Just thinking about the weekend, we have seen boxing at it's best and worst. On one hand, we saw a hard working fighter finally reach the top of his sport, after several previous attempts, beating a very honest fighter, in a world title bout. Both men were respectful and bring great amounts of integrity to our beloved sport. Martinez has finally got his chance to shine and will strive to give us fans, all he has. Pavlik will no doubt bounce back and prove his worth in the future. In the other bout of the weekend, Bute showed his class in the ring and out, once again, and has made several more steps to becoming a big inernational name. It's truly a pleasure to watch all three men. Three elite fighters, who wear their heart on their sleeve and give it the best for their loyal fans around the world. On the other hand, we have the incredibly sad and surreal story with Valero and his wife. We all knew Valero had his problems, but when he looked for professional help, I'm sure most of us were optimistic about his future as a husband and father. Sadly, that all ended when he killed his wife and, later, himself. Whilst boxing rarely sees such a violent and tragic end to a career and life, it's not too suprising to see boxers caught up in extreme trouble outside the ring, possibly caused by head injuries, a life of violence or many other reasons. It's a shame that so many elite boxers have dubious lives outside the ring. Boxing can often be a tragic sport and reading about Valero and his beautiful wife made my heart sink. Despite the faults the three men may have, I thank Bute, Martinez and Pavlik for reminding me why I love boxing so much.
Great post, agree wholeheartedly. Although Miranda showboating and getting KTFO is pretty embarassing
Great post m'man I think this is a sad tme for boxing as it is things like this that cast a shadow over our beloved sport, we have to and am sure will move on from this. my condolences go out to Valero's and his wifes family.
:happy Lets think mostly about the good of boxing. That's why I highlighted the good. Much love to Bute, Pavlik, Martinez, and I hope Valero's wife's family and Valero's family see better days.
Yeah, excellent post...you're right. But whatcha gon' do, right?? The father of one of my ex girlfriends used to always say "que sera, sera..."
Valero's death has probably very little to do with boxing, more like mental illness and substance abuse.
Glad you brought this up. In light of the horrific Valero story it's easy to forget that a huge success story occurred over the weekend. Still though, the Valero saga is very saddening.
Yeah, this is how I feel. I felt really low, hearing about the Valero incident but then I just thought about how many respectable athletes boxing produces. Despite all the pre-fight banter with Pavlik fans, I just have to hold my hands up and say "It's a pleasure watching him". He may not be my favourite fighter, but he has qualities which remind me why I love boxing, when bad things happen.
Good heartfelt post tho how much of the Valero situation can be attributed to boxing and how much to brain damage / substance abuse or just plain being a **** is up for debate