Comments Thread For: Spence: I Don't Like American Guys Backing Fury Instead of Wilder

[jonnyc420]

Oh well Spence, not gonna be told who I should like. Fury is just much more likeable. Wilder has no personality and just screams real loud. Fury is great with his words and one heck of a boxer for a man his size.

[champion4ever]

Unsubstantiated utter nonsense. Fury refuted any mention of race in the build up. He's an enigmatic character in front of the camera with an amazing come back story, who also happens to be white.

No, there are a lot of interesting black fighters with backstories too but they are not pushed by the promoters, networks or the largely white media in the U.S. Like Tyson Fury either.

Tyson Fury stands out in America because he is white; Not because of his charismatic and enigmatic personality. Which is the reason why Top Rank signed him in the first place.

Just take his last fight for instance. Even though it under performed but do you believe they would have sold nearly a million PPVs in America and grossed close to $20 mil at the live gate in Las Vegas if it had not been for Tyson Fury? The answer to that question is no.

Had he been a black fighter, he would have been just one of the guys stateside; Both hated and vilified by media and boxing fans alike.

[champion4ever]

Floyd Mayweather, a black man, is the most popular fighter ever.

OK and your point is?

[skinnystev]

spents has got to wake up The Gypsy King is not only heavyweight champion of the world he is P4P # 1 in the game the biggest money earner in the game and perhaps the GOAT hey spents ask yourself this how would jack johnson do vs Tyson Fury

[Jax teller]

No, there are a lot of interesting black fighters with backstories too but they are not pushed by the promoters, networks or the largely white media in the U.S. Like Tyson Fury either.

Tyson Fury stands out in America because he is white; Not because of his charismatic and enigmatic personality. Which is the reason why Top Rank signed him in the first place.

Just take his last fight for instance. Even though it under performed but do you believe they would have sold nearly a million PPVs in America and grossed close to $20 mil at the live gate in Las Vegas if it had not been for Tyson Fury? The answer to that question is no.

Had he been a black fighter, he would have been just one of the guys stateside; Both hated and vilified by media and boxing fans alike.

This doesn't even match reality Fury's shows bombed in USA when they weren't with Wilder.

Wilder (& Fury together) finally became some sort of draw after you guys were arguing he was when he was earning 3 mil vs Ortiz and now you are denying it.

[Monty Fisto]

Nationality obviously plays a part, but it is one of several things at play when it comes to who we identify with.

Watching two unknown fighters box is not as much fun as watching two well-known fighters box. Why? Partly because it means more if we know how good they are already, but also because the more we know, the more we identify with one over the other.

When you are watching a boxing match, it is more fun (I think), to root for one over the other. Or even when you feel neutral to start, you may end up rooting for one over the other (and by the end, that fighter has won a new fan).

One of the simplest ways to identify with a fighter is if they come from the same country as you. Or maybe the same town, which is why promoters will often try to put on fights with home-town favourites. Broadcasters like to tell you if a fighter is married, how many kids they have, any tales of adversity they have had to overcome, any quirky training methods they have. These are other ways in which they are trying to get the audience to identify with a fighter. These are kind of 'short-cut' methods to identifying with a fighter. Quicker, but more superficial.

There are bigger, deeper (and consequently more enduring) factors that I haven't mentioned yet that come with familiarity -- how they conduct themselves, their personality and (perhaps most crucially) how good they are. If they win a lot, inevitably they will win fans. Along with this, if they show courage, fortitude in challenging situations, or if they are funny or humble, this can go a long way. So will fighting in an attractive or crowd-pleasing manner.

So, to try and sum it up, nationality only goes so far. I think it wins early allegiance, but that takes a back seat eventually once we learn more about a fighter to more important elements, such as who they are and how they fight.

At the risk of generalising perhaps more than I should, I would say Americans above all things love a winner. Wilder no longer looks like a winner. This tendency is different in the UK, where the British tend to have a soft spot for plucky almost-rans or even perennial losers (just look at David Price). Furthermore, I would say no-one likes a bad loser. Wilder has done his fair share of looking like a bad loser with both the draw and the loss. His KO's wins a certain type of fan, but this is offset by his overall style, which is kind of clumsy looking (and often a bit timid and defensive looking).

Prior to that last fight, Fury hasn't had a very fan-friendly style, but that was offset to some degree by being clearly very skilled. The last fight gave him a big boost as it was so fan friendly. And he has never lost in the ring. He talks about overcoming mental health issues, which I think many find inspiring and appealing, he has never lost in the ring and his win over Wilder puts him at the top of the division (or on an equal footing at the top with Joshua). Finally, he doesn't project himself as British, but as a kind of nationless traveller (reality check: he lives in Morecambe, Lancashire), the self-styled Gypsy King, which gives him a clear identity... And he tends to say all the right things (i.e. positive) about American and Vegas. His trash talk is also not personal or mean, more tongue in cheek -- 'dosser' doesn't really get anyone's heckles up -- and he can be appealingly self-deprecating.

I don't think it's hard to see why fans are gravitating toward Fury and away from Wilder right now, and it's simplistic to think that US fight fans will simply adhere to backing their own nation's fighter in this specific case.

Sorry to ramble!

[petero]

Errol, listen man. I'm a decades long boxing fan. I'm American and I'm black. I like Fury and want him to kick Wilder's ass again. Why? Because I like who I like, no matter where they're from. I love Breland, but I just never cared for Wilder. Wilder's personality rubs me the wrong way. Same way you just don't like Keith Thurman. Wilder is loud and arrogant acting. He talked **** about Mike Tyson, who I love. He says he could've beat any heavyweight in history. Not true at all. Breland is humble and smooth. Sugar Hill is the same way. Many fights I saw Wilder get outboxed and then his power bailed him out, then he talked **** afterwards like he's the best ever. I don't like that. That's why his skills never improved much. He was too big headed. Fury is loud but he's funny, he has personality and he has skills. So in boxing you just like who you like. I like other UK fighters throught history too. Some of them are: Ted kid lewis, peerless jim driscoll, jimmy wilde, calzaghe, prince naseem, lennox lewis, kell brook. I can talk all day about American fighters I like. Some are: sam langford, joe gans, jack blackburn, original joe walcott, jimmy mclarnin, canzoneri, billy petrolle, tiger flowers, harry greb, kid norfolk, henry armstrong, eddie booker, burley, holman williams, jack chase, lloyd marshall, jimmy leto, eddie cool, fred apostoli, freddie steele, ezzard, jersey joe, archie moore, freddie dawson, ike williams, johnny bratton, joe louis, pep, saddler, del flanagan, robinson, lamotta, basilio, curtis cokes, harold johnson, henry hank, charley joseph, georgie benton, freddie little, hagler, ali, holmes, frazier, aaron pryor, pernell whitaker, james toney, and on and on. A real fan doesn't care where a fighter is from. It's mainly all about can he fight

Is this the curator at the boxing hall of fame? Appreciate your contribution, I feel very much the same way, excellent comment.

[Ant1979]

Errol, listen man. I'm a decades long boxing fan. I'm American and I'm black. I like Fury and want him to kick Wilder's ass again. Why? Because I like who I like, no matter where they're from. I love Breland, but I just never cared for Wilder. Wilder's personality rubs me the wrong way. Same way you just don't like Keith Thurman. Wilder is loud and arrogant acting. He talked **** about Mike Tyson, who I love. He says he could've beat any heavyweight in history. Not true at all. Breland is humble and smooth. Sugar Hill is the same way. Many fights I saw Wilder get outboxed and then his power bailed him out, then he talked **** afterwards like he's the best ever. I don't like that. That's why his skills never improved much. He was too big headed. Fury is loud but he's funny, he has personality and he has skills. So in boxing you just like who you like. I like other UK fighters throught history too. Some of them are: Ted kid lewis, peerless jim driscoll, jimmy wilde, calzaghe, prince naseem, lennox lewis, kell brook. I can talk all day about American fighters I like. Some are: sam langford, joe gans, jack blackburn, original joe walcott, jimmy mclarnin, canzoneri, billy petrolle, tiger flowers, harry greb, kid norfolk, henry armstrong, eddie booker, burley, holman williams, jack chase, lloyd marshall, jimmy leto, eddie cool, fred apostoli, freddie steele, ezzard, jersey joe, archie moore, freddie dawson, ike williams, johnny bratton, joe louis, pep, saddler, del flanagan, robinson, lamotta, basilio, curtis cokes, harold johnson, henry hank, charley joseph, georgie benton, freddie little, hagler, ali, holmes, frazier, aaron pryor, pernell whitaker, james toney, and on and on. A real fan doesn't care where a fighter is from. It's mainly all about can he fight

A real fan indeed, very well put.

[Oldskoolg]

That’s how much of White America is. Is why so many white Americans rooted for mcgregor against MAyweather claiming “well I’m irish so I’ll route for mcgregor” as an excuse not to just say “I’m rooting for the white guy.”

[Bluebird]

A real boxing fan would root for any boxer regardless of ethnicity, unfortunately there’s a lot of people who just support their own kind and they can’t deal with it when a fighter from another country beats their homeboys.