Comments Thread For: Mayweather Named as Special Advisor To China's Boxing Team

[DaNeutral.]

He taking some of them elite American peds to dish out?

[Citizen Koba]

You don't really believe this do you? Ray Rob, Ray Leonard, Ali, Tyson, Roy Jones aren't different?

You think elite fighters wouldn't have developed in other countries if they had the social conditions and tradition in the sport that the US, and specifically African Americans in the US did? Genetically we're much the same whatever skin colour we are and in a sport as nuanced as boxing where physical characteristics aren't even (to my mind) the chief determinant of success, then there's not even an argument.

Even if you subscribe to the bullchit idea that somehow humanity is divided by subtle gradations of melanin there isn't one shred of scientific evidence that it makes you better at boxing.

[Oxbig951]

You don't really believe this do you? Ray Rob, Ray Leonard, Ali, Tyson, Roy Jones aren't different?

I think he’s saying skills> genetics and he’s right

[giant_king]

At koba dude what the heck are you smoking buddy.theres clearly a difference in genetics.but at the end of the day who cares it's just sports lol.

[DumpkinsPlus5]

I think he’s saying skills> genetics and he’s right

How good any fighter is or isn't is a combination of skills and athleticism. There's no way to separate the two. A fighter's athleticism is always a factor to an unknown degree. It's impossible to look at a fight and say a fighter won 100% because of skills or 100% because of athleticism.

You think elite fighters wouldn't have developed in other countries if they had the social conditions and tradition in the sport that the US, and specifically African Americans in the US did? Genetically we're much the same whatever skin colour we are and in a sport as nuanced as boxing where physical characteristics aren't even (to my mind) the chief determinant of success, then there's not even an argument.

Even if you subscribe to the bullchit idea that somehow humanity is divided by subtle gradations of melanin there isn't one shred of scientific evidence that it makes you better at boxing.

Where are all the great White AMERICAN fighters at? Surely, they have the same advantages (if not more) than Black Americans as Black Americans do to those in third world countries.

Please don't say MMA lol.

[Manic Shot]

Good for China's Boxing Team!

[Citizen Koba]

How good any fighter is or isn't is a combination of skills and athleticism. There's no way to separate the two. A fighter's athleticism is always a factor to an unknown degree. It's impossible to look at a fight and say a fighter won 100% because of skills or 100% because of athleticism.



Where are all the great White AMERICAN fighters at? Surely, they have the same advantages (if not more) than Black Americans as Black Americans do to those in third world countries.

Please don't say MMA lol.

Historical circumstance as much as anything, man... you come from a society that denied Blacks access to many of the opportunities that whites had to make a decent living, and also happened to be the country where the sport became most popular at a time when mass media where developing to spread it to the widest possible audience.

The success of Black fighters was partly due to them having fewer alternative opportunities, partly - likely - due to the resilience developed through the hardship of circumstance and partly due to whites moving away from active participation in the sport once it became clear that they were unable to dominate it. In an apartheid society built on the false premise of superiority there was considerable social pressure to avoid competition rather to compete and lose. Progressed from there pretty much - more Blacks boxed so the gyms and skills centre become concentrated in Black communities... knowledge is shared and passed on and improved through competition... etc. anyways I could write an essay, but suffice to say genetic superiority ain't what it's about.

I can go into more depth about how, genetically speaking - skin tone tells you almost nothing about physical or mental characteristics, how we're all essentially the same under the skin - all a bunch of mongrels - and once again that its an utterly meaningless way of dividing people outside of the social power relationships that are an accident of history.



In a sport like, say, sprinting, where a very particular attribute is being measured there may be a stronger linkage between genetic heritage (though not necessarily skin tone) and success, but the factors that lead to succes in the boxing ring are so varied and nuanced that no such link can be made - at least IMO.

Besides, man, what is 'Blackness'? if it's just a matter of skin tone then surely the darker a guy is then the better a boxer he should be by your argument - and a dude like Ward should be at the bottom end of the scale... we're all sitting somewhere on the same spectrum, man, the obscene and arbitrary divides that men and their society have drawn between us are ultimately meaningless if you look at the science and were made to justify political and social control rather than to identify any fundamental qualitative difference between people.

[New England]

Haha thats crazy. Pretty cool. Floyd seems to be enjoying Asia. Thats where the money is at

it's definitely a cool phenomenon. i'm glad he doesn't have to fight to make money or find enjoyment / some spotlight, either. so many people watch the best few boxers on the planet / the popular heavyweights. just having them in the country is a treat and they show up for it.

muhammad ali's is arguably the most recognizable face of all time. hard to imagine the kind of impact you've got to have for that to be the case. didn't hurt that ali was just about the most handsome man you'll ever see.

[DumpkinsPlus5]

Historical circumstance as much as anything, man... you come from a society that denied Blacks access to many of the opportunities that whites had to make a decent living, and also happened to be the country where the sport became most popular at a time when mass media where developing to spread it to the widest possible audience.

The success of Black fighters was partly due to them having fewer alternative opportunities, partly - likely - due to the resilience developed through the hardship of circumstance and partly due to whites moving away from active participation in the sport once it became clear that they were unable to dominate it. In an apartheid society built on the false premise of superiority there was considerable social pressure to avoid competition rather to compete and lose. Progressed from there pretty much - more Blacks boxed so the gyms and skills centre become concentrated in Black communities... knowledge is shared and passed on and improved through competition... etc. anyways I could write an essay, but suffice to say genetic superiority ain't what it's about.

I can go into more depth about how, genetically speaking - skin tone tells you almost nothing about physical or mental characteristics, how we're all essentially the same under the skin - all a bunch of mongrels - and once again that its an utterly meaningless way of dividing people outside of the social power relationships that are an accident of history.



In a sport like, say, sprinting, where a very particular attribute is being measured there may be a stronger linkage between genetic heritage (though not necessarily skin tone) and success, but the factors that lead to succes in the boxing ring are so varied and nuanced that no such link can be made - at least IMO.

Besides, man, what is 'Blackness'? if it's just a matter of skin tone then surely the darker a guy is then the better a boxer he should be by your argument - and a dude like Ward should be at the bottom end of the scale... we're all sitting somewhere on the same spectrum, man, the arbitrary divides that men and their society have drawn between us are ultimately meaningless if you look at the science.

You keep focusing on "Blackness." I'm focused on the individual. Even among black americans, Tyson, Sugar Ray, Jones Jr are athletically different. Genetics matter in boxing. Genetics matter in sports. I don't know why you're so against an obvious truth

[Citizen Koba]

You keep focusing on "Blackness." I'm focused on the individual. Even among black americans, Tyson, Sugar Ray, Jones Jr are athletically different. Genetics matter in boxing. Genetics matter in sports. I don't know why you're so against an obvious truth

Oh... individuals? Sure. No reason you couldn't have an athletic freak who's of Chinese or Indian heritage though, is there? 'Sides - it wasn't me that brought race into the thread, You made an opening comment about size athleticism and power withing a particular ethnic group... I was just politely pointing out that firstly these factors are only one component of boxing and secondly that you are mistaken - there's big dudes of asian heritage, fast dudes of asian heritage and powerful dudes of asian heritage. In fact that not only are you wrong but you are also - sadly - furthering racial stereotypes.

There's people from all over the world with genetic compositions that would provide them with some advantages in the sport, but the opportunities need to be there to achieve success also.You think the Ukrainian Olympic team of 2012 who have gone on to achieve such success in the pro world owe their success to genetics - or was it the popularity of the sport generated by the Klitschkos and the well funded amateur program in that country that led to success?