD
by battle axe of doom on Aug 27, 2010 3:42 AM EDT reply actions
Me too
I should really be Prodigal BoxAnne. Watched a lot as a kid, thru my early teens, less often but still through college (Ali, on the tv at the local bar, we took him for granted), and then life just got too busy and I mostly lived a screenless existence till 2/3 yrs ago. And found my way (right away) back to boxing, and have been high on it ever since. My before-and-after take on things is that the clothes got a lot—more exuberant (I was thunderstruck), but personally I think the athletes are way better conditioned, and the fights are mostly better—there were plenty of potboiler fights back then, two big guys having 4-rnd truces and then throwing a few punches and back to holding and running and posing again. I’d be at the fridge, enjoining my brother to “yell if they start hitting each other.” You never heard the words “work rate” or had punch stats to measure up to. There are plenty of real snoozers now too, but there really always were, and it just seems to me that—the great fights were then and are now great fights, but the average fights are better now, mosty.
Sensible response.
We forget how many snoozers there were back when. That is partly why we remember the exceptional so fondly.
I also think the conditioning today is off the charts. Maybe boxing is competing for talent with less punishing and more rewarding options but never let it be said that these full time guys training ass they do are not supreme athletes.
Part of what fascinates me always about boxing is that two insanely conditioned and trained combat experts meet in a square circle in their shorts wearing barely padded gloves. They have no protective gear other than their cups, their skills and their wits. They have no timeouts. No substitutions. One minute of rest every four minutes. And back out to meet a guy trying his best to beat him….literally. The balls alone are off the charts. The ability to fight and win incredible.
Two men, supremely trained……and somebody has to lose. awesome stuff.
The real problem is that the titles are meaningless, and therefore potential casual fans get lost
One key for attracting and maintaining casual fans are clear, recognizable guide posts. Through the total devaluation of boxing titles, boxing has lost its guide posts for casual fans to follow. There no longer are any real, universally recognized champions (I realize there are the Ring Magazine rankings, but having to explain away the alphabet soup trinkets just muddies the water way too much) .
Find a way to ensure that there is only one champion at each weight class. Have a competent, fair ranking system that ensures that top fighters actually fight each other. Make weight classes broader so that fans don’t have to follow so many weight classes. At this point, however, I would add a Super Heavyweight division starting at 230ish, just because the Heavyweight division is so broad that it is a total joke, outside of the Klitschko brothers.
I was with you until
At this point, however, I would add a Super Heavyweight division starting at 230ish
by Chaos100 on Aug 27, 2010 4:15 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yeah. The Klitschkos are the only guys really doing anything. Tomasz Adamek just beat 6’7" Michael Grant. Eddie Chambers beat Alexander Dimitrenko convincingly. The Klitschkos are just good. It’s more than being big.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Aug 27, 2010 4:22 AM EDT up reply actions
And having only ONE hw champ would attract more athletes to the sport
in addition to more fans, of course.
by geraldmcgrew on Aug 27, 2010 11:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Not so sure. The more belts, the more money. And that's what this has become.
It’s like a lottery. If I can get one shot and a big payday and ghet out, well heck, maybe I can ride on easy street. Like King Pin or Sosnowski.
But I’ll tell you something. I just saw an interview with Michael Dokes and it was frightening. Good God. Ther is nothing easy about this sport.
Pray for Nick Charles
But guys that once wanted to be champ play other sports now
If there was only one “Heavyweight Champion of the World,” I think more kids would want to be boxers.
by geraldmcgrew on Aug 27, 2010 11:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes.
You could actually keep the weight classes as long as each one only had ONE title. But I’d leave the HWs alone too. I do think that the tournement concept is a kind of alternative. People know who won the tourney, and it’s a kind of guidepost,
but clear, recognizable guide postsare essential, very true.
Last time I saw it in a high level heavyweight fight
Was Brewster-Lyakhovich. Those two literally left everything in the ring that night.
I don’t see how adding another weight class up top changes much. Not that long ago, everyone who’s fighting at Cruiserweight now would have been a heavyweight. I’ve never heard someone say ’there’s nothing going on at heavyweight, but at least there are lots of good fights at cruiserweight’. But there HAVE been lots of good fights at cruiserweight. People just don’t care. And if they made a super heavyweight division, then 20 years from now people would only care about that division too, and it would be even weaker than it is now.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
man thanks for reminding
Me about that fight. That was an awesome war
I was really high on the white wolf making a name in the division
Only to get beaten by an asthmatic Briggs.Isn’t that the fight that
Detached laymons retina?
"I’m normally not a praying man, but if you’re up there, please save me, Superman." - Homer Simpson
Yeah
His eye was already messed up by the time he rematched Wlad. Took a lot out of Lyakhovich also. Neither man was the same after.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Roy calling out anyone adds to my malais .
Disarm you with a smile ....
by Sir Jack Daniels on Aug 27, 2010 4:58 PM EDT up reply actions
S'funny, Ted. I've been through the same lack of interest recently. Thought it was my age
I put it down to the inconclusive match-ups and general bollox that the sport’s become. I can sort of understand why people seem to be switching wholesale to wrestling or MMA. The good and great fighters are still there in this day and age but the matches don’t really come any more. Art least, that’s how it feels. And what are they matched for? Some cheap belt or another, leaving fight fans to argue over the relative merits of the holders of a bauble or two. In the good days we knew who was the better fighter, he was the Champion of the World – until the next one relieved him of it.
Don't tell me I play bum notes - I KNOW!
by Randy Loathsome on Aug 27, 2010 9:02 AM EDT reply actions
From my good buddy Ray Gordon Reid viaJacksonville, FL via Waycross Giorgia
GOD FRIIDAYTEDNINTH ROUND SARES AMIGO YOUR FRIEND RAY GORDONREID WAY CROSS GEORGIA JANUARY1/11/1955 DONT LOOSE LKIING BIOXING TED IF YIOU QUIT LIKINGBOXONG WE WONT ANY MOREARTICLES FROM YOU
Pray for Nick Charles
Fond memories
Hopefully we just have a little dry spell here. It’s human nature to remember the great fights (Lopez/Ayala) and forget the crappy ones (Tyson / Bonecrusher). It’s especially true to reminise positively when it’s something we love.
It's just a dry spell
Only last year, we were all heralding boxing’s comeback. More patience is needed.
Boxing writer: "Iran, what are you going to do when you retire?"
Iran Barkley: "Rob your house"
We call it a drought and it's likely to be terminal.
The golden days are gone. Sad but true. However one might colour the present, it just doesn’t compare to the time of 8 divisions, 8 belts. No argument.
Don't tell me I play bum notes - I KNOW!
by Randy Loathsome on Aug 27, 2010 5:58 PM EDT up reply actions
In fact I'll go further and state that unless there is a reversion to one World Championship per weight division,
….which won’t happen until the money men vote with their wallets…boxing will not recover. When we are in a situation where FOUR or even FIVE fighters can claim to be World Champions and where their respective fans can claim that so-and-so bum was/is a World Champ; where someone like Holyfield, great as he is, compares himself to Ali as a three-time World Heavyweight Champion because he once won three belts at different times; then it’s fair to say that interest in the sport will continue to drain away. Can anyone here claim that a mere belt is as important as THE World Championship? Honestly? Until we, the afficionados, stop paying for the drivel that masquerades as World Championship fights, the doldrums will continue.
Don't tell me I play bum notes - I KNOW!
by Randy Loathsome on Aug 28, 2010 7:26 AM EDT up reply actions
This has been a weak year, but I don't think it's terminal
I do think things were improving in recent years, partly in response to MMA success, partly because promoters saw how well fans responded to great matches. We’d all be feeling a lot different right now if it wasn’t for Mayweater-Pac not happening. That’s really gummed things up. Whether or not boxing “is” back, I still think its comeback will continue after this setback.
Unless and until we put an end to poverty (ahem!), there will always be those attracted to boxing as a way out (and those desiring to profit from it). And until that day, there will always be those of us who root for them and enjoy the excitement they provide.
by geraldmcgrew on Aug 28, 2010 12:03 AM EDT up reply actions
Doldrums
It has no question been a duller year by far than last, which was peppered with good fights, but take heart—fall season is suddenly looking monster good, and the Super Six, bumps in the road and all, has been a wonderful thing. And is even catching on as a concept, which I believe to be a really great thing. It’s August, late late summer time, always a slow, sleepy sort of depressive time, the impending death of summer. Doldrums come and go, but KB, I hope you stay.
Part of it too
Is that there just hasn’t been a ‘stand up from your seat and scream at the TV’ kind of fight this year.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Yeah. The fights on major TV this year have been pretty damn ho-hum overall. The two best fights of the year, IMO, are still Estrada-Rivero (nobody bought that PPV) and Escalante-Roman (nobody watched that FNF).
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Aug 27, 2010 10:02 AM EDT up reply actions
Escalante-Roman
I saw that fight, it was a gem. FNF has nice surprises sometimes, I always watch it—you can see it the whole next week on ESPN3 >boxing>replay. But only for a week.
Great way to put it. I can't remember when I did that last. Probably was Cotto-Margo or Cotto-Pac.
Pray for Nick Charles
I had ONE moment in Mayweather-Mosley, when Shane rocked Floyd in the second round, where everything stopped and I was completely lost in the moment. And then Floyd took over the fight the rest of the night. That one moment was something I won’t forget, but it was just one moment, and the end of that story isn’t quite as exciting.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Aug 27, 2010 7:01 PM EDT up reply actions
once it became about having a spotless record….the taking chances style was destined to fade.
you can’t take chances like that now, b/c that style can lead to losses, and then you have some other guy who has beaten cans but has a spotless record who will demand more money and not fight you if you’re at all dangerous.
Gatti. Dekkers. Pele. Aoki. Kang. Vanderlei. Basillio. Harry Greb.
by theworldsoldestsport on Aug 27, 2010 11:07 AM EDT reply actions
I forgot that
Football on Monday nights is now aired by ESPN…. Well, just what is ABC TV good for anymore?? I don’t watch CSI: Miami or Vegas…… That network can go off the air for all I care………
MR.BILL
Bill Petersen
MR.BILL
Raleigh, N.C.
All the major networks are on their way out, IMO
So much other choice means way less advertising revenue. Less revenue means the quality of the programming suffers, and they have to fill out massive amounts of time with cheap to produce garbage like Minute to Win It and Dancing with the Stars. Most of the networks are down to only a few sitcoms. There are only 4 soap operas left. Ratings on the late night talk shows are flagging, and several of the heirs apparent just aren’t any good.
Sure, they still have decent serial dramas, but with the way basic cable channels like AMC and FX are developing HBO-style dramas, others are sure to follow and cut into that market even more.
Most of the best cartoons are on Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, so they’re not getting the new generations to get into the habit of watching the major networks. In 15 – 20 years, there just won’t be anyone left who remembers TV without having tons of choices other than the networks.
They won’t die out completely, of course, but it won’t be long before the major networks are just another option rather than major networks.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
And with TV going digital
It’s not even feasible to not have a cable box anymore, which cuts out a decent chunk of the market as well.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Weekend afternoons
Would it not be feasable for major networks to put fights on again on Saturday and Sunday afternoons? Not during football season, but as a competitor to golf and tennis. Better fights than we see on ESPN, but below the level we expect on HBO, or that HBO doesn’t want, or even the very best fights in the very smallest divisions like Calderon-Segura. The kind of fights that now get put on smaller pay per views or get put on PPV because HBO and Showtime turn them down. I’ll always remember watching a guy like Eusebio Pedroza, who would never be put on PPV, on a Saturday afternoon during the ‘80s. There are so many comparable “title fights” today. I’ve always felt that what killed this was the exclusive contracts with HBO and Showtime that proliferated in the mid to late eighties, but there are fewer of those now. Would people not watch them for free on a weekend afternoon (again, not during football season) ?
by geraldmcgrew on Aug 28, 2010 12:35 AM EDT up reply actions
Nobody wants to take the risk
The networks have agreed to do this once or twice before, but they’ve made the promoters find the advertisers, and because of that, it’s always ended up falling through. I remember Antonio Tarver was supposed to fight on ABC a few years back, but they just couldn’t generate enough ad revenue, and he ended up fighting Danny Santiago on Showtime instead.
And I do think most people would just change the channel.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
It is and will always be about money.
There is no way…with heads on the line….that anyone involved in the money train is going to take a risk of that nature just for the love of the game.
Imagine going home to tell your wife that you have just lost your job because you insisted to your board that you televise a boxing match…..that bombed. You can’t and neither can any self-respecting or preserving executive.
Every time in recent years I’ve heard boxing proposed for major network TV, it’s always been for a huge fight that would be very expensive and have to do enormous ad revenue to be considered a success. What I’m proposing is the kind of fights and fighters, some of whom even have a title because we have so many of those, that don’t cost so much being programmed against afternoon competition that doesn’t do that well itself. Maybe there isn’t any way to make the numbers work, but, as in most things, I suspect the decision makers are stuck thinking inside the box.
Another thing I think would help: When Sugar Ray Leonard would fight his version of the Joshua Clotteys of the world, he’d fight them in prime time on a Friday night on ABC. It might’ve even been a weaker opponent than Clottey like Davey “boy” Green. Very few fighters could get strong ratings with this type of fight obviously; it would have to be a PREMIER fighter. But those showcase network appearences wet the public appetite for his PPV bouts and also promoted the sport more generally. Both Pacquiao and Mayweather are in a position to do this with showcase fights. RJJ might have made the kind of money he felt he deserved if he had done them back when he was in his prime. But he didn’t have Mike Trainer advising him.
by geraldmcgrew on Aug 28, 2010 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Honestly, at this point I don’t give a rat’s ass about Floyd v Pac. I’m a fan of both fighters, but I don’t really care anymore if they ever meet in the ring. I focus on matches like JMM v Katsidis and the like, great fighters who just sign on the bottom line and go to work. There are still quite a few of these fights out there. You just have to weed out the boxing biz nonsense.
Exactly, ocelot, exactly. I'm sick of reading guys debate with over 1,,000 posts whether Pac is
avoiding Drug Testing. You can only make so may assumptions beforew you start repeating yourself. and Heck, how many differeny ways can you say “Viva Margarito?” I’m also sick of writer who continue to write about them subjects iver and over again. These guys firhet that it’s not about the NUMBER of posts you get. It’a all about the QUALITY of posts. They become whores to Manny, Maywether, annd Margo. Enough already.
Pray for Nick Charles
And just when it gets dark
Along come a kid like Canelo. Or Juanma. Or Gamboa. even Khan.
Stay tuned boxing fans. It never ends.
Exciting fighters are like beautiful women: they come and go, but the world always makes more of them.
Screw BOTH
Mayrunner and Packer………
Fraud Mayrunner is a spoiled bitch……… I never liked the kid……… Never will, either…..
Manolo Pacquiao has become rich and famous, but yet, never has even suggested giving back something to the fans, such as a regular HBO fight with Tony Margarito….. That card will also be PPV…… Are you shittin’ me??
Bob Arum is like one of those stale farts that linger in an office building…… He just won’t go away……
MR.BILL
Bill Petersen
MR.BILL
Raleigh, N.C.
Manny is giving his fame back to the fans that made him famous and supported him since his beginning. He is a congressman working to get funds to his impoverished district.
There are a few former fighters who gave back as much as him but I am having a hard time thinking of one who is giving back more to more actual fans.
by pakinpower on Aug 27, 2010 2:26 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
hahahahahahahhaha fuckkk
The Fraud comment was great but the Arum comment was gold . The missus just asked why am I pissing myself laughing this early in the morning . Cheers Bill , always getting to the bones of the situation.
"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me. " Hunter S Thompson.
Last, year the buzz around here was that boxing was coming back in a big way.
I think this is all just disappointment at the obvious failures recently (I don’t need to reiterate them).
In the interests of optimism, here are a few things to be happy about:
1) Internet streams on high def video cards plugged into huge screens (I get to see more fights, good or bad, than I ever have).
2) This blog (the finest community of boxing fans out there with all the latest greatest online tools).
3) No more mob ruled bouts.
4) An increasingly international fan demographic.
5) Adamek, the Marquez brothers, Saul Alvarez, Tim Bradley, Andre Ward, and lest we forget, the greatness of Manny Pacquiao.
Boxing writer: "Iran, what are you going to do when you retire?"
Iran Barkley: "Rob your house"
by Matt Miller on Aug 27, 2010 4:41 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I don't give a
duck about Manolo’s congressional bullspit work…… I’m talkin’ about puttin’ on a good fight for the fans on regular HBO and sending his check to various funds like the crooked United Way…
Every time “The Packer” and Bob Arum announce a fight, it goes live on PPV…. No matter who the opponent may be or who’s playing on the lousy undercard……. Josh Clottey was no PPV fighter / opponent…… And neither is washed-up Tony Margarito…….
I’m turned off with “The Packer.” I do “Packer” replay’s now the following week…… WORD!
MR.BILL
Bill Petersen
MR.BILL
Raleigh, N.C.
The man is right
If he wants all is fights on PPV, they should ALL be against the best opponent the world has to offer.
by geraldmcgrew on Aug 28, 2010 12:41 AM EDT up reply actions
as if he has ducked the good ones...
C’mon. The man is a prizefighter extraordinaire. Pony up and pay the price. this is a once in a lifetime fighter.
Last Pac fight I bought was Pacquiao-Hatton
His fights since then have been fine for me to watch on tape. I’m not saying he ducked anyone. If anything I blame Arum for giving us the weakest fights he can sell. But I may buy the next one if the undercard is as strong as has been suggested.
by geraldmcgrew on Aug 28, 2010 1:20 AM EDT up reply actions
Cotto was the weakest fight that could be sold?
That hardly seems fair.
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on Aug 28, 2010 7:19 AM EDT up reply actions
I take your point, but
when discussing Bob Arum’s control over what we get to watch, a little hyperbole to make a point is fair game.
by geraldmcgrew on Aug 28, 2010 6:28 PM EDT up reply actions
But I will try to desist from such personal critique for the next year.
Sincere condolences to Bob Arum and his family.
I don't know about that
Cotto, Clottey and Margarito have all been Top Rank fighters, yes, but they were all also the second or third best option available at the time, even including Mayweather as an option.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Perfect world, Mosley was an option last November instead of Cotto, and had a higher standing among most, despite his own tight loss to Cotto. I had no problem with Pac-Cotto or Pac-Clottey as fights, though.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Aug 28, 2010 5:22 PM EDT up reply actions
’nor me . Neither fight was a “given” . Things could of happened on paper at least .
Disarm you with a smile ....
by Sir Jack Daniels on Aug 28, 2010 5:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Sure but...
Those of us who thought it highly unlikely for Cotto or Clottey to be competitive were proven right. Many of us bought the fights anyway for the reasons stated above. I’m glad I saved my money.
He should have fought Masley instesd of Cotto and Bradley instead of Clottey.
by geraldmcgrew on Aug 28, 2010 6:25 PM EDT up reply actions
GM, Bradley is totally unrealistic
He can barely get the powers that be interested in paying him enough to fight Alexander. He’s a good kid…..but he is way in the back if any line with Manny in front.
And as far as Cotto goes, he was in the fight for four solid rounds before Manny kicked in the afterburners that have separated him from everyone else. You missed a good fight.
Bradley would have sold as well as or better than Clottey, and as for the Cotto fight...
I did watch the replay. From what I could see, with the obvious exception of one great shot to Manny’s ear, Pacquiao controlled the fight from start to finsh. It’s just that he didn’t fully assert that control until a ways into the fight. I know that some disagree, but that’s what I saw. I’m glad you enjoyed it (I am). I don’t think I would have nearly as much.
by geraldmcgrew on Aug 28, 2010 8:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Fair enough
On the other hand, if I used the standard by which some judges judge a round ……that being ‘which fighter would I rather have been’….. to evaluate which fight I think would be competitive, I would pick Manny/Cotto every day before Manny/ Bradley.
Manny would, at this moment in their respective careers, not only school Bradley in a way that would hurt him physically…and mentally….it may very well have hurt in at box office going forward.
I think that ‘the powers that be’, including Bradley’s management, know that as well.
Bradley and his people wanted to fight Manny
for better or worse (obviously Manny would and should be the HEAVY favorite in that bout).
And again, given the timeline of how things went down: the comparisons should be Cotto or Mosely last November and Clottey or Bradley last March.
by geraldmcgrew on Aug 28, 2010 9:32 PM EDT up reply actions
And P.S.
I recognize the control of the “powers that be,” but part of the whole point of this post’s discussion (it seems to me) is the damage that those powers have done to the sport. The sport needs more fighters like Bradley. The fact that someone like him has trouble getting fights is exactly the point.
by geraldmcgrew on Aug 28, 2010 8:28 PM EDT up reply actions
amen
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Aug 29, 2010 6:39 AM EDT up reply actions
I’ve loved watching boxing from as early as I can remember . As soon as I was allowed ( mother big anti-boxing mum ) went to local gym and had my gloves on by the time I was 10. During my teens I started drifting into karate but always watched boxing (better fights) then drifted back to the old gloves . Early 20’s it was Thai for me , loved my Thai but always loved watching boxing more . Better fights.
I started watching MMA years before the UFC was born . Pride and other Asian Tourney’s first ( though it was hard to be a “fan” as media coverage of these was just about zero in the UK – I got to see some coverage when I was working abroad ) .Sakuraba was my man !
Then came the first UFC ‘s that once a year , no weights , Gracie wins again tourney’s that were cool but a little freakish . I always loved boxing more though .Better fights .
Now things have changed . MMA is now a respected sport not a freakshow . Fighters like Jose Aldo now make me youtube what once would have been the new prospect in boxing .
I’m no total MMA convert but they are doing ( very generally) a great job in putting on great cards and great fights REGULARY .
The only thing boxing does regulary is screw up .
Boxing is still my main passion but I now probably watch an equal amount of MMA .It’s so easy to see why the younger or casual fans are watching MMA instead of boxing though .
Disarm you with a smile ....
by Sir Jack Daniels on Aug 27, 2010 5:26 PM EDT reply actions
Im no UFC or MMA
expert but what they have is that old " im the toughest bastard in the room" mentality . The best seek out the best and fight em . Thats all I want in our sport Ted. Not cherry picking businessmen . Great stuff Sir Jack.
"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me. " Hunter S Thompson.
Thanks JC44 mate .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpKfUviYSjU
Don’t know if you’ve ever seen Jose Aldo – MMA hot property , he don’t fight UFC ( too light ) but check him out .
No wonder my lad’s put MMA gloves on and not my type of glove’s – it’s hot and happening for the younger crowd , I can see it a mile off .
ps – hope posting the link is ok .
Disarm you with a smile ....
by Sir Jack Daniels on Aug 27, 2010 6:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Cheer Sir Jack
I’ll suss that out tonight mate.
"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me. " Hunter S Thompson.
“suss it out” : to find out / work something out .
“sussed” : found out / caught ie " I tried to steal a chicken from Tesco and got sussed"
“suss” : discover something / work something out / watch something etc.
Disarm you with a smile ....
by Sir Jack Daniels on Aug 28, 2010 3:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Interesting
to watch that Sir jack.
I knew about Aldo but hadn’t seen him in action yet.
I can see why he is near the top of the MMA P4P lists.
Matt - Indeed .
He’s a beast .
Disarm you with a smile ....
by Sir Jack Daniels on Aug 28, 2010 3:39 PM EDT up reply actions
this is what I am talking about.
Adrian Diaconu will face Omar Sheika on the undercard of Lucian Bute against Jesse Brinkley
Pray for Nick Charles
Yep thats it mate .
The German under cards are the worst imo . "Pack out the place with the a Kilt or an Abraham then fu’k it , that will do " is the order of the day .
Disarm you with a smile ....
by Sir Jack Daniels on Aug 27, 2010 5:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Not making any comments
About Germans and fair play ;-)
"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me. " Hunter S Thompson.
Not me either .
Disarm you with a smile ....
by Sir Jack Daniels on Aug 27, 2010 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions
The Brit. scene is having somwhat of a good spell at the moment though even though I’ve just slagged off boxing generally .
Frank Warrens got some good stuff happening by the sounds of it .
A decent crop of young guns .
There’s some Brit. belt shots soon which should be interesting and loads of other stuff .
Even Haye vs Audley which to the hardcore is what it is but It’ll be real big in the UK and will attract the casuals in their droves .
Yes it’s sunny in the UK for a change .
Disarm you with a smile ....
by Sir Jack Daniels on Aug 27, 2010 6:22 PM EDT reply actions
Typo’s and grammo’s galore .
Disarm you with a smile ....
by Sir Jack Daniels on Aug 27, 2010 7:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Take it easy Blokes
Im going for a surf – check out the talent at Byron , those backpackers doing the early morning swim – nip erector in the coolish 20 degree water are always worth having a quiet perve at . Then its on to the local hippie market at Kingscliffe where im doing some part time work as the missuses handbag . On topic , since the Briggs – Green farce here Boxing’s becoming the punchline to bad jokes . Mundine and Green have a lot to answer for . Have a good one Ted , like you Im a bit disgruntled by the whole frigging show at the moment . My rant on everything thats wrong with boxing would be Tolstoy like if I could be bothered even writing it .
"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me. " Hunter S Thompson.
Re: Backpackers and their swim.
Got any pic’s ? I send cash .
Disarm you with a smile ....
by Sir Jack Daniels on Aug 27, 2010 6:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Is Boxing Becoming a Joke?
Ted, I for one am getting fed up with all the Bull S—- in Boxing. Too many titles, Belts, Champions , easy mismatches, fighters avoiding fighters etc etc etc. Is our once proud sport dying ?? Is UFC taking over ?? Anyway mate. Another interesting Article to think about. I hope your enjoying the Johny Lewis Autobiography I sent you mate.
Cheers Ted.
Aussie Boxing ???
Anthony Mundine has made Boxing a serious joke Down Under. He’s fought nobodies all his career and made a fortune. Now all the wanna be Rugby Players are all trying to turn pro & think they are World Title Contenders. Boxing in Australia is now just all about making money off Pay Per View. Boxing is at its lowset in Australia at the momemt. What are we gonna do about it ?
The Finger Man !!!! John Hopoate
Ted, the finger man is Ex Rugby Player John " Fingers up the Bum" Hopoate. He was banned by the Rugby Board for sticking his fingers up players bums. Then he turned pro & even won the Australian Heavy Weight Title beating Big Bob Mirovic in a dirty fight. Say’s alot for Aussie Boxing.
Yes, John is a disgusting example of Aussie boxing. God forbid he knock you out because he then goes into the secon phase of the deal. Here is his bxing debut:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkyD2bnyqRw
Pray for Nick Charles
How about some ideas as to how I can get out of my current funk? I am thinking about going to the
Margo-Pac deal.
Pray for Nick Charles
I really like the schedule coming up in the final quarter of the year. A lot of potentially very good and great fights in there. Lopez-Marquez, Darchinyan-Mares, Perez-Agbeko II, Khan-Maidana, Marquez-Katsidis, even Pacquiao-Margarito could be very entertaining despite anyone’s issues with the very idea of it.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Aug 28, 2010 12:27 AM EDT up reply actions
Calderon-Segura tomorrow night is an excellent start!
by geraldmcgrew on Aug 28, 2010 1:01 AM EDT up reply actions
Try
Just suggestions:
A short vacation from all boxing input—turn everything off, the weather’s good now, go outside and enjoy it—you’ll probably be frantic for boxing after 48 hrs. Or less.
Or, an auxiliary interest—something like hunting down all images of your favorite type, and scrapbooking or filing them a la John Gencoe’s post, or reviewing/cataloguing boxing/music videos, or the like.
Or just stick with us ,Ted.
The conversation will keep you on your muscle when the next great battle takes you by surprise.
THE OLD DAYS!
When you go back and watch the fights from the 40’s and 50’s you can clearly see that fighters mostly entered the ring to give their all, win or loose. For sheer the ferocitry and tenacity of the Zale – Graziano fights only Hagler – Hearns, Ward, and Gatti come close or match that. Most of the old school fighters trained harder, were in better physical shape, and fought much harder than the current crop. No I am not day dreaming this is just plain fact. Go to Youtube and check it out for your self. Mr. Sares knows boxing and it making a correct call on this subject.
Yes but the.....
One night you’re sitting alone with no one else interested in watching with you, you turn on the tube and you witness two guys who just flat out decide to screw it….abandon everything….and go to war.
The, for the rest of your life, you get to tell everyone about having watched the night Diego Corrales and a relatively obscure Mexican, Jose Luis Castillo, made history.
Now one fight like that….on an otherwise off night…..is something very few people but the hardcore had the opportunity to witness. And never forget.
I saw Monroe Brooks and Bruce Curry do that back in the day. They produced a classic.
Pray for Nick Charles
BTW, This article came about when Don From Prov and I were having lunch with our ladies on Wed in Lincoln
NH. I told him I was getting bored abourt boxing and he said that the Ninth round of the Cloud Fight really disturbed him. I grabbed hold of his thought and this is the result. That’s how articles are wtitten. The idea pops up out of nowhere and you put it down on anapkin and go with it. That what makes writing fun for me, not that I am especially good at it. Don, by the way, is an awasome writer.
Pray for Nick Charles
Don From Prov--
never known for his common sense managed to leave a trail & get very well lost in the quite lovely National forest in NH.
The impaired are blessed, however, and I made one right choice five hours later when I was about to go from being completely lost to being hopelessly fucked & deep into some wilderness area on “trails” that no one has hiked for years.
Just got back and saw this post and will read fully comment tomorrow. Good stuff, Ted—
But you people should do more to protect visitors to your stinkass state. :)
We'll take that as your metaphor for the state of boxing, Don.
You start out in daylight down a well traveled path….get lost in the midst of poorly marked matches…..and then, boom…..daylight. You find the one that gets you out.
You dwell on what for all intents and purposes you might rightfully describe as a stinking morass and say……screw this whole state. But then you get home, get a cold one, look back and say, wow, I can’t believe after all that I found my way out. That’s an experience I’ll never forget.
Or, you just say fudge that……I’m done with hiking and NH.
Either way, glad to have you back.
“I’ll get you, you son of a bitch!”
I may have missed the answer further up but i was wondereing,who did marciano say that to/about,Ted?
Surprisngly, I am turned off by the constant rambling deabte re Margarito, but I am not turned off
by the propsect of his fight with Pac Man. I will watch that fight with interest. In a way, it makes a lot more sense than Toney’s disgraceful and predictable loss to Randy.
Pray for Nick Charles
Nutrition
Letting someone beat on you as Ali did with his rope a dope has hurt many a fighter. Chazz Witherspoon finally has started to use his legs instead of standing in front of his opponent with his hands held high and hoping he punches himself out. Today with so many boxers lacking skills and less and less trainers available it seems nutrition is a chief weapon. I watched ESPN2 and this Omri Lowther decided in the tenth and last round to fight back after doing next to nothing for nine rounds. Then had the nerve to raise his hand as the decison was being announced!
I Feel Ya Ted
The Haye – Klit non fight , The Manny – Floyd circus , the Toney v Couture farce , Potevkin pulling out of the Klit fight , Roy Jones still wanting to fight on , the great little champ Calderon losing and the boxing media not giving a shit because it was too busy discussing the Toney " fight" , The Briggs – Green farce here in Oz , the Anthony Mundine sideshow . Im not feeling a lot of love for the " sport " at the moment Ted . Cheers Mate .
"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me. " Hunter S Thompson.
The ninth round of the Johnson/Cloud fight really did crystalize it for me.
I respect Johnson, who is a tough tough man, but Cloud (who is supposed to be the young gun willing to do anything to win) allowed him to pitty-pat for the entire round at a point when he should have been taking over.
If I am not misremembering, Kellerman had the balls—once the fight was well under way
—to compare it to Saad and Marvin Johnson. Please. You-tube their fights sometime.
1) Death of Olympics as launching pad into
2) For-free television fights (networks now bailed) where we could watch prospects develop (and find a fan base)
3) Deeper divisions and more quality match-ups + fighters actually fighting more often
I don’t know, one could go on and on, and some would say, “Well, you are just favoring the old days,” but there were a lot more fights that got my spine tingling, a lot more back-stories and looming match-ups, a lot more fights.
In the same way that I don’t need statistics or government experts to KNOW that students are entering college less prepared to write or deal with math, I know that boxing is just not as exciting a sport as it used to be. I’m sick of rip-off PPV cards and finding that the most exciting matches involve past-their-prime fighters as often as not, of not seeing young talent develop on the under-cards of well matched contenders. Of tricking myself into believing that a fight
is going to be exciting when all the real evidence points to something quite different.
Not enough quality and not enough quantity. Period.
He did and I almost puked onto the monitor
If I am not misremembering, Kellerman had the balls—once the fight was well under way
—to compare it to Saad and Marvin Johnson.
Pray for Nick Charles
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanShots on Bad Left Hook
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
