'Boxing's dead.'
'Boxing's not what it used to be.'
'There are no good wrestlers out there today.'
These are just one or two of the comments thrown around by fans of the sport of kings waiting patiently for a waft of life into the flailing lungs of boxing. In spite of a virtual plethora of organizations boasting their own version of an international title, most of us would fail to name even one of the men who stake claim to a kind of the fragmented heavyweight championship. WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, IBO (probably, another organization surfaced as this article was being written), is it important anymore?
Yet with at least 5 world heavyweight belts, can the casual observer name even one champion? If this is the case be assured that person is in a rare group. Try naming two, three, or four. I'll bet that my eight years old niece would have an improved chance at naming all four Beatles.
Raised on fighting, I was sufficiently lucky to see lots of the game's greatest soldiers, some in their prime. I sat transfixed in front of a huge TV that was set inside of a wooden cupboard. There were 2 round knobs to switch the channels on the right side of the monstrosity, one for the UHF channels which continually broadcast static.
As I grew into adulthood, the archaic TV was upgraded to one with a RC and the addition of a wire box. Between closed circuit television and cable, my fighting fix was happy with wars from some of the greatest wrestlers to ever lace up gloves. Duran beat Leonard. Hagler beat Hearns. These men all fought one another, and were so dominant that they only need to be referred by their last names to be recognized.
Is it actually critical to say 'Mike' when speaking of Tyson? Nuff said. Iron Mike was boxing's last personality that can be recalled by the average person or casual fan. Still, most folk remember Iron Mike. Tyson fights surpassed the sport of boxing. They were never fights; they were grand spectacles: events of their own. Mike might have been pit against the Pope, Elvis, or even God; and it still would've been called'The Tyson Fight.'
Today's fighting PPV numbers seem unimportant in comparison to the consistent record breaking cards that Tyson pulled even if his career was on the fall. Delahoya and Mayweather drew a record PPV number for their contemporary bout, but it was not without spending a giant amount of cash on promotion. Commercials, print media advertisements, and - for the first time in fighting history - an entire cable Reality Television series was filmed to hype the fight.
Rules are incorporated to guarantee safety and get rid of the barbarous brutality of a street fight. Biting and poking in the eyes are two examples of banned offensive strategies. A fighter trains to punch quicker, harder, and more correctly. They also exercise to have great stamina. When pitting an in shape sportsman against a standard person who is not coaching, the stamina factor alone will sway the fight in favour of the sportsman. Coupled with boxing skills, you've a no contest in favour of the fighter.
Many of us may not know that Wladimir Klitschko holds three of the alphabet soup of heavyweight boxing titles, but he earned extra money in his unification bout with Sultan Ibragimov than each MMA fighter on the last UFC ( final Fighting Championship ) card mixed. And can boast that he also earned more for the losing effort than most MMA fighters, even champions, have earned in their whole career.
Only time will tell.
For more boxing news, check out Felix Trinidad Boxing. Also, check out: Boxing or MMA? Get more boxing and MMA news at Felix Trinidad Boxing.
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