Talking boxing to a regular guy...

My friend sees me reading Boxing News and takes an interest.

"You're really into this boxing, right? So who's the heavyweight champion of the world?"

"Well, it's complicated, because..."

"There's about a 100 different belts, isn't there? Anyway..."


That's all it takes for someone to lose interest. I did actually get them quite engaged with Valuev of all people, but for the man on the street the premier division is still where it's at, and it's a mess.

[VanesBoxing]

I think its time for the casual fan to turn their interest to the lower weights, welterweight to middleweight is where alll the action is gonna be for a while.

Will it ever happen though? I'm talking people who might even go years iwthout seeing a boxing match.

[VanesBoxing]

I think its possible, but the media has to kind of pick up on this and help boxing out.

More boxers should be on different shows (not always boxing related) but just to show that boxers too can be celebrities.

I mean we should have Jermain Taylor, Winky, Hopkins, these guys on MTV CRIBS and stuff showin off their houses and cars, you know playing to the casual fans interest to get them into boxing again.

Only boxer ive ever seen on CRIBS has been Hollyfield i think, oh and RJJ.

[Azteca]

boxing is declining because there is not a big star to sell the sport. there is no boxer with a mixture of skill and charisma that gets the average fan interested anymore.

[AREALFIGHTER]

I think its time for the casual fan to turn their interest to the lower weights, welterweight to middleweight is where alll the action is gonna be for a while.

The heavyweight divison has been created by the media. My father and my grandfather who is still alive and born in 1914 and my grandmother that I never knew but was a huge boxing fan, always said those guys can't fight they can barely move. This was back in like the 30's and 40's and so on, But there eyes lit up at least my grampa's about the good old days were the lighter guys fought like bigger weights do now. They had guts speed power in both hands balls down to the floor. They were fighters whats this boxing crap he still tells me. We watched the Taylor fight car and later in the week th alicne card. My bapa lot me those guy already have money refering to the taylor wright fight. The're not fight ing their boxing neather man fights like what they do puts food on the table. I told Him its not really like that anymore for top fighter at least. My bapa looked at me like I was crazy. He says what is that are these men, do they not have pride are they afriad. I said I don't know Bapa they fight and somtimes there are really good fights he kind looks at me funny. I tell him look boxing stopped being more about bride and about more money for the least wrisk than the last time you wer intested in boxing 70's. So he went on to tell me look a pure good boxer of the 70's woulf necer ever be Ko'd by the sluggers now, Because those pure boxers back them may not have punched hard but they puched hard enough to win, and their opponent sluggers could not punch hard enough to stop them.

[Azteca]

brilliant post arealfighter. you are correct about the hw division as media hype. something people always forget is that ali was used to sell the hw division. the promoters/mob didn't want a thug like liston as champ because he never brought in big dollars, they needed a 'golden boy', charismatic type like ali so they could sell the sport - which they ultimately did.

the biggest difference about the guys of yesteryear and of the guys today is simple. today is the microwave era. the majority of the kids have nothing to fight for anymore. once they get big money they lose the hunger and edge that seperated them from being champions to mere titlists.

[AREALFIGHTER]

brilliant post arealfighter. you are correct about the hw division as media hype. something people always forget is that ali was used to sell the hw division. the promoters/mob didn't want a thug like liston as champ because he never brought in big dollars, they needed a 'golden boy', charismatic type like ali so they could sell the sport - which they ultimately did.

the biggest difference about the guys of yesteryear and of the guys today is simple. today is the microwave era. the majority of the kids have nothing to fight for anymore. once they get big money they lose the hunger and edge that seperated them from being champions to mere titlists.

It had nothing to do with me as a fight fan my bapa put all into perspective for me. money was not the compete isuee back then he told me. Guys fought because that was what they did, they would never weight around till this guy or that guy would fight them they would fight who ever whenever until those guys showed up. He said ya a lot of those guys were bumbs that the were fighting and some were not the point was he said they never hung around for could have beens or never was. I earned alot about boxing just in the couple of days we were together about a month ago. He told me, why this politing why not let them fights why people fight for money for ****** match up but not for pride. My gand father speaks limited english so thats how I am writing it by the way. He Liked the wright taylor scrap. He said both were in good shape ready to fight. He noticed that although they were throeing punches the were not able to gain an advantage over the other because they did diffrent things. I remeber his comments on the 12 and he said basicly close it out to winky. Woop him for good he said. After the fight was over he said. Myabe I be wrong maybe I mis judge. They match up well together but not fighting like I remeber when you were small and before that. I told him ya your probly right Bapa. Then he starts talken about louis conn. Little man should have kept being a fighter not a slugger. That was ****** he said, no reason he be woopen louis but beating him quick and hard and first. Not how he fight he said louis bigger stronger dangerious but slower don't move. Why be less by trying to do more he said. He said why not continue to woop him why let him touch you, he wooped him good he showed he was brave why fight ******. He said not a fighter fight like that anymore, talkin about wright taylor but meanig conn. I told him that Wright though he was winning the fight. He looks at me and says never stop fighting till the fight is done. I told him conn would have won that fight if he would have been less aggresive less a fighter in his book. He goes pish puh, conn showed he had no fear even though he work louis like non before. he woop him he saied. He said for conn being a true fighter at the point was not enough real fighters when able close the show because that is what they do. But he lost and got KD out I said. He kinda smirked at me and said so he faught much bigger stronge dangeious man and never step back he fight he did and was not afraid. He got KO but he no loose he get beaten he not loose. Loose would mean he never faught in the first place or that he be afriad while fighting like it was supposed to happen like it did. No he be beaten because he made it not the way it supposed to go but fight and hard and try to win to be a fighter you never loose like that you get beaten not loose. I asked him to clarify, He said to loose means that that was somthing that might well happen. To be beaten ment that your opponent had to fight and hard inorder to win agienst you. He said, no shame in beaing beaten you loose when not try hard enough.

[eazy_mas]

I think boxing need to have some tag team action

some thing like that

I think if boxing was a bit more famous then it will spoil the sport belive me if you seen in soccer and other sports many of its athelths care less about the sport and more about business.

That is why Barzil didnt perforam in the last world cup.

The the other thing is try to unifiy the belts and make it just one major belt not many. If you got just one belt everyone will try to fight it hard for it

[AREALFIGHTER]

It had nothing to do with me as a fight fan my bapa put all into perspective for me. money was not the compete isuee back then he told me. Guys fought because that was what they did, they would never weight around till this guy or that guy would fight them they would fight who ever whenever until those guys showed up. He said ya a lot of those guys were bumbs that the were fighting and some were not the point was he said they never hung around for could have beens or never was. I earned alot about boxing just in the couple of days we were together about a month ago. He told me, why this politing why not let them fights why people fight for money for ****** match up but not for pride. My gand father speaks limited english so thats how I am writing it by the way. He Liked the wright taylor scrap. He said both were in good shape ready to fight. He noticed that although they were throeing punches the were not able to gain an advantage over the other because they did diffrent things. I remeber his comments on the 12 and he said basicly close it out to winky. Woop him for good he said. After the fight was over he said. Myabe I be wrong maybe I mis judge. They match up well together but not fighting like I remeber when you were small and before that. I told him ya your probly right Bapa. Then he starts talken about louis conn. Little man should have kept being a fighter not a slugger. That was ****** he said, no reason he be woopen louis but beating him quick and hard and first. Not how he fight he said louis bigger stronger dangerious but slower don't move. Why be less by trying to do more he said. He said why not continue to woop him why let him touch you, he wooped him good he showed he was brave why fight ******. He said not a fighter fight like that anymore, talkin about wright taylor but meanig conn. I told him that Wright though he was winning the fight. He looks at me and says never stop fighting till the fight is done. I told him conn would have won that fight if he would have been less aggresive less a fighter in his book. He goes pish puh, conn showed he had no fear even though he work louis like non before. he woop him he saied. He said for conn being a true fighter at the point was not enough real fighters when able close the show because that is what they do. But he lost and got KD out I said. He kinda smirked at me and said so he faught much bigger stronge dangeious man and never step back he fight he did and was not afraid. He got KO but he no loose he get beaten he not loose. Loose would mean he never faught in the first place or that he be afriad while fighting like it was supposed to happen like it did. No he be beaten because he made it not the way it supposed to go but fight and hard and try to win to be a fighter you never loose like that you get beaten not loose. I asked him to clarify, He said to loose means that that was somthing that might well happen. To be beaten ment that your opponent had to fight and hard inorder to win agienst you. He said, no shame in beaing beaten you loose when not try hard enough.

guess what he really mean that if you give it all you got and the other guy has to beat you to win there is no shame in the loss. He said that if you loose that you should have not fought in the first place like in a way you set yourself up for failer. and it makes sence from his example did billy conn loose or was he beaten, I would have to agree with my grandfather in this instance billy conn was beaten he did not loose. Niether did JLC loose to corralis he was beaten, did gatti loose to war in the first fight and did ward loose the last to fight no my grand father said because he had never ever stoped trying to win it never crossed their minds that they could loose and fought like they could not by cause they could not loose they could only be beaten. I makes a sortof sense that rings true when you think about it.