Has the World Grown Too Soft For Boxing?

[Barcham]

Fighters have become smarter, better managed and are no longer being ****d by savages like Don King. They look at guys like Meldrick Taylor and Terry Norris and have a visual of how they don't want to end up. So they fight smarter, look to maximize their value and hope to make enough money to retire healthy and take care of their families.

A couple of million dollar plus purses and any fighter can retire and with smart investments, maybe a promotional deal or two, never have to worry about providing for their family again. But that is not enough for most fighters. They want the massive homes, the exotic cars, the hot women, the huge gang of hangers on. So a few million is not enough for them and I have no pity if they decide to blow through millions and millions of dollars like Tyson did and so many other athletes from other sports do and have to stretch out their career to get what they feel will be enough money.

No one is forcing them into this profession. They made the choice of their own free will. Want me to pay for a ticket or to spend my time, which is worth more than any amount of money as it can not be replaced once spent, and you damn well better provide a product that I find entertaining.

If not I will not watch and neither will many other fans of the FIGHT game. If I want to watch dancing, I'll watch Dancing with the Stars or some other similar show. I want to watch a FIGHT. And if someone is too 'safety conscious' to give me one, there will be other options. And without viewers, there will be no money and no huge paydays for any fighter.

[Tony Trick-Pony]

A couple of million dollar plus purses and any fighter can retire and with smart investments, maybe a promotional deal or two, never have to worry about providing for their family again. But that is not enough for most fighters. They want the massive homes, the exotic cars, the hot women, the huge gang of hangers on. So a few million is not enough for them and I have no pity if they decide to blow through millions and millions of dollars like Tyson did and so many other athletes from other sports do and have to stretch out their career to get what they feel will be enough money.

No one is forcing them into this profession. They made the choice of their own free will. Want me to pay for a ticket or to spend my time, which is worth more than any amount of money as it can not be replaced once spent, and you damn well better provide a product that I find entertaining.

If not I will not watch and neither will many other fans of the FIGHT game. If I want to watch dancing, I'll watch Dancing with the Stars or some other similar show. I want to watch a FIGHT. And if someone is too 'safety conscious' to give me one, there will be other options. And without viewers, there will be no money and no huge paydays for any fighter.

Exactly, exactly, exactly.

This whole argument about "You can't say anything since you don't step into the ring." Actually I can.

I am a fan. I love the sport but there are fights I love and there are fights that are just plain boring and not worth my time or money. So I want a product worth spending money and more importantly, time, to watch and enjoy. Like you say, these guys know the risks when they sign up. No one goes into the ring without knowing exactly what is going on. Boxing is dangerous. So if football. So is hockey. They know what they are signing up for and when one gets hurt, everyone says how awful. It is awful, but could you not see it coming? Exciting fights don't have to be two guys butting heads in the center of the ring. But some of these fights today are pathetic compared to the older eras. These guys would never stoop as low with the cheating that goes on today for two reasons. Pride and the fact that the referee would not stand for it and neither would the crowd. Promoters used to cater to crowds. Now I don't know what they do.

[-PBP-]

A couple of million dollar plus purses and any fighter can retire and with smart investments, maybe a promotional deal or two, never have to worry about providing for their family again. But that is not enough for most fighters. They want the massive homes, the exotic cars, the hot women, the huge gang of hangers on. So a few million is not enough for them and I have no pity if they decide to blow through millions and millions of dollars like Tyson did and so many other athletes from other sports do and have to stretch out their career to get what they feel will be enough money.

No one is forcing them into this profession. They made the choice of their own free will. Want me to pay for a ticket or to spend my time, which is worth more than any amount of money as it can not be replaced once spent, and you damn well better provide a product that I find entertaining.

If not I will not watch and neither will many other fans of the FIGHT game. If I want to watch dancing, I'll watch Dancing with the Stars or some other similar show. I want to watch a FIGHT. And if someone is too 'safety conscious' to give me one, there will be other options. And without viewers, there will be no money and no huge paydays for any fighter.

You have no right to say what another man can or cannot make. If a man wants more than $1 million he has the right to go after it.

[Tony Trick-Pony]

You have no right to say what another man can or cannot make. If a man wants more than $1 million he has the right to go after it.

He also has the right to deal with the risks involved.

[Scipio2009]

I disagree. Duran, Chavez, Sr. and others brought aggressive styles in and never took terrible beatings and appear to be fine today. Not every fighter ended up brain dead. Foreman also had an exciting style and did not wind up hurt. You don't have to run around the ring and put fans to sleep in order to have a long career. In fact Duran had one of the longest at 35+ years and he still sounds fine.

This is a contact sport. People are going to get hurt. Taylor should have retired after the first Chavez fight. I think Richard Steel should have stopped it earlier actually. And it is a shame. No doubt. No one of any decency wants any fighter to end up with dementia or in financial ruin. However life is hard. Lots of non-famous people end up that way too.

My point is that if this sport is to thrive again as it once did, the safety first style is not going to get it. Morales and Barrera had exciting styles and appear to be doing fine so far. So did many other fighters and besides, it is boxing. If the sport is that horrible, then ban it. If not, then let's see real fights again that will attract casual fans.

Chavez Sr was an aggressive fighter, with an aggressive style, but he also came into fights behind sound technique (moved his head, slipping punches rather than eating every shot, etc); have yet to see enough Duran fights to make an opinion of his style. Foreman had an exciting style, but he also had a trainer who put the wisdom of a solid jab and controlling space drilled into him.

There's more than one way to skin a cat; my point is that most trainers worth anything are going to dissuade their young men from the "take three to the face, to maybe land one of their own" style that a lot of folks here seem to relish, which has already ruined countless fighters.

[Biolink]

I don't want to imagine talking about glovegate in the future

"The reditru, the redistrubu, the redistri... there's no padding"

Ellerbe was struggling

[Tony Trick-Pony]

Chavez Sr was an aggressive fighter, with an aggressive style, but he also came into fights behind sound technique (moved his head, slipping punches rather than eating every shot, etc); have yet to see enough Duran fights to make an opinion of his style. Foreman had an exciting style, but he also had a trainer who put the wisdom of a solid jab and controlling space drilled into him.

There's more than one way to skin a cat; my point is that most trainers worth anything are going to dissuade their young men from the "take three to the face, to maybe land one of their own" style that a lot of folks here seem to relish, which has already ruined countless fighters.

Well yeah. This is why I listed those aggressive fighters who had great defensive capabilities. I am all for defense. And you should watch Duran very closely. He was a master of offense and defense and inside fighting. I don't promote a guy walking into punches but I don't think you have to cheat or run half way around the ring to avoid punches either. Jack Johnson could sit in a chair and make you miss him with you standing and punching. Now that is craft and read talent and skill.

[SterlingStained]

Obviously the more comfortable our life styles become, the more the majority would want to embrace comfort and the more even boxers would embrace it as well. So these safety first fighters are as far as I can see, something we should have expected. Not that they are lazy, but in ages past, the one thing you did not want to be as a boxer was a coward. Now there are many, who dodge the tough fights and clinch and hold and run. The standards clearly have dropped. I only wonder if on down the line, the sport is snuffed out for good based purely on society growing too soft to tolerate it.

there is a proper way to be a great defensive fighter without being a repugnant fight spoiling son of a b*tch.

i wish more fighters fought like salvador sanchez.

PERFECT BLEND OF OFFENSE AND PROPER DEFENSE.

[Tony Trick-Pony]

there is a proper way to be a great defensive fighter without being a repugnant fight spoiling son of a b*tch.

i wish more fighters fought like salvador sanchez.

PERFECT BLEND OF OFFENSE AND PROPER DEFENSE.

Oh I totally agree. You can be plenty defensive and not be boring at all. The aggressive fighters who know defense are masterful. They don't have to prance around the ring to avoid punches. Can makes you miss by a half and inch and then bam!

[SterlingStained]

Oh I totally agree. You can be plenty defensive and not be boring at all. The aggressive fighters who know defense are masterful. They don't have to prance around the ring to avoid punches. Can makes you miss by a half and inch and then bam!

parrying punches.

ducking and slipping punches.

being skilled and confident enough TO ALLOW INSIDE FIGHTING WITHOUT CLINCHING LIKE AN UNDERCOVER ****SEXUAL.

that is real defense.

not this andre dirrell floyd mayweather LITERAL RUNNING AWAY andre ward kbro level excessive clinching passed off as boxing wizardry.