Does trash talk and brawls really sell tickets?

Not to be too pedantic, but "sign of" does not mean "direct indication of".

Flu-like symptoms are a sign of the flu, but the differential diagnoses are so numerous that these symptoms alone could be the result of literally hundreds if not thousands of other things.

 

I haven't looked into this, but just on the surface of it I do find it hard to imagine the Robinson I've seen in interviews saying anything so callous as the partial quote would suggest. (And of course context cues and tone of voice can sometimes be just as if not more revealing than the literal wording of what is said.)

 

From what I've read and heard he wasn't known to be a very nice person behind the scenes. Being a great boxer and being good during interviews doesn't mean he was a nice person. From what I can tell he had a huge ego and was very full of himself and treated others poorly and like he was better than them. He was infamous for being difficult with pre-fight negotiations and making demands. He was known womanizer and beat his wife. That said I doubt he went unaffected by killing a man though. Being a ***** doesn't mean he was devoid of having a soul.

32:00 to about 36:00 of this video highlights some of this.

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I believe Fullmer also did not like him. Basilio took major issue with Robinson's arrogance and the way he treated himself as better than everyone around him. I get your point though, he didn't go around starting trouble with opponents at weigh ins.

 

I don't know why you think two men fighting for sheer mercenary motives would be more palatable than two men fighting with personal hate.
That's like saying a contract killer is more palatable than a man who commits a crime of passion.

Of course it's personal and spiteful when the fight occurs. It takes ruthlessness and viciousness.
But we're talking about nonsense that happens weeks, months, years before a fight .... often just contrived nonsense, but sometimes it's real and just the result of excessively emotional or immature men.

A trained soldier doesn't need to hate or think about the person he's got in his sights. It shouldn't matter. The person doesn't exist. Just s target, just an objective.

 

Agreed. It sells. But there is a difference between trash talk with two guys smiling, and hard feelings.

 

Chave z-Haugen remains the most attended fight of all time; and that was entirely due to Haugen's trash talk going into the fight.

 

I found some of the pre fight interviews of Marciano/Charles on YouTube and everything was so civilized and dignified. It actually made boxing look like a gentleman's sport.

 

I think it's wrong how he dogged Joe Frazier out like he did. On the other hand, it pushed Frazier to fight like he was possessed by Satan.