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by David P. Greisman - Michael Jordan would turn any slight, actual or perceived, into 40 or 50 points and a Chicago Bulls victory. Athletes will pin newspaper clippings to locker room bulletin boards, inspiring their teammates to respond, come game time, to ensure their opponents know there will be consequences for whatever is said.
But when trash talk is the standard in your sport, when the prospect of press conferences and interviews turning nasty is more expected than exciting, motivation doesn’t necessarily come from the mouth of the man standing in front of you.
Yes, Oscar De La Hoya was spurred on by pre-fight rhetoric from Fernando Vargas and Ricardo Mayorga. But of late, it seems, the go-to who gets guys going… is me.
Well, not exactly.
It is the media, though, that have been behind two of the biggest, most surprising wins in recent weeks: Bernard Hopkins’ drubbing of Kelly Pavlik, and Vic Darchinyan’s conquering this past weekend of fellow 115-pound titlist Cristian Mijares. [details]
But when trash talk is the standard in your sport, when the prospect of press conferences and interviews turning nasty is more expected than exciting, motivation doesn’t necessarily come from the mouth of the man standing in front of you.
Yes, Oscar De La Hoya was spurred on by pre-fight rhetoric from Fernando Vargas and Ricardo Mayorga. But of late, it seems, the go-to who gets guys going… is me.
Well, not exactly.
It is the media, though, that have been behind two of the biggest, most surprising wins in recent weeks: Bernard Hopkins’ drubbing of Kelly Pavlik, and Vic Darchinyan’s conquering this past weekend of fellow 115-pound titlist Cristian Mijares. [details]