Okay Brizspac, I'm going to jump in here. I actually think that Dirk is a pretty good poster, and I don't understand why you appear to have declared yourself his enemy, as though he is really the most biased or irrational poster on the boards. Sure, he sets out in no uncertain terms that he thinks Yanks can be dumb, self regarding and insular at times, but the reason for that is that they can! How often, this thread included, do you see American posters post something along the lines of "America is the best because it is. Boxing outside of the USA does not count. A fighters record outside of America is irrelevant. To prove themselves, all boxers have to fight in America. American boxers are the best."?
Answer: you see it all the time, and the worst of it is that these posters actually believe that this is a justifiable opinion! Do you have any idea how annoying this is when you are from the UK or (heavens forbid) a fan of a UK or European fighter? That is the simple reason why posters like Dirk, myself, and many others sometimes feel the need to retaliate by pointing out that actually, American boxing is not quite the mecca it sometimes perceives itself to be, that (yep) American fighters duck fights, American fighters stay at home, some American 'greats' have quite questionable lists of opposition, and that America hypes its fighters out of all proportion.
Of course, I'm not denying that these negatives can be applied pretty easily to all boxers of all nationalities, but I do often feel a strong need to remind Americans that they are not immune, and that their holier than thou attitude
to all matters boxing is not only grating, but sometimes the worst kind of idiocy.
Answer: you see it all the time, and the worst of it is that these posters actually believe that this is a justifiable opinion! Do you have any idea how annoying this is when you are from the UK or (heavens forbid) a fan of a UK or European fighter? That is the simple reason why posters like Dirk, myself, and many others sometimes feel the need to retaliate by pointing out that actually, American boxing is not quite the mecca it sometimes perceives itself to be, that (yep) American fighters duck fights, American fighters stay at home, some American 'greats' have quite questionable lists of opposition, and that America hypes its fighters out of all proportion.
Of course, I'm not denying that these negatives can be applied pretty easily to all boxers of all nationalities, but I do often feel a strong need to remind Americans that they are not immune, and that their holier than thou attitude
to all matters boxing is not only grating, but sometimes the worst kind of idiocy.
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