What are the "Rites of Passage" to Being a Boxing Fan?

greynotsoold · Aug 10, 2023

Saintpat said: ↑

I was fortunate that my dad took me to amateur cards when I was a kid — like at a local junior high school. I was addicted immediately.

One of the things that makes the biggest impression live is how much more an effective jab impacts when you see it live vs. TV.

But the best thing is interacting with the crowd, the conversations you can have. And how many times I’ve been able to chat with name fighters at live events (even when they’re not fighting). Ran into David Reid at the National Golden Gloves and said hello and a fight started and we ended up standing side by side watching the whole fight and him asking me what I thought about this guy or that tactic as much as I asked him. Just two fight fans watching a fight together. Or the time I talked to Sean O’Grady before a Tuesday Night Fights card, went up to say hi and was wearing a Rolling Stones tour shirt as I had seen them a day or two before and Sean went to see them earlier in the same tour and we probably talked for 5 minutes about The Rolling Stones, haha.

These things are priceless.
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Very different experience live, especially up close and live, isn't it? I was in the 3rd row one night when two guys banged heads and it sounded like a 357 shot.

Saintpat · Aug 10, 2023

greynotsoold said: ↑

Very different experience live, especially up close and live, isn't it? I was in the 3rd row one night when two guys banged heads and it sounded like a 357 shot.
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Absolutely. You really haven’t experience boxing as a fan until you’ve seen it live.

Eddie Ezzard · Aug 10, 2023

Saintpat said: ↑

1) It has more impact, as you noted, snapping the head back, but also marks up the face (if it’s a good jab). Apart from seeing it live, the best illustration I’ve seen is a photo or two from the Holmes-Cooney fight that ran in, I think it was either Time or Sports Illustrated. Cooney’s face was reddened in spots to the point that it looked like someone had splashed him with boiling water. TV never gives you that.

2) Reid was as nice as he could be. He was working with a fighter at the NGG (or maybe it was more than one, I forget) but didn’t have anyone fighting that session. Just standing a ways back from the ring watching. I approached him between fights to say hello and tell him how much I always enjoyed watching him fight. He was very gracious. And then he asked me where I was from, what I do for a living and such and when a fight started we turned our attention and it was like, ‘Look at his jab, what do you think of it,’ ‘He needs to tuck his chin in,’ ‘I like how he goes to the body,’ that kind of thing. I couldn’t tell you for the life of me who we were watching, but I remember thinking ‘I’m standing here with an Olympic gold medalist and world champion watching a fight and we’re just talking boxing like two regular fans.’ After the fight he shook my hand and we went our separate ways. I’ll always like the guy for being so cool.

EDIT: As for how things turned out and all that, this was like late 2000s and I can say when I meet him he seemed very happy and content, really in his element at a big amateur fight event. Nothing big-time about him, he was just … in his element. I don’t think it would have bothered him a bit if no one recognized him.
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Thanks Pat. Respect to David Reid. Hope that's the way things still are for him.

Pugguy · Aug 10, 2023

Saintpat said: ↑

Some believe you aren’t a true boxing fan unless …

1) You accept that Roberto Duran gained and lost 300 pounds in five months between Leonard fights.

2) You believe Mike Tyson should have an asterisk next to every one of his losses, because how could Mike Tyson ever lose unless there were mysterious forces at play.

3) You get a hard-on at the mere mention of the name “Klitschko.”
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Subject to adherence to that criteria, it looks like I have to cut up my “true fan” membership card - what a waste!

My current, hard earned status as a Gold Member gone, in the blink of an eye.

I guess a hard on, at least over Wlad’s ex Mrs, doesn’t count?

I’d reached top level - getting 10 years worth of “true fan” membership (all lurks and perks included) for the price of one year’s subscription.

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What are the "Rites of Passage" to Being a Boxing Fan?

greynotsoold Boxing Addict

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What are the "Rites of Passage" to Being a Boxing Fan?

greynotsoold Boxing Addict

Saintpat Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

Eddie Ezzard Boxing Addict Full Member

Pugguy Ingo, The Thinking Man’s GOAT Full Member