This was originally going to be aimed at Marina Hyde however there's nothing to suggest that the new poster is her, apart from Pinhead starting the rumour mill so now its not. No I have no beef with this Marina Hyde journo, Bunce gives as much as he takes, and it seems she's made an idiot out of herself and lowered herself to his standards so I hope it is her and she can see that the boxing community and its fans are ok. Too much emphasis gets put on the brutality of the sport by some sections of the media, and not on the sheer beauty of it. Far too often, its easier to overlook the fact that in no other sport would you see two participants fighting toe-to-toe and then go in the dressing room and having a beer. NOWHERE ! Not even the UFC with its cartoon characters. Its easy to overlook that the majority of the participants spend 10,20,25 years in the sport, sweating, bleeding, hurting just to try and make it through to the next fight. Champions, hiding themselves in remote locations for months on end, away from there families, away from there children and away from their friends just to be able to make it through 36 minutes of brutal combat, on the basis that if they dont win, at least they'll be fit enough to last through without permanent injury. Prospects, living on poor wages, often sacrificing times that young men take for granted such as drinking, eating whatever takes our fancy and holidays with friends. They do all this in the hope that one day they'll be able to look down at there children/grandchildren and say "I was a somebody me, I was a champion. I had thousands cheering and shouting my name and I was proud" Journeymen. Men who realise the dream is over, but have been in the sport that long, its all they know. Training day in day out in the hope that another prospect would like his services in order to progress to places he couldn't go himself. Never knowing when the next pay day is, never knowing if the fight will be his last. Knowing that in order for his services to be required again, he must take a beating for the required amount of time and not go down. For touching the canvas and staying there as a journeyman means he is no longer the 'test' that the prospects require and is therefore surplus to requirement. Knowing full well that when he goes into a fight, his children and his wife know he will probably lose. Despite all this, they do it anyway. In what other sport could there possibly be a scenario which would create such euphoria as a man being beat in every aspect of his game, looking down and out to rally back and stop his opponent with 20 seconds to go ? Boxing requires the attributes that other sports require. The difference is, it requires ALL OF THEM.... Skill, Speed, Stamina, Strength, Power, Agility, Heart, Desire. In no other sport will you be found wanting if you lack one or two of these attributes. In the 'Squared Ring' you will be found wanting and will be hurt. Marina Hyde, please take note :good Boxers, of all standards, Amateur or Pro, Champion or Journeyman, 1 fight or 100 fights........... I doth my cap :good This content is protected
Great post Dan, and a lot to think about for those otherwise uninformed. Not naming names of course. No other sport requires the same level of determination to stay at the top of your game and your bit about journeymen really sums it up fantastically. The life of a boxer is more than admirable in every sense of the word.
:happy Well said. I must also say that since joining this site, I can honestly say that no other sport I have any interest in has fans who are as knowledgable and as loyal to the sport. My other sport is football and while I am devoutly loyal to Liverpool FC, my loyalty does not stretch to the wider aspects of the sport. Would I make the effort to get up at three in the morning to watch the equivalent of Klitshko v Arreola? Would I f*ck?! The beuty, like anything, is in the detail. Unfortunately the detail is missed by those fresh to the sport.
Good post. Whether she is Dr Jekyll or Ms Hyde she should have more respect for a dignified sport such as boxing.
No other sport has ever had me on the edge of the seat and jumping up like a loon. Examples are Benn v Mclellan, Holyfield v Tyson, Izzy v Rafa, MAB v El terrible, Gatti v Ward, Vargas v Trinidad and on and on and ON!
Good post Dan,a nice read.Thanks Not sure about the bit about the UFC and its 'cartoon characters' though:huhAlot of the things you said hold true for MMA fighters aswell.It's something that gets me.Boxing fans seem to want to slag off the UFC/MMA at every opportunity.Why?
im a big fan of both boxing and mma , i see boxing as the sweet science but also enjoy seing the different disciplines compete in ufc