All boxers please check this out

[Zurawa]

Hey...

I'm a college student doing a project for a rhetoric class I'm taking. I'm doing an ethnography on the subculture of boxing and need some input from people who box. If you box, please take a few minutes to answer these questions. All input is appreciated.

1. Why do you box?

2. Furthering the first question, what do you want to get out of it?

3. In your mind why is it worth any inflicted damage during a fight?

4. Does your ego/pride play a major role in your motivation to box?

5. Some people say boxers enjoy violence; would you agree with this statement, why or why not?

6. Would you say you have had a troubled past, or one that motivates you to box? If so, and if you don’t mind explaining, how has it motivated you?

7. Would you say any stereotypes hold true for most (not all) boxers as far as ethnicity, gender, class, and sexuality?

8. Are there any behaviors or actions that only boxers/fighters do? (in other words, something you see a person do and think "that person must box")

Thanks again for any input.

[PunchDrunk]

1. Why do you box? I've been fascinated by it ever since I can remember. I box because it's the most primal, yet gentlemanlike sport there is.

2. Furthering the first question, what do you want to get out of it? [B] It gives you pride, discipline, self confidence, and a way to get out your aggression [/B}

3. In your mind why is it worth any inflicted damage during a fight? First of all, you don't think about getting hurt, because that is not the objective. A sky diver doesn't jump out of a plane to go "SPLAT" on the pavement. A football player plays to NOT get tackled. A race car driver races to win, not to crash. You cross the street to get to the other side, not to get hit by a bus. It might not make much sense, but you box to NOT get hit.

4. Does your ego/pride play a major role in your motivation to box? Sure. Most people quickly learn a certain humility when they step in the ring, though. Everybody should take pride in what they do.

5. Some people say boxers enjoy violence; would you agree with this statement, why or why not? I think it's in every human being to be fascinated with violence. When you drive by an accident, do you get intrigued, and try to see what happens? 99% of all people do. Is there more violence in movies than in our everyday lives? Much more. Why? Because violence is fascinating to everybody. It's the lowest common denominator, a language everybody understands.
Boxing is the most primal of sports, because it is combat between to equal opponents. You don't run a ball across a line, or kick it into a net, you fight.

6. Would you say you have had a troubled past, or one that motivates you to box? If so, and if you don’t mind explaining, how has it motivated you? No troubled past. I had a happy childhood, and I'm middle class. I think being a fighter is a healthy thing, mentally, because it's in our nature to be violent to a certain extent. Why not get it out in a healthy way, instead of fighting in the street, beating your kids, or even worse by being a repressed shell?

7. Would you say any stereotypes hold true for most (not all) boxers as far as ethnicity, gender, class, and sexuality? I don't get it? What stereotypes?

8. Are there any behaviors or actions that only boxers/fighters do? (in other words, something you see a person do and think "that person must box") I don't think so...

[boxer2k5]

1. Why do you box?
I love the sport first. then i love the fact you train hard you fight
you win. the better man always wins(well when things are fair)

2. Furthering the first question, what do you want to get out of it?
I want to go pro soon. 2 goals in my life :become a world champion and train a world champion. so when im done boxing i want to still train other
kids and boxers.

3. In your mind why is it worth any inflicted damage during a fight?
you only live once. you can walk out your door and fall and die.
one day you might not wake up out ya sleep. why not enjoy your
life.

4. Does your ego/pride play a major role in your motivation to box?
yeah when im in shape on point doing what i got to do winning my
ego and pride shoots up make me wanna do even better. the good
attention man nothing beats it. but the bad attention can rip your
ego pride apart and force you as well to get backon point

5. Some people say boxers enjoy violence; would you agree with this statement, why or why not?
i like the next action flick and gory video game as much as the next guy

6. Would you say you have had a troubled past, or one that motivates you to box? If so, and if you don’t mind explaining, how has it motivated you?
no i just do what i enjoy. i grew up good.

7. Would you say any stereotypes hold true for most (not all) boxers as far as ethnicity, gender, class, and sexuality?
i dont know of any sterotypes so i cant answer that.
so many different personalities in the gym

8. Are there any behaviors or actions that only boxers/fighters do? (in other words, something you see a person do and think "that person must box")
yeah man our training beats other sports easy.
other sports they have off times and what not. most of us get out 530 am
to run because we want to. no coach pushing us telling us to hustle
we run diet and train all year long unless your oscar who can have 1 fight
a year

[..........]

1. Why do you box?
Pure love of the sport, keeps you in shape, and it's probably the best activity for you, to keep you disciplined.

2. Furthering the first question, what do you want to get out of it?
I want a chance to actually compete, test my skills, and to get into a good physical shape and share what I know with my opponents.

3. In your mind why is it worth any inflicted damage during a fight?
To win you have to play, and playing is going to force you to take damage in this sport. Pure desire to win, I would take any damage, as long as I could stand and fight.

4. Does your ego/pride play a major role in your motivation to box?
In my case it does, I don't know how it is for others. I like to box because it sets me apart from alot of other people. I like knowing that I have the ability to compete in this sport when noone around me can.

5. Some people say boxers enjoy violence; would you agree with this statement, why or why not?
No. Boxing isn't just about hurting someone. It's all about skill, technique, power, speed, so much more than brutality. It's about winning.

6. Would you say you have had a troubled past, or one that motivates you to box? If so, and if you don’t mind explaining, how has it motivated you?
No, my past has been fine, i've just been in love with the sport for as long as I can remember.

7. Would you say any stereotypes hold true for most (not all) boxers as far as ethnicity, gender, class, and sexuality?
Not that I can think of, other than the fact that you don't typically see any boxers from the gay community.

8. Are there any behaviors or actions that only boxers/fighters do? (in other words, something you see a person do and think "that person must box")
In a fist fight, how they would set up and move, but other than that, nothing I can think of.

[Trick]

Hey...

I'm a college student doing a project for a rhetoric class I'm taking. I'm doing an ethnography on the subculture of boxing and need some input from people who box. If you box, please take a few minutes to answer these questions. All input is appreciated.

1. Why do you box?

2. Furthering the first question, what do you want to get out of it?

3. In your mind why is it worth any inflicted damage during a fight?

4. Does your ego/pride play a major role in your motivation to box?

5. Some people say boxers enjoy violence; would you agree with this statement, why or why not?

6. Would you say you have had a troubled past, or one that motivates you to box? If so, and if you don’t mind explaining, how has it motivated you?

7. Would you say any stereotypes hold true for most (not all) boxers as far as ethnicity, gender, class, and sexuality?

8. Are there any behaviors or actions that only boxers/fighters do? (in other words, something you see a person do and think "that person must box")

Thanks again for any input.

1) Ever since I was a kid, I could scrap, so I figured I should put it to good use and not be such a bum
2) Not sure yet, so long as I get out what I've put in (which I have been so far) then I'll be happy
3) I can't put it any better than PunchDrunk put it.
4) Not into why I box, but obviously I get frustrated when I'm being toyed with in the ring, and I get happy when I unload an impressive combo on the double bag. It's just like every sport.
5) I don't think all boxers ENJOY violence, but they can accept and handle it better than most. As an example, I grew up around it, so I've learned to handle it well. Does that make me a better boxer? I donno.
6) The same ol' No Father, No Money story, the same a whollllle lotta boxers had, nothin' to special, never been to jail, never been shot or anything like that. One thing that pulled me into boxing was that fighting was "my thing". I went to a "smart" school, so most of my peers were well off (funny how smart and rich seem to go hand in hand...). Fighting (haha, and tests, but no one cares about that) was the only thing where I would be "better" than them, otherwise I wasn't quite their equal. Not to say it was bad, I had a whole lotta friends, and very few enemies, but even the friends would look down on me, if just in a sympathetic way. I guess I find a ring to be one of the only places where everyone's equal.
7) Well you don't see too many (serious) boxers that are women, and I've never seen a ****sexual boxer, but I suppose they exist. Also, maybe it's just cause I train out on the rough side of town, but it seems most boxers come from "the lower class"
8) Aside from the obvious, not really. But there are things that make me say: that guy COULD box. I guess general toughness, a kind of aggresive disipline, and generally, some pain behind him.