My Interests No 1 Boxing
I haven't spoken about my interests yet, so that is probably what I will do in my next few posts.
I am a fan of boxing, well watching it not doing it. Now I appreciate that to some people it is totally barbaric and if you break it down to Boxing is basically 2 men trying to beat each other into unconsciousness, they probably have a point. I however, find boxing and boxers, fascinating.
I first became interested in boxing as a child when I watched Muhammad Ali's great fights with my Dad. No, I don't mean Ali had fights with my Dad, I mean I was with my Dad when we watched Ali's great fights with Frazier, Foreman and Norton. I lost interest when Ali retired but I got back into it when ITV started showing fights featuring Larry Holmes, Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns, Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard in the mid 80s. I even used to buy Boxing News every week, but my mate Mick reckoned I only used to carry it round with me to try and look hard.
I do really admire boxers. The dedication and determination they have to show to be successful is incredible. My friend Colin Dunne used to be a World Champion boxer so I saw up close the dedication and hard work he had to put in. It was only when he started being slightly less dedicated when he discovered Guinness and started having girlfriends that his fights became harder and harder. Eventually he lost 2 fights in a row to boxers he would have easily beaten in his prime and thankfully he retired immediately before he got hurt. He wisely has not even considered making a comeback which some boxers foolishy do. The boxers who I admire the most though, are crap boxers. They get in the ring and get pummelled from pillar to post for a pitance. That makes them either very brave, or very stupid. I think they are brave.
Boxing now is in a pretty poor state. The main problem is there are too many versions of the 'World' title. This means that the best boxers in a weight division very rarely meet each other. All the decent boxers win a different version of the title then just defend against poorer fighters. Oh for a return to the golden age of boxing, the 70s and 80s when there were great fights between the best in each division on a monthly basis.
I am a fan of boxing, well watching it not doing it. Now I appreciate that to some people it is totally barbaric and if you break it down to Boxing is basically 2 men trying to beat each other into unconsciousness, they probably have a point. I however, find boxing and boxers, fascinating.
I first became interested in boxing as a child when I watched Muhammad Ali's great fights with my Dad. No, I don't mean Ali had fights with my Dad, I mean I was with my Dad when we watched Ali's great fights with Frazier, Foreman and Norton. I lost interest when Ali retired but I got back into it when ITV started showing fights featuring Larry Holmes, Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns, Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard in the mid 80s. I even used to buy Boxing News every week, but my mate Mick reckoned I only used to carry it round with me to try and look hard.
I do really admire boxers. The dedication and determination they have to show to be successful is incredible. My friend Colin Dunne used to be a World Champion boxer so I saw up close the dedication and hard work he had to put in. It was only when he started being slightly less dedicated when he discovered Guinness and started having girlfriends that his fights became harder and harder. Eventually he lost 2 fights in a row to boxers he would have easily beaten in his prime and thankfully he retired immediately before he got hurt. He wisely has not even considered making a comeback which some boxers foolishy do. The boxers who I admire the most though, are crap boxers. They get in the ring and get pummelled from pillar to post for a pitance. That makes them either very brave, or very stupid. I think they are brave.
Boxing now is in a pretty poor state. The main problem is there are too many versions of the 'World' title. This means that the best boxers in a weight division very rarely meet each other. All the decent boxers win a different version of the title then just defend against poorer fighters. Oh for a return to the golden age of boxing, the 70s and 80s when there were great fights between the best in each division on a monthly basis.
posted by GUS at 2:06 PM
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