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I gotta respectfully disagree again. I think there are far more club fighters out there than guys who will ever even see an ESPN contract let alone HBO. That doesn't mean they can't fight, only that they're in the same boat trying to get better but just being a wee bit short and doing it for the love of it rather than the paycheck.
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Interesting that some kid comes on here for some advice (and the correct answer is of course that he needs to have more amateur fights and win a major contest as an adult if he's looking to pick up a good promoter) and you make a response about "meat wagons" and then accuse other people of being snide.
Interesting you should mention the meat wagon. Didn't you get knocked out by the driver?Comment
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I would say that I rode in a meat wagon once. Went down to Cleveland to fight after about a 6 year lay off completely out of shape. The ride home the car just smelled like a wounded animal.
What would you rather me candy coat it for the kid, I'm speaking real. If you guys want to jerk him off then by all means get squeelingpiggy........Rockin'
Last edited by Rockin'; 04-25-2012, 05:31 AM.Comment
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Gotta agree with Rockin. It might sound harsh. You could listen to this advice or wait till your broke, penniless and needing a helluva lot of medical work. Nothing cool about getting smashed up for just a few pennies.Comment
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This is the kind of insight that someone with your experience can provide. It's the side of the sport that doesn't get an HBO special, that doesn't get pyrotechnic entrances, where the only belts on display are for holding your trousers up. The dressing room after defeat, the "meat wagon" on the way home from failure, the guys that take the fights on short notice, not for the opportunity, not for the exposure, but for the wage packet, it's the romantic heart and soul of boxing.
Well done Rockin.Comment
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Thanks to everyone who gave me all the meaningful advice. To answer some of the criticism, I do have people who I can talk to about this stuff- I just feel like they arent looking at things objectively. Also, I have had to get rid of people who are only with me to promote themselves---The video with the loser who was pretending to coach me for a while was mentioned.) I have had four fights back since the end of January. All my fights back have been open class- I am not a novice- I have had 20 fights (only four in my comeback). My record is 16-4 now. This past one- the Pennsylvania State Golden Gloves championship- was a loss to a guy who had won the championship the last couple years and lost a 1 point decision to Dominic Brezeale - the guy who is going to be the SHW on the olympic team this year at SHW. He was a good fighter---just akward amateur style. Every time I came at him to fight he backed up. He fought with his hands down. I have sparred several successful professionals the past few months who are known to be good punchers- and did much better against them than this opponent. I did better because they were there to be hit because they were trying to hit me. The guy would fall backwards like a goof balll and throw from funny angles with his hands down. I had not sparred anyone like that before but the two opponents Ive lost decisions to in my recent fights fought like that. I had him in the first round...but I guess he realized that was working well, despite losing the first round. I would have done better to keep more pressure on him and not let him be comfortable doing that crap, but I guess I just got too frustrated while I was out there.
Like I said, I appreciate all the constructive advice. Unlike some of the guys like Nate Campbell that were mentioned, I did not START boxing now. I have started to box AGAIN, so I dont really see myself in that boat since I am not starting at square 1 like another guy who is 25 and putting on the gloves for the first time.
After considering some of your advice I think I will probably stick around a while. Money isnt an issue for me. I went to college at Penn State and have some other things going for me. I love boxing more than the other things, but I guess there is no rush at this point considering I am already "late". I will try to do things right like there is no pressure.Comment
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A boxer at his level fighting for the wage packet? Nah, they don't make ****. Guys at that level don't make any living from boxing, or anything even remotely resembling a decent pay for one fight. Even someone as good as Scully would have struggled with it, let alone dudes that fought a few fights against no one over a few years for no consequence apart from his own enjoyment.
When you have top flight world contenders or even champions still working day jobs and only making anywhere between several K to a few tens of thousands at most (divide that by two or three per year, and take off promoters, managers, trainers fees etc and you have someone struggling to make ends meet at the highest level of the sport) then guys who struggle to win a single fight against the most basic fodder level fighter isn't even going to make much more than the taxi ride home....he could ask his opponent to give him a lift in his taxi though which could save him a few bucks.
If you're just some dude that decides to fight a few pro fights, win a few, lose a few, nothing of any consequence at all, of which there are many, (you know? the types with a 0-1, 4-3 or 1-2 record and no future whatsoever and can't even beat some other bum with a similar crappy record) then honestly, what does it matter?
Turn 'pro' (odd expression as only the very top guys are really pros: definition of a pro being that you make an actual career of your chosen field and are at the top), have a bit of fun. Or don't, get a bit more experience and do it in a year or two. Unless you're the next Nate Campbell, who's currently bankrupt, I wouldn't stress too much. Have fun with it. Don't be too serious. It's not as if it's your livelihood and you'll starve. It's just for the fun of it.Comment
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