The world has always been like this Open a history book People are the same everywhere and have been behaving the same for the longest
shame I don't think he pretends to be a psycho at all. I believe he wants to kill someone in the ring. I've covered this already, a couple of times. Nah, totally disagree. Love some bristle at a press-conference if that is how fighters feel. I also disagree with you when you say it's about "a bit of attention." I'ts about who they are, and that should be obvious. This is why some fighters never have a confrontation at a press-conference and others have one at every press conference and why. It is true that fighters tend to be more confrontational in fights where they are in with an opponent with a chance to beat them, and when the stakes are much higher in terms of prize. This is much more significant than the attention they are getting otherwise. Where the attention does matter is in losing face. Alpha-male millionaire athletes are obsessed with how they are seen, always have been, and hate to be made to look foolish. So if they are in a room with 100 people their behaviour will be different to when they are in a room with 3. This is near-universal but hyper-infalted before a massive physical confrontation, that should be obvious enough. I could see how it might be "looking for a bit of attention" in the eyes of some though, though I believe them to be flat out wrong. The weigh-in is twenty-four hours before you start hurling punches at a man who has been indirectly training to kill you. I think there are matters far more pressing than "getting a little attention." Well i'm glad I could disabuse you of the notion. Sounds awful. But as I said pages ago, your preference is your preference and two sober adults shaking hands and stepping on the scales is as much a matter of taste as anything else I suppose and would explain why you like weigh-ins from 1920-1960 so much
I think people are the same as they were. But the media influence on people's behaviour is real. If the media glorifies or publicizes certain behaviour, and if the audience rewards that behaviour, you will get more of that behaviour. I suppose its all aesthetics. I prefer to see the old-timers, cold quiet killers, turn up in suits to sign the contract, say a few words, "see you at the fight", go home. Then rip each other's heads off on the night. Others prefer the modern style, which produces a few more embarrassing 'car crash' types of scenarios.
You can see that anytime you feel like it, just tune in to the right builds ups. Both the Gonzalez-Estrada fights were like that, every Inoue fight is like that, and etc. There are hundreds of build ups like that every year. They're really cool. But, IMO, it's also nice that every single one isn't exactly like that, and that you can see the other side of some of these fighters, will to dominate incarnated in a different way. The Calzaghe alpha-smirk. Some of the wilder Hopkins patter was amazing. When he grabbed the Puerto Rican flag and threw it to the floor that time...holy ****, I have never seen anything like that in any walk of life SO you can see your cold killers shakig hands all you like, and will be able to until you stop watching. That's not a problem at all.
Exactly. I think this stuff only matters to us at all now because the fights are not as good, not as violent.. The weigh-in has become a big event now because it might be more vicious that the fight. In case it's not, there's some scantily clad women there to brighten things up. I just want to see professionals ripping each other to bits when the bell rings, not making jackasses of themselves for free. That's the essence of it.
Not at all. The people we are enjoying seeing punch each other in the face and damage each other, must act with decorum!
It's especially cool when it's intertwined with some part of the fighter's character but it was very cool when Rhonda Rousey made a point of not shaking then got absolutely hammered
See what I mean? As soon as my back was turned, you immediately became disabusive. Truly, a Ray Leonard lurks inside us all.
Joe Louis lived in a different world. He lived in an extremely racist era where he was forced to endure degrading treatment. It's stunning how disrespectful the ringside commentator is towards Joe Louis in the Ali-Liston 1 fight. He treats Louis, the greatest HW champ of the day, like a gopher boy. "Go get Sonny Liston" he barks at Joe Louis. Could you imagine today if Brian Kenny said something like that to Lennox Lewis or Andre Ward? Today's era has more respect towards champs. This content is protected
Somebody should have taught the ringside commenter something like Roxborough's Rules growing up, yes.
Yeah, you're right, that one hurts too because Ali and Liston are actually in the ring. The guys who changed it are in the ring. Louis is a man out of time and nothing else underlined it more firmly, I'm glad you reminded me of this because I noticed it heavily too. Joe's behavior in his prime was in essence a symptom of his repression. He might have been delighted to behave like he did but it would have been really difficult for him to behave any other way.
Were those rules not partly inspired by the African-American press of the day? As I understand it, it was the middle class black people who were most anxious about having the right kind of black man as champion. The NAACP and educated classes. This was the case when Liston came along too, and he failed to get their approval.