Biggest Boxing Lessions you've ever witnessed in a fight?

But... How? Giving 6 rounds to Fury is a stretch, giving 7 is a straight up fanboy level. He realistically didn't win more than 5.

 

Exactly mate, the King Vegas cards in the 90s were miles better than these ‘stacked’ cards full of alphabet holders. Different levels.

 

You're grandad sounds like he was a very wise man

Yes it's an almost impossible to follow sport now. I hope Turki Al Sheikh can change this.

 

There’s too much build up. I just want to see a poster of the fight being announced, the weigh in and then them walking to the ring. Instead we get a press launch tour, various media days, some tinpot face to face, grand arrivals, media workout etc. I’m sick of the sight of them by the time it’s fight night.

 

I do completely agree with you on all of these points.

Part of it does come down to our behaviour as consumers. If you're anything like me I bet a big chunk of your Youtube feed has been boxing channels, nearly all of which bring us content from these press days, including interviews with most of the same protagonists. When there's pre-event films before a major event, if you're a megafan you've seen them all before, whereas they're new to more casual fans.

I've weaned myself off most of the channels - IFL, Boxing Social both unsubscribed and set to "Do not recommend", and am very selective with the stuff I do watch from Seconds Out and Boxing News. Their business models are about bombarding and getting view minutes, but as an armchair boxing fan I don't need that much info. At most, a brief summary of any press conference highlights and a clip from the weigh-in is enough.

 

This is where the sport has become so over-saturated, especially with social media and YouTube in particular.

Previously, I used to love the All-Access show that used to air prior to the big Mayweather fights. I actually think it was Floyd's concept, and at the time, it was revolutionary and provided great insights.

Nowadays, anytime there is a press conference, you will have 50 YouTubers turn up and churn out what is essentially the same content, which they then post in the only way they know how, as pure clickbait, simply because they're all competing for the attention of the same audience.

Then it's the same for the build-up and overkill for fight week, and as you say, by fight night, you're sick of the sight of them. it's happening now with the Benn-Eubank fight, and we're still three weeks out from the fight, especially with Hearn putting himself in the middle of everything.

Although I did like how Eubank dealt with him at the press conference.

 

Spot on. And what annoys me is the more credible journalists like Matt Christie, Tris Dixon etc are nowhere to be seen, and instead it’s Parsons and Kugan following Hearn round like 2 gossips. Followed by the thumbnail of him pointing into the camera with the caption ‘Hearn erupts at *insert rival promoter or fighter*’

 

Don’t get why he has to be in the middle of the face-offs, pouting directly into the camera. Looks ridiculous.

Well I do get it, because he wants to be the centre of attention, but still ridiculous.

 

The 6 and 0 Iceman, 4 by way of?

 

Golota was dominating both fights before the fouls. Even Bowe admits he was losing both fights.

 

He was fauling from the get go.

 

Tris and Matt both have integrity and edited the most respected paper/magazine in the sport; could you imagine Parson's and / or Kugan running the boxing news? it would overnight become like one of the lad mags from the 90s.

Kugan started off at I Film London with Helder, and it wasn't boxing-related, but he saw what Jane Couch was doing, cultivated a relationship with (ass-kissed) Hearn et al., and pivoted into boxing. I think prior to that, he once worked, albeit briefly, as security for Hatton. Fair enough, he put in a lot of time and effort into attending events and obviously making the videos, but guys like him, Parson and others are telemarketers, more concerned about promoting themselves, views and likes than anything boxing-related.

Nowadays, what you have is the same core of YouTubers, promoting themselves and doing the same circuit of interviews and podcasts with one another. Tris and Matt are levels above this nonsense, as was Benson, even though he stole others' content and passed off breaking news as his own; you never saw him all over YouTube.

Now, it is over-saturated, not just with the opportunist chancers but others within the sport, and they're all fighting over the attention of what is a niche market at best and people like Tris and Matt, who never ever sold out, get lost like a needle in the haystack of what has predominantly become overloaded with clickbait bull****.

Which, ironically, is the ideal environment for people like Kugan, Parsons, Hearn, et al. to thrive.

 

Evander Holyfield vs Mike Tyson 1

Holyfield was a huge underdog, yet he won every round except for one. It was a brilliant performance, and a mismatch.

It's the the fight that perfectly illustrates that Mike Tyson was never a great fighter. Holyfield whooped his ass. Tyson was beaten physically and mentally that night. Holyfield bullied the bully. He had absolutely no fear of Tyson. Tyson was thoroughly crushed, Holyfield was simply better every single aspect. It was a beautiful and brutal boxing lesson.

 

I think as well the media coverage was so different past times than today. It seemed that the fighters trusted and sourced the journalists better, radio coverage was also fantastic growing up for me in the late 70's but more so the 80's. Listening to fights like Honeyghan v Curry simply the drama of the upset.

The build up of Hagler v Hearns, the drama also of that fight on radio shown tape delay TV later that day, imagine today a huge fight involving two non British fighters having the amount of build up daily. Back page coverage, inside two pages, tale of the tape and trade calls. Amazing to think this is not boxing trade papers but mainstream media!

Two examples of many fights that have stuck with me, could be talking about Ali, SRL etc, many of us older posters will remember only too well. Not just nostalgia but fondness.

 

Mike Tyson was a different beast until he went to prison and 3 years in prison is going to end up aging any athlete prematurely.

Yes he still beat Frank Bruno post prison but he was miles away from the earlier version and was probably no better than non elite vacant World Heavyweight Champion Belt Holders of the present era about to end such as Joey 12, Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder.