The British Disease

Could not agree more. So true.

 

So, what you're saying is the Brits are just as mouthy and poorly informed as the Yanks?
If so, I agree.

 

Good post Hoya,and you do have a point,but i don't buy into the hype surrounding a lot of british fighters.Lewis really was a great and i'd rank him highly in any Heavyweight list,Naz was a wasted talent,Hatton good at what he did,but found wanting at the elite level,and Calzaghe ? well i still believe in his prime he'd of been a match for anyone,but Mr Warren chose to steer him in another direction and i think Joe was a victim of his own hype because he really thought the big names should have come to Britain and thats why he was never tested when at his best.I know a large percentage of our American cousins study the game and know what they're talking about,but there are a minority who just try to goad people.I just leave the children to ***** amongst themselves.:good

 

I agree entirely (though I think even Lewis is over-rated).

 

Lol, well flip the coin and look at the USA. Et al Jeff lacy and Jermain Taylor, both ridiculed by so called 'average fighters'. Calzaghe is a 2 weight, 6+ world Champion. Hatton is a Ring fighter of the year, and 2 weight world champion.

It is not over rating our fighters, Hatton was and is an awesome fighter who was unfortunately beathen badly by the 2 top P4P fighters in the world, the latter being an ATG in my eyes.

Hatton done himself proud, he went for those 2 fighters beacuse his heart was too big. So what, thats not a crime, and it isnt shameful he lost to the likes of Floyd and Pac.

 

Very good post Hoya...
But it's the same here too...guys get hyped here and never become great...it's the way of the world...except in Puerto Rico of course..

 

Yeah there's a lot of truth in what you said, and i don't disagree with it, but there's another side to this story.

In defense of Hatton he had a very good career considering his talent, he knocked out two legends in Kostya Tszyu and Jose Luis Castillo, ran out a string of title defenses against b-level fighters Carlos Maussa, Juan Urango, Paulie Malinaggi, and in the end only got exposed by the two very best fighters of his era, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, so you can't be too harsh overall. He had a much better resume than Arturo Gatti, and in his prime was probably a better fighter too. In the end I think people knew that he was wasn't truly elite, but a lot of people over here loved him and wanted it to be true. Hatton was in an impossible position, the weight of expectation he was under was terrifying, but he showed a lot of guts and a lot of bravery and decided to make the big fights anyway, to try and please his fans and establish his legacy, and everyone should respect that about him.

Joe Calzaghe was a stay-at-home fighter who avoided many key challenges in his career, I've been saying it for years before the yanks had ever even heard of him, back when he was fighting Mario Veit and Tocker Pudwill instead of Sven Ottke or Roy Jones. But I'm gracious enough to concede his greatness, the guy retired 48-0 as a reigning world champion for over 10 years. He was the most dominant champion in the world at his weight-division, the longest reigning champion in the world, and considered at least in the top 3 P4P when he retired. Even though he ducked a lot of guys, you can't build a legacy like that unless unless you are incredibly talented. If that's not elite then what is?

British boxing has also helped re-invigorate the sport, and fighters like Hatton and Calzaghe have been really good for the sport on the whole, especially in drawing the public's interest back to the sport. The recent Hatton fights have been PPV blockbusters, and even Calzaghe managed to become a draw in his last few fights. The upcoming David Haye - Wlad Klitschko fight is going to be in front og 70,000 people in a football stadium. We've kept the interest in boxing as a mainstream sport alive at a time when the USA has been more interested in UFC. Infact, the whole USA vs UK angle in some recent fights, especially Mayweather - Hatton and Roy Jones/Bernard Hopkins - Joe Calzaghe, has probably increased interest in the sport in the USA at a time when it critically needed it.

Finally, you've got to respect the number of belt-holders and champions that britain has produced in the last few years. Just off the top of my head, in the last 5 years there's been Scott Harrison, Junior Witter, Clinton Woods, Carl Froch, David Haye, Enzo Maccarinelli, Gavin Rees, Ricky Hatton, Joe Calzaghe, and probably one or two that I've missed out aswell. At the last olympics, Britain got 3 medals, gold and two bronze, and sent over a really talented team that could've even got more. The USA by comparison got one bronze medal. People shouldn't talk down british boxing coz it's been an incredibly successful few years for the sport over here.

 

:good
I think alot of the time it`s the media and the TV companies that over hype our fighters, rather than the fans.

For the last 4 years in Britain all we`ve heard about is Amir `gone in 60 seconds` Khan.
Built up to be this future World Champion, with Superstar status and yet he hadn`t proven nothing. Then along comes his first hurdle and he gets exposed big time.

Now I`m not a great fan of Khan, but he`s certainly sorted his priorities out and he`s looking like a good prospect all of a sudden.

What it comes down to is $$$$$$$$$$$

They`ll (Promoters, TV, Advertising) say anything to sell PPV. That`s what it comes down to.

 

Amir Con sucks

 

My concept of this Brit syndrome is Calzaghe.

Because in Britain we have so many casual ppv 3-fight-a-year full-time football/part-time boxing pissed-up singalong casuals, a zero = a hero. If Calzaghe was Mexican and was 46-0 with a feeble resume, he would not be viewed as the legendary elite master boxer most people in old Blighty seem to think he is.

 

Not sure about that.They sure love Ricardo Lopez.

 

Hatton and Cal was good fighters. I agree they where somewhat protected. But I give hatton props for at least taking the risk. Hope he still box. He can beat a lot of the fighters at 140. I aslo give him a good shot versus Berto.