It's not that American fighters are always better than British fighters........

[kayjay]

Again, it's not about Joe Calzaghe. Calzaghe is an oddball, and one of very examples of a superior fighter who never needed to come to, say Las Vegas, to make their name in the sport. I expect more to follow in his steps in the future, but at present time, he's one of a very limited club.

Okay, now in bold you're getting it.

The sports world is changing. Even Vegas will be eclipsed. Big fights in the future might take place in the middle east, with a european in one corner and and African in the other. That is progress.

Don't border on sounding like Diego Fuego, which you were almost doing for a moment.


And the club isn't so small. Abraham, Haye, Chagaev, and others belong to it as well, and each is better than the best Americans in his respective weight class, so they shouldn't ever have to come here.

[T-97]

thats basically the same as someone saying 'that guy is just another hyped up yank', which I can recall being said a few times...its nothing serious, sometimes it is true.

and the difference is that America is way bigger than most of the other countries that boxers come from...California is way different than New York.

I mean, personally, if I saw a guy who had 30 wins, but all of them came out of say Kansas...I would without a doubt say he has a padded record. Kansas isnt known for its fighters, and if the guy hasnt ever bothered to go out and fight people in other states, I wouldnt think he fought many people of note.
Its a little bit the same with other countries...

usually, to fight the best you have to go to areas where big fights are generally made. The first big boxing places you think ones like Las Vegas. I mean...big surprise...Joe Calzaghe's biggest fight ended up taking place in Las Vegas. Hatton himself has said something along these lines.

this doesnt mean that big fights cant be made out of America, or that only good fighters can come out of America...not at all. it just means that if a fighter has a reputation for fighting in only one place that isnt really a prime spot for big fights being made, then he might possibly have a padded record.

Depends how you look at that though, the Kessler fight in Wales sold like 50K tickets or something crazy if i'm not mistaken

[thegreatone1]

Im sure if the UK was the mecca of boxing europeans would class most Americans as over-rated and Ameri-bums.

It swings around but America is the mecca of boxing.

And example if Klitchko and Haye signed to fight where do you think they would fight?

It would be in America.

[kayjay]

So by making the observation that throughout history, the best fighters in the world came from their Country to make their name here, I become just another of the N.A.S? (Nationalistic ******* Society)

No, for you to recognize that this is and yet to resist that change rather than embrace it, that's the problem.

[Mizzou]

This is a message to the British users here, from an intelligent (or so I'd like to think) American fight fan.........

When you hear American fight fans saying guys like Hatton, Khan, and Calzaghe are "overrated", you're reading too much into the Nationalistic aspect of things. When this really isn't a Nationalistic debate at all.......hear me out.

When you have a fighter who fights 90% of his fights in his home Country it's not just Americans who are a bit skeptical of their credibility, it's the world. Fight fans aren't just American, we come from all parts of the globe and all walks of life, so Nationality is just a meaningless byproduct of where we happened to be born.

The bottom line is this: When you hear someone saying that they think X fighter is either overrated or protected, and that they'd like to see them come to the States to fight, it doesn't mean we think our fighters are better than yours.

**** just look at the top 10 p4p fighters in the world? How many are American? We're not saying we have the best fighters in the world, what we're saying is this...The best fighters in the world come here to make their name, this single fact has been true since the dawn of boxing.

Just try not to take it so personally.

I think you work for Fox News. Fair and Balanced.

[ßringer]

Okay, now in bold you're getting it.

The sports world is changing. Even Vegas will be eclipsed. Big fights in the future might take place in the middle east, with a european in one corner and and African in the other. That is progress.

Don't border on sounding like Diego Fuego, which you were almost doing for a moment.


And the club isn't so small. Abraham, Haye, Chagaev, and others belong to it as well, and each is better than the best Americans in his respective weight class, so they shouldn't ever have to come here.

So first I disappoint you, then I sound like a Nationalist *******, now I'm sounding like DiegoFuego? Maybe I should've just stayed offline today.

Honestly though, I do get at what you're saying here in terms of a reshuffling of the deck globally. And you are right, you can see it happening right now in certain instances with certain fighters. But I just don't think think we've reached that plateau quite yet, and that's what I was getting at. Until we do, we're going to have to deal with having a certain percentage of fans who play the Nationalist card.

[kayjay]

Im sure if the UK was the mecca of boxing europeans would class most Americans as over-rated and Ameri-bums.

It swings around but America is the mecca of boxing.

And example if Klitchko and Haye signed to fight where do you think they would fight?

It would be in America.

Maybe. Maybe Germany. Klit is fighting Thompson in Germany, will likely fight in Kiev before long and maybe Moscow. And ignorant Americans, my dear narrowminded compatriots, will complain that the fights are being held abroad.

We have to get over this "mecca" thinking. It's not true anymore. I love America b/c I'm American. But we're not the best at very much. And we are certainly not "the greatest country in the world," though they beat this myth into our heads as kids

[ßringer]

No, for you to recognize that this is and yet to resist that change rather than embrace it, that's the problem.

I'm not resisting it, I'm just saying we're not quite there yet. So for the time being..........

[kayjay]

So first I disappoint you, then I sound like a Nationalist *******, now I'm sounding like DiegoFuego? Maybe I should've just stayed offline today.

Like I said in your karma it's HOT where I am sitting, like 120 degrees. My temper is uncontrollable ntil I go back outside in ten minutes

[P4P Opinion]

Im partly nationalistic in that I'm especially pleased when British fighters I like do well, but my current favourite fighter is a certain Puerto Rican.

Other than wanting a few British fighters to win, I say it precisely as I see it. I think Junior Witter is a talented boxer, but also a whiny little *****. I think Amir Khan has great potential, but he's far too ****y and not ready for Campbell. Ricky Hatton is an exciting fighter to watch, but he's been talking a lot of **** recently etc.

As for fighters fighting outside their backyard and the side issue of Hopkins vs Calzaghe, I think the best do it at least once against a top opponent. I don't think B-Hop's two overseas victories count particularly, because the opponents in question weren't particularly good fighters. Calzaghe also has two overseas victories, but again I don't think they particularly count, as they weren't great opponents.

Calzaghe sets this right on April the 19th, Hopkins doesn't and probably never will now.