Do you consider boxing to be a noble aristocratic sport?

Boxing was very popular in the antiquity especially in ancient Greece. In the middle ages jousting was more popular among aristocratic people and boxing died briefly, but modern boxing is basically a product of upper aristocratic classes reviving the "lost" sport of boxing in Britain. There were also other forms of dueling that were popular like fencing at the time but boxing is the only form of dueling that evolved into a globally popular modern elite sport so it's basically the only aristocratic sport that grew big.

I think boxing is the most noble and the most aristocratic modern sport. It promotes aristocratic values such as courage, honor and cruelty. Dueling for honor between two men just like in other aristocratic forms of dueling such as fencing. Boxing develops these noble traits in athletes more than any other sport. I think boxers are the most noble athletes out there, that's why boxing is known as the noble art.

 

When I speak about aristocracy I mean the original ideals of aristocracy as a caste system (the kind of system that Plato preferred over any other social system) where the aristocrats represented the noble warrior caste. This is the system that thrived in Europe in the middle ages, but it was common in all kinds of Indo-European cultures in different forms. Unfortunately it degenerated in the modern age and now people wrongly associate it with some spoiled rich people. It has nothing to do with that, the purpose of the aristocracy as the warrior caste was to be ready to fight for their society at any time and defend it as an elite group of warriors.

Aristocracy = warrior caste, warrior values. And boxers represent that to some extent.

 

That's because aristocracy doesn't exist in Europe anymore in its proper meaning.

True aristocratic values are warrior values. Aristocracy were people like János Hunyadi, Charlemagne, El Cid, Charles Martel, Miloš Obilić, Jan III Sobieski, Phillip II, Vlad Tepes, Eugen of Savoy etc. These kind of people, the best and the bravest of their race, the finest aristocratic European blood.

I think boxers are the closest to modern day warriors as far as the athletes are concerned.

 

Lower classes can emulate aristocratic values. It doesn't change the fact that those values as such are aristocratic values. Courage and honor are aristocratic values.

Aristocracy has nothing to do with "feudalism" which is a meaningless word that was coined in the modern age. Aristocracy was praised by the Greeks and is a Greek word in itself.

 

It will always draw poor people, but that doesn't mean it's not aristocratic in character. It encourages noble aristocratic qualities in people who box. I think boxing really shaped the character of the elite boxers for the better. I mean take someone like Kovalev, if he never started to box he would be some regular guy living a boring difficult life, he would never develop his personality in a way that he has developed it through boxing. But now as an elite boxer Kovalev is a modern warrior with great courage very close to the mentality that the old aristocratic warriors had.

I think boxing is the kind of sport that really changes a person who trains it for real.