Has any fight ever made you want to stop watching boxing due to its brutality?

[Guest]

For some reason I went off boxing in the mid 90s (maybe it was because of Frank Bruno saying moronic things like "it's no more dangerous than playing football" [meaning soccer, not American football]

But has any fight been so visceral, so brutal, part of you almost wants to turn away from watching?

For me, a lot of Tyson fights were like that - I used to get off on how brutal and viscious that guy was in his hey day, but appalled as well. I don't like the shots I've seen of boxers getting killed in the ring, and Ali vs. Terrell ("What's my name, Tom? WHAT'S MY NAME?") was just a one-sided butchery towards the end of it.

The one most recently for me was Danny Williams vs. Vitali Klitschko. I've followed Danny for around six years now, and while I was proud of the guy for getting up and carrying on, part of me wished he didn't have that much heart...



[The title of this post should read stop watching boxing, not stop boxing... oops!]

[Crouching Tiger]

It's not really while you're watching the action that you see the real brutality. The actual brawling is not that brutal to look at usually. On the visual and perceptive points of view, pro wrestling and, yes, football and even ice hockey are far more violent to see.

It's what happens next (after the fight) that sometimes depresses me and makes me think twice about the sport. I think there are more deaths in boxing than any other contact sports, where the worst a player gets is a broken limb.

When a boxer dies (either immediately or gradually) or become mentally incapacitated because of brain injury, I don't know what you call it, but boxing ceases to be a SPORT and an entertainment. It becomes something reminiscent of the gladiator battles of old, although less bloody or gory.

[the giant one]

I never wanted to stop watching boxing but there have been a couple of fights which made me step back from watching for a short period. Those being Gerald Mcclellan/Nigel Benn and Trevor Berbick/Muhammad Ali. The latter because it was so ****ing depressing watching a shell of the greatest ever being destroyed in front of millions.

[Guest]

Did you get The Ring highlights of 2004? There was a photospread pullout, and it had freeze frames of punches landing - it's always amazing how distorted the face gets when you look at it that way. The most brutal would have to be Minto/Maddalone, the funniest a tie between Braithwaite/Azille and Brewster/Klitschko.

[tino]

arent you suposed to be banned anorak ?

[Drug Fiend]

Arturo Gatti-Joey Gamache

brutally sickening..half the video was gamache lying in the
ring then being stretchered out.

total mismatch..

im not sure it made me wanna stop watching but it squashed
any ideas i had of becoming an amateur fighter

[BrooklynBomber]

BTW in terms of injuries and quite ironically brain injuries futball is much more dangerous than boxing and I dont even talk about other physical injuries that happen to every football player atleast couple of times per season. Even though it is painful for me to see the mismatches where one guy gets battered to unconciousness I will never stop watching boxing for these reasons becouse imho the ring is the only place where you can see people letting out their real selves and that is beautiful.

[jack_the_rippuh]

Watching Benn/McClellan was kind of scary looking at the G-man taking a knee and keep blinking from the repeated blows to the head..

It's one of those fights where you know how it will end, but it never loses its effect..

You can see the blows what did it to him, too..

[jabsRstiff]

Benn-McClellan made me question myself & my love of the sport.
That fight was just plain eerie. The atmosphere was one of violence, the fight was brutal.....& to see McClellan fall into that state while celebration took place around him, truly troubled me.
That was just a dark, dark night.

[Guest]

BTW in terms of injuries and quite ironically brain injuries futball is much more dangerous than boxing and I dont even talk about other physical injuries that happen to every football player atleast couple of times per season. Even though it is painful for me to see the mismatches where one guy gets battered to unconciousness I will never stop watching boxing for these reasons becouse imho the ring is the only place where you can see people letting out their real selves and that is beautiful.

Sorry, to clarify, I wasn't referring to American Football, which I can see is extremely physical - you got that, right? I was referring to English football (soccer), which is far less of a contact sport. Unless you're Vinnie Jones.