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I grew up in a small, rural community in Tennessee that didn't have any boxing facilites; no gym, no trainer, etc. When I was 4 or 5, I remember being introduced to Muhammad Ali via television; he was everywhere it seemed, telling me to brush my teeth, obey my mom and dad, stay in school, and stay away from dope, whatever that was. I can still remember watching him lose the title to Leon Spinks and asking my Dad why he doesn't just knock him out? Ali was invincible to me, you see. My dad shook his head and said, "Old Ali underestimated him."
From these early days in my childhood and exposure to Ali, my love for the sport of boxing was born. In my teen years, my mom found some boxing gloves at a yard sale and got them for me. It wasn't too long before I'd talked all the kids in the neighborhood, or at least many of them, into weekly "matches" of sorts. We had no headgear, no gumshield....and no freakin' idea what we were doing. I watched every single fight I could and with the advent of VCR's, or at least our purchase of one, began taping fight after fight, even if I'd never heard of the guys, just so I could watch and rewatch the tape and try to pick up on how they moved, when they threw punches, etc., etc.
What does all this mean? Does it mean I consider myself an ex- boxer? No. It means I had a love of the game which remains within me to this day. I see boxing for the ugly politcally controlled entity it is, the business it is, the wonderful artistry that is performed on occasion, the sheer unadulterated brutality that it can embody, and I see it on many more symbolic levels as how it is representative of man's struggle and plight in life, itself. Boxing, to me, is a microcosm of the trials and tribulations we all face each and every day and how, if we are to overcome them, we must dig down into our very essences and fight our way out of it.....get our second wind.....roll with the punches....and every other cliche' you could possibly imagine.
One does not need to be or have been a boxer or practice boxing to appreciate this wonderfully naked sport and to express one's views on it or understand what it takes to be a fighter. It is true that it helps because it give incredible insight; but that insight can be gained by talking with any fighter who loves his craft. It takes a special kind of person to be a fighter; but one doesn't have to be actively engaged in the sport to be emotionally connected to it.
Boxing is artistic, scientific, and primal at the same time. There is no purer form of competition and it's sheer naked brutality turns off only those who are afraid to see the "primtive" within.....or, maybe I'm full of it.
From these early days in my childhood and exposure to Ali, my love for the sport of boxing was born. In my teen years, my mom found some boxing gloves at a yard sale and got them for me. It wasn't too long before I'd talked all the kids in the neighborhood, or at least many of them, into weekly "matches" of sorts. We had no headgear, no gumshield....and no freakin' idea what we were doing. I watched every single fight I could and with the advent of VCR's, or at least our purchase of one, began taping fight after fight, even if I'd never heard of the guys, just so I could watch and rewatch the tape and try to pick up on how they moved, when they threw punches, etc., etc.
What does all this mean? Does it mean I consider myself an ex- boxer? No. It means I had a love of the game which remains within me to this day. I see boxing for the ugly politcally controlled entity it is, the business it is, the wonderful artistry that is performed on occasion, the sheer unadulterated brutality that it can embody, and I see it on many more symbolic levels as how it is representative of man's struggle and plight in life, itself. Boxing, to me, is a microcosm of the trials and tribulations we all face each and every day and how, if we are to overcome them, we must dig down into our very essences and fight our way out of it.....get our second wind.....roll with the punches....and every other cliche' you could possibly imagine.
One does not need to be or have been a boxer or practice boxing to appreciate this wonderfully naked sport and to express one's views on it or understand what it takes to be a fighter. It is true that it helps because it give incredible insight; but that insight can be gained by talking with any fighter who loves his craft. It takes a special kind of person to be a fighter; but one doesn't have to be actively engaged in the sport to be emotionally connected to it.
Boxing is artistic, scientific, and primal at the same time. There is no purer form of competition and it's sheer naked brutality turns off only those who are afraid to see the "primtive" within.....or, maybe I'm full of it.
you highlight a very good point. alot of people forget that boxing is a business, first and foremost. alot of people are oblivious to the fact that promoters like to BUILD up a big fight and make maximum capital. pro boxing is NOT about glory or legacy. if they happen, great. but that's just a by product. a managers job is to get the most reward with the least amount of risk for his fighter.
mayweather is doing it with margarito. hatton is doing it with castillo and arum is doing it to cotto. hatton is a star. he does not need to pay his dues anymore like say a castillo/corrales or a non-olympian has to do in order to get a title shot. he is a hot, hot commodity. all the legacy, what's right, what's wrong is just fan bull****.
pro boxing is a business. a down and dirty business and what it's about is making money and minimizing the risks.
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