In an article found on the ESB website, the author said that the problem with boxing is that it's inaccesible to most mainstream viewers. I agree wholeheartedly with that assessment mainly because in this day and age, I don't want to pay $50 dollars to watch two men hitting each other repeatedly. Case in point, look at my country the Philippines. The reason boxing remains alive here is the fact that boxing (not just Pac fights to ye who think my countrymen are all Pacnuts) is televised on national television. That's right, televised. We get the fight later than you people (by about three hours or so) but we still get to watch the fight. In fact, it happens around lunchtime Sunday (almost all the big fights are on that time) and the family (yes the family) gathers around after eating a hefty lunch, maybe the men lugging a San Mig or two, and cheer as any Pinoy fighter fight. Thus, even the lowliest and poorest of our lot can still watch a fight, just as long as they have a telly on. Another reason I'm writing this is because of the pugilistic snobbery that most die hard fans and hardcore fight fanatics possess. The reason I don't like that is the same reason why sci-fi geeks don't get any love: I DON'T CARE ABOUT BOBA FETT OR SOME RANDOM STAR TREK CHARACTER WITH FIVE EYES THAT YOU ARE CRAZY ABOUT, SO DON'T DISS ME FOR NOT KNOWING HIM. In the same way as the sci-fi geek, the pugilistic snob will tell you you are stupid for not ever knowing who Wilfredo Benitez is or what division Sean Grady was in. The thing is, I would be the first to admit that I don't know a lot about boxing, but is it a crime if I don't know half as much as you? I respect you for knowing your facts in boxing, but to gank on a person just because of his lack of knowledge is pretty darn amateurish. So in the end note, don't be a snob. Be an educator.
