" Boxing is like jazz. The better it is, the less people appreciate it"

Its absolutely true.

A boring fight is one where punches aren't being thrown.


As long as each guy is giving atleast 20 or 30 a round, I can find something to like.

Casual observers also dont understand how GOOD the elite are at this whole boxing scene. Top flight fighters knocking eachother out is rarer and harder to do than they could ever imagine.

I once asked George Foreman, "If you had the power to end Mike Moorer's night with one right, why wait till the 10th? Why not spare yourself all the punishment and go get him early?"

George responded, "If it were that easy, trust me, I'd have done it. Landing that one right hand took a lot of work."

 

One name comes to mind- Pernell Whitaker.

Then again, John Ruiz is boring. The jazz music of his fighting style would consist of a bugle, a kazoo and a cowbell.

 

It's a fine quote, even with the wee bit O' elitist attitude.

 

The untrained eye looks to Boxing for violence, anamalistic, barbarian war.

A Boxing fan accepts the above as part of a sport that is in fact, an art.

 

As a matter of fact Vic, I'm glad you unearthed this quote:thumbsup...I read that article years ago and was somewhat surprised and impressed by Big George saying that. It's so profound..I don't think Norman Mailer could have said it any better. Great defensive boxing is like that to a tee...another literary quote by somebody went "boxing at it's highest level is like a physical dialogue" or something of that nature..and it is. I certainly prefer the meeting between two artist/technician/defensive specialists, ideally in the past over the 15 round limit because there was this great drama coming up in that no-mans land of the "championship rounds of 13 through 15 that I found to be far more intrigueing and satisfying than even the most thrilling "rock-em sock-em knockout event which ironically, Big George would be more likely to contribute to.

 

Nice analogy and often true. With jazz, the instruments sometimes sound as if they're playing to different tunes at the same time. Same as the game of boxing

 

George's quote sort of explains the misunderstood Carlos Monzon's place in boxing.

 

John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington sold tons of records and all represent the highest expressions of jazz.

What matters is what is effective, not poetry of movement, not the subtle skills flaunted at the expense of being tagged or exhausting oneself for the duration.

Give me results. Give me Frank Sinatra and Miles Davis. Sure, I'll listen when you tell me how great Tad Dameron was, and I will agree he was hyper talented. But he didn't have the sustain, the completion of the task at hand like the former protégée's had.

 

True in one way where a lot of skilled are under played or not noticed, but some guys look so good becuease they either are that good, like 80's Tyson getting a lot or quick ko's etc... , but the same Tyson was not that good in the late 90's koing so so oponents.

A guy like Morales chose to go to war to excite the crowd when he would be better served by boxing.

Sweet Pea looked great in parts vs Oscar with his eggaserated defence but lost the bout by not throwing enough himself.

Vlad is one of the best HW's but gets no love becuase of his defenve approch, but has a very high KO rate, I guess that folks want to see trash talking and swinging for the fences.

Ali won some bouts by playing to the crowd, which served him well.

 

It's a truism that subtle things fly over the heads of the masses.

Having said that, not everything great is subtle.

 

That's right, because if it was, there would be nothing special about being subtle.

 

There is certainly an element of truth to it, because to most people, their idea of a good fight is a slugfest. A high level technical match ala Whitaker-McGirt with plenty of punches thrown and an excellent skill level where there is no chance for a KO is not appreciated in the same way.

That said, it's a fine line too, since a chess match where neither fighter throws a punch because they're sure the other guy is going to counter everything they do and both fighters spend the entire match looking for an opening and positioning is not a good bout either, no matter how high a level the tactics and skill of the fighters may be.