“Fighting Words” – Belting It Out (A Satire)

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

by David P. Greisman - My prizefighting career started in places where the prizes were small and the crowds smaller. I had no amateur acclaim to speak of. No illustrious tournaments. No national championships.

The smoke wafted inward from those who nevertheless showed to watch us pugs trade punches, a stench that mixed with my sweat and soaked into my clothes. It came with me on the long drives home, almost always overnight, when the only landmarks were state lines and the only company was whatever came through the radio on my beater of a car.

It was worth it.

I captured the West ******ia state title first. I never fought there again. Instead, I moved east and won the Pennsylvania state title. If I had kept going to all 50 states, I guess that would have made up for never winning a national championship.

I found my name in rankings of organizations that sounded more like they should be lobbying the federal government rather than sanctioning a fight between two semi-anonymous pros. The NABA. The NABF. The NABO. Who knew boxing in North America was governed by an association, a federation and an organization? [details]

[PACBOY]

Sanctioning bodies Suck ass!!!!

[rj_ct]

by David P. Greisman - My prizefighting career started in places where the prizes were small and the crowds smaller. I had no amateur acclaim to speak of. No illustrious tournaments. No national championships.

The smoke wafted inward from those who nevertheless showed to watch us pugs trade punches, a stench that mixed with my sweat and soaked into my clothes. It came with me on the long drives home, almost always overnight, when the only landmarks were state lines and the only company was whatever came through the radio on my beater of a car.

It was worth it.

I captured the West ******ia state title first. I never fought there again. Instead, I moved east and won the Pennsylvania state title. If I had kept going to all 50 states, I guess that would have made up for never winning a national championship.

I found my name in rankings of organizations that sounded more like they should be lobbying the federal government rather than sanctioning a fight between two semi-anonymous pros. The NABA. The NABF. The NABO. Who knew boxing in North America was governed by an association, a federation and an organization? [details]

yeah, we get it. boxing is messed up. who is actually going to do something about it?

[K-Nan]

Good satirical piece, Mr. David.

Belts are more like nooses that choke the throat of boxing, tighter and tighter.

^^^^ Larry Merchant type ****, right there.

[HeartAttack]

Well done David. People can complain about too many articles of this fashion and whether or not anything can be done. But we need constantly point of the idiocracy of the sanctioning bodies and the detriment of their existence to the fighters and the sport.

[BrooklynBomber]

Mr. David is becoming the O'Henry of the boxing scene.