help

[tinababy]

Hi, I am a postgraduate student whose major is applied psychological research. Now I am researching my final thesis project that the Marriage influence in Male Boxers' competitive performance but I have a big challenge. I have to compare male boxers' record before and after their marriage but I can't find where or which website I can find these information about their marriage date. If someone know that, please let me know. That is so important for me. Thanks!!!!!

[Pat_Lowe]

Hmm that'd be tough to find out, one recent example is Oscar De La Hoya he got married some time in like 2000 I think and his record since that time has declined a bit, he suffered almost all of his losses in this period. In fact distractions outside of the ring were brought in as excuses for his first loss to Shane Mosley.

[dado]

look at what happened to tyson when he got married,,,, a downfall like we have never seen before,,, or since,, he was supposed to become the greatest instead he got fucked over and lost his mind,,, yeh marriage is definately bad for male boxers.

[ChrisPontius]

I don't think you'll be able to prove much using records that decline after marriage. For each declining marriage record you will find a record that improves after marriage. Statistics usually only show half the truth.
Also consider that marriage tends to happen late in a career. The fighter in question may have naturally declined because of age. And people in general lose "the edge" when they get older.

In other words, there are way too many factors to conclude anything useful from it. You'd need statistical numbers in the thousands at least and even then it's doubtful.


I wondered about Lamon Brewster quitting in his fight with Klitschko two weeks ago. I wouldn't have imagine doing that before. His health and family may have been a factor in the decision. Then again, it could also have been the eye, or just him not having "it" anymore. Or maybe he was married already in 2004 when he came back to knock Klitschko out?

[salsanchezfan]

Well, marriage has been known to take the fight out of more than one man.........

Why should boxers be any exception?

[Duodenum]

Joan Antuofermo is just about the most supportive boxer's spouse I've ever heard of. I don't know if she and Vito knew each other in school, got together after his career began, or how long they were a couple before actually getting married, but during Vito's career, she was widely noted as a rare exception to the typical boxer's wife.

ChrisPontius hit the nail on the head though. This would be an extremely challenging task for the reasons he cited.

[Stonehands89]

Originally Posted by tinababy

Hi, I am a postgraduate student whose major is applied psychological research. Now I am researching my final thesis project that the Marriage influence in Male Boxers' competitive performance but I have a big challenge. I have to compare male boxers' record before and after their marriage but I can't find where or which website I can find these information about their marriage date. If someone know that, please let me know. That is so important for me. Thanks!!!!!

Coming here is a good move to begin research on the sweet science. You should contact John Garfield, Cross-Trainer, and Ted Spoon. They may have information that you will find valuable.

I think that you should incorporate the folk wisdom that has always been a part of the sport -and remains so. Mickey's famous quip "women weaken legs" from Rocky is something that many trainers still hold fast too. Hell, the scene on the beach in Rocky III is indicative of this attitude as well. Marriage is a civilizing event for men. Boxers, or perhaps some boxers, need to tap into something primal to get in there and commit legal mayhem on another human being.

There are many exceptions: Ali and Pep are notable example of a great one who viewed boxing as a sport in which to display their talent. For them, the violence was incidental. They didn't need to get mean. Hagler and Duran took it personally and at their best, were barely human as they walked into the ring. Hagler forbade his wife and kids from seeing him for weeks leading up to the fight and would go to "jail" in Provincetown, MA for months with only his trainers and sparring partners for company. In the book "Flame of Pure Fire", Jack Dempsey's manager had much to say about a boxer getting married and the book can be informative.

There are also many variables some of which Pontius brought up. Age is one. Where the individual finds motivation is another. Some fighters rely on isolation and meanness. For some fighters, marriage makes no difference because they remain savage -Duran is a prime example here. Others, like Marciano, fight to provide for their families. They consider the opponent as someone who is trying to prevent them from supporting their families. You still hear this.

In order to find marriage dates, you will have to take alot of time to find biographies and newspaper articles that record it. You may want to consider taking a sample of fighters from each era because other factors will skew the picture. Marriage in 1932 meant something different than marriage in 1972 and is still more different than marriage in 2002. To begin with, less people get married, they get married later in life, and many simply live together. You have some challenging reliability and validity problems. It may be too large. I'd consider limiting the scope or tweaking the project to be more qualitative (sex during the weeks before fighting).

[Doc McCoy]

Ever watched a Rocky Lockridge fight? There's always a woman with a high-pitched screaming in the background who you will hear without fail, advising Rocky on strategy. . . . "work the body, go upstairs, stick the jab".
I don't know if it's his wife or not but she calls him "baby" so it'd be safe to say it's not his mother.
Anyone else ever notice this in a Lockridge fight?