Comments Thread For: “Fighting Words” — The Guiltiest of Guilty Pleasures

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

by David P. Greisman - Certain fighters are paired together in this sport’s history because of what was given — brutal entertainment delivered between Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward, Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.

Other fighters end up with a combined entry in our memories because of what was taken.

Last week brought tributes in honor of Emile Griffith, who died at 75 and who was remembered for the championships he won at welterweight, junior middleweight and middleweight, for the speculation about his sexual orientation, and for the fact that a remark on his sexuality had preceded the death of one of his opponents.

We cannot remember Griffith without also recalling Benny “Kid” Paret, who had called Griffith a “maricon” — a Spanish slur used against ****sexual men. Griffith punched Paret defenseless and kept punching, knocking him out and delivering the injuries from which he would never recover and never wake.

This is a blood sport, but it is not a heartless one. The rules introduced by the Marquess of Queensberry about 150 years ago have been amended over the generations, making boxing safer without removing the elements that captivate us. This is still a violent enterprise, but it is a skillful one. [Click Here To Read More]

[edgarg]

I was going to give "Iron Dan 'Ham-Bone'.." and his new cuddle-up buddy a thrill by writing something critical of this article. But I never write anything critical if I haven't read at least 10% of it, so, since I expect to read nothing, I'll say nothing.

Except that the 10 Count seems nearly as long as the article itself. This might be regarded as criticism -of the 10 Count. It depends how I mean it.....

[ßringer]

Another pleasurable read by Greisman.

I don't know if I find it laughable or depressing that some fans have actually suggested (both here and elsewhere during the fight) that fans who were worried about the health and wellbeing of Arakawa this past Saturday night were "watching the wrong sport."

On the bright side, in the chatroom I was commenting on the fights at, it seemed most level headed fans started to think the punishment was cause for concern roughly around the same time Malignaggi and I did.

On the other hand, it was pretty refreshing to see a fighter actually coming to fight even though heavily outmatched in the modern era. This sport is quite strange in the fact that it's possible to win in a losing effort, and Arakawa seemed to do precisely that in the ring the other night against Figueroa. Hardly anybody in the United States knew who the hell he was going into that fight, and he ended up being pretty much all anybody talked about that night.

'The 10 count' was as enjoyable as always, too.

As for Berto, the outrage against him is a bit over the top, IMO. But I do understand where it comes from, and I can't say fans aren't justified in their dislike of what he embodies. I don't think it has anything to do with Berto as a person, or Berto as a fighter. It's more to do with the way modern boxing is rigged to reward these untested prospects these days.

[PittyPat]

WHAT???!!! Thurman got the 10 grand?! :conf1: Fuccccckkkkkk offffffff. Soto Karass easily scored the best KO/stoppage of the night. Haymon must've laid some orders down to not reward the guy who savaged his precious boy.

[MDPopescu]

The article here reads: "According to CompuBox, Figueroa’s power connects were the fourth most among all the fights its statisticians have worked over the past 28 years."

... I told you the Figueroa kid was a phenomenon.

[Mr. David]

Another pleasurable read by Greisman.

I don't know if I find it laughable or depressing that some fans have actually suggested (both here and elsewhere during the fight) that fans who were worried about the health and wellbeing of Arakawa this past Saturday night were "watching the wrong sport."

On the bright side, in the chatroom I was commenting on the fights at, it seemed most level headed fans started to think the punishment was cause for concern roughly around the same time Malignaggi and I did.

On the other hand, it was pretty refreshing to see a fighter actually coming to fight even though heavily outmatched in the modern era. This sport is quite strange in the fact that it's possible to win in a losing effort, and Arakawa seemed to do precisely that in the ring the other night against Figueroa. Hardly anybody in the United States knew who the hell he was going into that fight, and he ended up being pretty much all anybody talked about that night.

'The 10 count' was as enjoyable as always, too.

As for Berto, the outrage against him is a bit over the top, IMO. But I do understand where it comes from, and I can't say fans aren't justified in their dislike of what he embodies. I don't think it has anything to do with Berto as a person, or Berto as a fighter. It's more to do with the way modern boxing is rigged to reward these untested prospects these days.

Thanks, Bringer.

I sometimes wonder how we as a society would react if sports such as American football were banned or completely watered down due to our increasing concerns about concussions and lifelong brain damage. I think boxing fans have wisely grabbed onto the idea that it's better for fights to be stopped too early than for them to be stopped too late.

I wasn't necessarily among those who felt that Figueroa-Arakawa had to be stopped ASAP on Saturday, but I also wondered whether we'd see Arakawa's state suddenly and rapidly decline, as had happened to some boxers toward the tail end of their wars.

-David

[edgarg]

Thanks, Bringer.

I sometimes wonder how we as a society would react if sports such as American football were banned or completely watered down due to our increasing concerns about concussions and lifelong brain damage. I think boxing fans have wisely grabbed onto the idea that it's better for fights to be stopped too early than for them to be stopped too late.

I wasn't necessarily among those who felt that Figueroa-Arakawa had to be stopped ASAP on Saturday, but I also wondered whether we'd see Arakawa's state suddenly and rapidly decline, as had happened to some boxers toward the tail end of their wars.

-David

I think that "Bringer" and David in real life are actually BoxingScene colleagues.....

And that "Bringer's" BS persona shows in his present measured post, as opposed to the (fitting in with the usual BS fan) crap full of obscenities and four letter words he posted on another thread just after his post here.

Just my candid opinion.

[Mr. David]

The article here reads: "According to CompuBox, Figueroa’s power connects were the fourth most among all the fights its statisticians have worked over the past 28 years."

... I told you the Figueroa kid was a phenomenon.

I'd like to know who the top three are, though I imagine they were someone on this list of "total punches landed" put together by CompuBox:

http://compuboxonline.com/record-book/

I really don't know how Arakawa withstood everything he withstood. Yes, Figueroa's hands were hurt, but those were still bunches of clean, hard shots among those 450.

[Mr. David]

WHAT???!!! Thurman got the 10 grand?! :conf1: Fuccccckkkkkk offffffff. Soto Karass easily scored the best KO/stoppage of the night. Haymon must've laid some orders down to not reward the guy who savaged his precious boy.

The consolation we can take out of this is that Soto-Karass' win will mean more for his career than that $10,000 would've.

[ßringer]

I think that "Bringer" and David in real life are actually BoxingScene colleagues.....

And that "Bringer's" BS persona shows in his present measured post, as opposed to the (fitting in with the usual BS fan) crap full of obscenities and four letter words he posted on another thread just after his post here.

Just my candid opinion.

I'm a staff member and he's a site contributor whose opinion I respect. It's really not any more complicated than that.