Can a black fighter ever be the next "Golden Boy?"

[venerablefist]

certain fighters are just terrible speakers which turns people away from them sense they seem uneducated

[Lord Cornholio]

Well i thought that was pretty obvious lol.

Too some it isn't. Some think personality is all it takes which is bull.

[Cuauhtémoc1520]

hmm. as someone whos not as "into" boxing as most of you on here, im gonna give a bit of an "outsiders view" on this.

yes, definitely. its not really the athletes skill that makes him so so popular, its how hes marketed. so if he has a good pr team, he could be anything.

take that idiot beckham. hes in your face all the friggin time. is he all that great? nah. but hes become this face of soccer, that makes him popular. and someone just has to say.."hey hes awesome" and everyone believes it.

what a boxer has to do to become the next "golden boy" is become a celebrity. not necessarily a winner.

Uh......no. First of all, you need to be great in order to get that attention. While Beckham isn't the same player he was before, at one time he was the best soccer player on the planet.

What made Oscar so popular was yes his looks and personality, which in turn makes him more marketable but he also had the skill to match it.

You don't win 10 world titles in 6 different weight classes by being "pretty" or "charismatic".

Once in a blue moon you will get a combo of all those attributes and that's what Oscar is.

[Squabbles94806]

I don't think so, because i think "Golden Boy" is copyrighted.

[baracuda]

Ali, Tyson and Leonard are like the three most popular boxers ever

dela hoya is as popular as those guys if not more.tyson and dela hoya are in the same level of fame for some different reasons.

[steptwome]

without Question? There were many before and there will be plenty after the golden boy Oscar De La Hoya, (by the way Ray Leonard was the first Golden Boy). Personality, boxing ability and most of all PROMOTION has alot to do with it.

[vanilamilkshake]

Uh......no. First of all, you need to be great in order to get that attention. While Beckham isn't the same player he was before, at one time he was the best soccer player on the planet.

What made Oscar so popular was yes his looks and personality, which in turn makes him more marketable but he also had the skill to match it.

You don't win 10 world titles in 6 different weight classes by being "pretty" or "charismatic".

Once in a blue moon you will get a combo of all those attributes and that's what Oscar is.

hm.

there are a lot of good athletes taht just dont get the recognition tho.

im talking from outside the fanbase.

within the fanbase OFCOURSE youre going to like a winner. a successful athlete. and hell be more likable if hes charming.

its not just arods nice eyes and fling with madonna that makes him popular. but it puts him out there, noticed by more people. you know what i mean?

i suppose it depends on whos doing the labeling.

[vanilamilkshake]

most of all PROMOTION has alot to do with it.

thats what im saying. only i called it marketing.

[Pullcounter]

Ray Leonard was known as a "Golden Boy" long before De La Hoya.

end of thread

[Cuauhtémoc1520]

hm.

there are a lot of good athletes taht just dont get the recognition tho.

im talking from outside the fanbase.

within the fanbase OFCOURSE youre going to like a winner. a successful athlete. and hell be more likable if hes charming.

its not just arods nice eyes and fling with madonna that makes him popular. but it puts him out there, noticed by more people. you know what i mean?

i suppose it depends on whos doing the labeling.

Yes I do but your missing the main point. You have to be good FIRST, then you can have the attention and be marketable.

A Rod is a bad example to your argument becuase he's the best player in baseball...lol.

Beckham was the best at his sport and arguably for a decade so was Oscar. I think there's a lot of really good athletes in their sport that have the ability but don't have the charisma or the looks, so they don't get the same attention.

Once in a while you get all of those attributes together and you get guys like A-Rod, Oscar, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant etc.

The only athlete that sort of fits your argument is the Russian tennis player Anna Kornikova. She wasn't really that good but her looks made her marketable but thats about the only example I can think of.

Bottom line is, you have to win and be good FIRST. Then everything else will come.