Fights Where things Go Wrong, That Damaged Boxing s Reputation?

The Lennox Vs McCall rematch

 

I guess Bradley/Pacquiao I when the result was so bad that it pissed off literally everyone.

 

When I was younger, I remember reading a book by a judo historian. He commented that, as a young man, he'd always loved boxing. His views had changed as he aged. Ultimately, he decided that there was something wrong with a sport where you inflict injury on the human brain in order to win.

At the time, I thought his stance was an example of those silly "moral guardian" handwringing things that the 90s were so full of. Now that I'm older -- not as old as he was when he wrote, but older -- I find myself seeing more wisdom in his misgivings.

I notice someone just bumped the McNeely thread about the damage to Peter's ability to speak. It fits this one thematically.

 

My crippling surguries from Jiu-jitsu would like to remind you the gentle art can also be terrible for you.

 

True, and yes, I hear you. I can attest to at least one JJ surgery myself. His response, I think, would be twofold:

* Damaging your opponent's body isn't the nominal goal of judo or jiujitsu. It's getting them to a position where you *could* do that damage if they didn't tap. Boxers actively try to create concussions to win, at least in the pro ranks. By the nature of the contest, there's no equivalent where you pull a knockout punch at the last second without making contact to win.

* Brain damage is a different kind of injury. It attacks the thing that makes people people -- their personalities, their ability to speak, their ability to think and understand.

Of the two counterarguments, I think he'd be more likely to use the second, since that was the center of his critique.

 

we had a couple high ranking judo blackbelts in our korean jujitsu class and as part of conditioning we would get in a line and let them ragdoll us for 15-20 minutes, get tossed hard by one go into the other line and get tossed hard by the other one, slam after slam after slam on stiff old school judo mats not the squishy collegiate wrestling ones, that kind of impact 100% rattles the brain

 

Any of the fights where someone died, particularly if televised, such as Paret and Kim for example.

 

Good post. How true it is, putting in a fighter that is having mental issues just to gain revenge for a loss. Oliver McCall was not the same fighter that he was the night that he disposed of Lennox Lewis in Sept 1994, no excuses intended because I do not believe in excuses but it was very apparent that McCall was not the same.

 

Nigel Benn vs Gerald McClellan is an obvious one. It got to that point where there was a call to ban boxing.

 

Nothing on par with Watson, McClellan, Duk Koo Kim, Adonis Stevenson, but:

Andre Dirrell vs. Abraham. Just a totally weird outcome. Illegal punch. Andre had a brain condition after this and couldn't finish out the tournament.
Andre Dirrell vs Jose Uzcategui. Punch after the bell drops Dirrell and then his coach/uncle drops a bare-fisted bomb on the Jose U. after the fight.
Larry Holmes vs. Tex Cobb made Howard Cosell retire, I suppose. But both fought on after for many years, I don't think it was the bloodletting it was made out to be. One sided beating, definitely.
Mares vs. Agbeko, I can't believe how many times they allowed Mares to low blow King Kong, it was truly one of the worst displays of reffing I've ever seen in boxing and made me mad as hell.
James Butler - Richard Grant postfight knockout. Total trashbag stuff from a scum of the earth level man.
Danny Green vs. Paul Briggs. one of the worst dives I've ever seen. Danny claims he knew nothing of it beforehand, who knows. But I know a guy was there to lose.

Margarito's wraps.

Resto vs Collins
Tiberi vs. Toney

 

Holmes vs Ali. Ali was in no condition to fight and shouldn't have been licensed. There could have been a death in the ring that night.

 

Vasyl Lomachenko Vs. Orlando Salido
Over 40 low blows were thrown by Orlando Salido, and he was not cautioned, and should have been disqualified.

 

I think what ruined pro boxing's reputation was that champions or fighters began to make demands on bigger purses, there was no longer matches for the prestige of the sport of boxing. Sure purses pay the bills but how much does a person need to be at least comfortable in life? An athlete does not need 50 or 60 bathroom homes unless they are entertaining a military regiment. Greed is everywhere these days, also the Alphabet titles led to ruin of boxings rich history.