Why do you love boxing?

[GPater11093]

What is it you admire about boxing?

What got you into it?

What is it than inspires that deep rooted passion we all have for the Noble Art?

[TBooze]

The politics, the intangibles and the what ifs?

[lefthook31]

A lifetime of preparation for one shot at glory. The mental aspect. The strategic aspect. The characters behind the scenes. The wars of attrition. The unknown outcomes, and the thrill of a great knockout.

[GPater11093]

one thing i love is the different things in boxing

for example the 2 answers above me on why they love boxing.

[MagnificentMatt]

I got into boxing by finding a book called "how to box" in my older brothers house... I used it to lose weight, skipping rope with an old vacuum cord I had cut for a rope, and shadowboxing till I could prove I was into it enough for a bag, and a real rope, haha.. After a while, I started becoming a fan of the sport, and decided I wanted to be an amateur fighter, my brother told me to prove to him I really wanted it. So I lost 30 lbs on my own after training at home for a year and a half or so, than he found me a coach and helped pay for it.

If I had to name one reason I love the sport, is because the inner strength and willpower it takes to be a fighter and train like they do, its easy to admire a fighter, especially when you being participating yourself... It seems almost all fighters have a mutual respect for each other.

[Chinxkid]

What is it you admire about boxing?

What got you into it?

What is it than inspires that deep rooted passion we all have for the Noble Art?

Great thread, Greg. For me, when boxing's great there's no better sport. When the styles match up, when the stars line up, it is a true sporting event. But I think it's also true that this happens on a fairly rare basis, and it is also unpredictable. Some matchings with great promise don't deliver, and then the opposite is true. Either a match looks bad on paper, but ends up great, or two unknowns put together a bout for the ages. They say styles make the fight, and I'd add the timing of the match-up as well as other unknown intangibles. Problem is, you only got two guys, so if one decides not to not show up, or is just off, it can be a one-dimensional dud. But we keep watching, knowing that when it's on, when it works, it is the best.

There was another thread similar to this, and one poster, (sorry I can't remember which-- I like to give credit when due), said boxing for him was the perfect metaphor for life, and I agree.

[Russell]

I love that it's maybe the most honest sport that there is, when the men are in the ring anyway.

Really, what shows more brutal truths about you then a boxing match will?

[PowerPuncher]

El Mano to Mano, skill conqurouring raw physical strength, the utmost in masculinity, the battle of minds, physical mastery, the predictability and occasional unpredictability, the life metaphores, the fact there's no place to hide in that boxing ring and that each man is exposed for what he really is both good and bad

[Gesta]

Two men same size, same equipment in the ring seeing who is the better fighter that day using their skills and wits, by impossing your will over another mans.

Once you step in the ring there is no hiding unlike most other sports , esp' team sports.

[essexboy]

Losing weight got me into the training but I've loved watching boxing as long as I can remember.

[fists of fury]

I love that it's maybe the most honest sport that there is, when the men are in the ring anyway.

Really, what shows more brutal truths about you then a boxing match will?

Great reply, and I agree.

Boxing will expose your character like few other sports will. In fact, like few other things in life, full stop.
Like Tex Cobb once said, in tennis of you screw up, it's 15-0. In boxing, if you screw up, it's your ass.

Part of it is the mystique to me as well. You know, the training...pounding your body, breaking it down and building it back up for a fight...the many long hours of solitude when a fighter thinks of little else other than the fight...even wrapping the hands has a kind of ritualistic aspect about it.

I always try and put myself in a fighter's shoes at the moment he's staring across the ring at his opponent, waiting for the first bell to ring. There he is, ready to bare his soul in front of thousands if not millions of people. It's just him and someone who has trained to beat him up in there.
That takes some kind of character, and not everyone can do it.

Don't get me wrong, all sports at the top level take dedication, skill, character and nerve. But for me, many sports are merely games played at a professional level.
The athletes can pat themselves on the back and have a laugh, go for a hot shower, have a beer or two and pretty much go home unscathed afterwards, even after losing.
In boxing, you could end up in hospital, even after winning.
Boxers carry visible signs of their profession on their faces...cuts, bruises, scars...there is no hiding in boxing on any level.

Edit:

I guess I should expand on that a bit...

My dad was always a big boxing fan, and I suppose I just picked it up from him. When I was little, about three or four, we'd occasionally move the coffee table out of the way and he'd get down on his knees and let me flail away at him.
I was also lucky enough to be able to have access to his collection of boxing magazines, and I got familiar with all the faces of fighters like Ali, Foreman, Dempsey etc. before I could even read.
Of course, being a naughty little bastard, I'd cut out my favourite fighters from the magazines and proudly stick the pictures on my bedroom wall - with glue. My parents weren't exactly pleased. My dad, because I had ruined his magazine collection and my mom because it ruined her pristine walls.
Even as an older kid, a teenager, when most kids had posters of rock stars on their wall, I had fighters on mine, mostly.

I'll always follow the sport on some level, even if my interest wanes sometimes.

[Stevie G]

In 1966 when I was 11 years old,I became fascinated by Muhammad Ali. This resulted in me becoming a lifelong fan,of Ali and boxing in general. It's the discipline and the drama of it,intangibles when it comes to styles etc. Best sport there is.

[fists of fury]

In 1966 when I was 11 years old,I became fascinated by Muhammad Ali.

My first memory of actually watching a boxing match involved Ali. I forget who his opponent was though...Ali was everywhere in the 60' and 70's.

[duranimal]

Great reply, and I agree.

Boxing will expose your character like few other sports will. In fact, like few other things in life, full stop.

I always try and put myself in a fighter's shoes at the moment he's staring across the ring at his opponent, waiting for the first bell to ring. There he is, ready to bare his soul in front of thousands if not millions of people. It's just him and someone who has trained to beat him up in there.
That takes some kind of character, and not everyone can do it.

there is no hiding in boxing on any level.

Yes too me it's a BOY'S/MAN'S voyage of self discovery as it exposes you too yourself in the most correct basic & primitive way, it's a personel "you on you" thing & one of the best sports too equipe you with the nessessary charector foundation too ride & cope with life's storms that confront us all along the way, in effect mental self discipline. It's a man's nature too wish too be the gladiator too strive for the of single finite victory & too have no equals.

I'am no longer a young man but the memories are still there when i get a chance too be alone & recall my youth albeit heading the ball in slow motion into an empty wembley net to win the cup final or when i'am in the gym spinning till my lungs are bursting i put myself into the boxers position of succeed or die trying, boxing is an example that you must give your best at all time's 100%, we love boxing as we can fight by proxy hence the lifetime admiration of our own favorites, there pain is our pain,

We all wish we were them & in a way we are as we show our loyalty with our identification with that certain fighter & it gives us that mano un mano invisible mental connection, Boxing is the sport of example as too what it takes too overcome adversity & myself i boxed as a kid/teen & i can honestly say hand on heart it set me mentally on the path i wanted too go down & as a brutal example i'am going too touch on what Roberto Duran had too endure mentally when he returned home too Pananama after the New Orleans humiliation where lesser men scoffed & laughed at him & called him a coward, what must he have felt deep in his soul.

i was unemployed at the time for about 2 years & every day i'd get up & walk the streets looking for work always thinking too myself what are my troubles compared too Duran's? NOTHING absolutly NOTHING i'd say too myself, i used Duran as a an example of 2 men divided by half a world & both at rock bottom but the affinity of one for the other gives you that inspiration & determination too step foreward & drive yourself on too succeed no matter what it fuckin takes & thats why i love our most fantastic sport of boxing as it allows us and gives us an individuality that can be fashioned by EXAMPLE too our own actions & last but not least:

My wife hates boxing as most women do & that's just FUCKIN GREAT:yep as it's the only thing the bitches can't corrupt or pollute with there nagging, they fuck off too bed & leave yer alone:happy:happy:happy

[teeto]

Thanks for the good posts MagnificentMatt, ChinxKid, and FOF.

I've always been fascinated by boxing for some reason, and although i'm huge on my football team these days, boxing probably still remains number one in my heart of hearts. When i stayed up and watched Naz-Barrera, after that i guess is when i really started to look into boxing history and by piles and piles of books and videos etc etc. I just became so obsessed and though it goes in cycles these days, i still am and always will be.

My old man isn't a fight fan like me, but likes a big fight and i try and get him to watch stuff with me, when i was a kid he always got the Tyson fights, we'd put the sofa in front of the tv and i'd usually fall asleep. He'd wake me up when Tyson was on, and it would always be exciting just watching him. He'd then, with my mum be telling me that he (Tyson) wasn't as good as he used to be in the late 80's. That's the real reason i like Tyson so much.

[GPater11093]

suppose i better answer

i love everything to do with boxing. I really dont know how i got in to boxing i think it was meant to happen, i was a young 13 year old lay about doing nothing but getting in trouble and fighting except i was alot worse than most kids and the School i went to asked me to move to another school. My Dad wanted me to get into a sport to channel energy and get fit he was thinking Golf or Tennis or something like that as i didnt like football.

Afew weeks later i saw some boxing on TV and was hooked i looked desperatly for a gym then finally found one and went along myself. I loved it and have been there since.

As for what i love about boxing its the variety that everyone is different and no matter hopw good you are your always learning. Also the bravery and courage to get in there and fight.

[duranimal]

suppose i better answer

i love everything to do with boxing. I really dont know how i got in to boxing i think it was meant to happen, i was a young 13 year old lay about doing nothing but getting in trouble and fighting except i was alot worse than most kids and the School i went to asked me to move to another school. My Dad wanted me to get into a sport to channel energy and get fit he was thinking Golf or Tennis or something like that as i didnt like football.

Afew weeks later i saw some boxing on TV and was hooked i looked desperatly for a gym then finally found one and went along myself. I loved it and have been there since.

As for what i love about boxing its the variety that everyone is different and no matter hopw good you are your always learning. Also the bravery and courage to get in there and fight.

You'll be fine buddy:yep you've allready showed a maturity beyond yer years in yer decision making process, it's whats called the "can do will do" factor, one note of caution is be careful who you allow (people who know you box) as yer friends as you'll attract the cunt whole use yer name to sort out his own fuck ups:smoke

[El Cepillo]

What is it you admire about boxing?

What got you into it?

What is it than inspires that deep rooted passion we all have for the Noble Art?


Oscar De La Hoya got me into boxing.

I like boxing because it presents us with the kind of unbridled masculinity that doesn't exist in our timid, metro-sexual, politically correct society. There is no specific or practically credible moral justification for human beings engaging in such barbaric and dangerous behaviour. I like that fact that the justification comes from traditionally abstract concepts like honour and pride.

I like the purity of it. Two men, a pair of gloves and a ring - in which there is no where to hide. There are no substitutes in boxing. There are no transfer fees. You can't buy success. You have to earn it. I like the unpredictability of boxing, both inside and outside of the ring. The anticipation, excitement and occasional disappointment of match-matching; wondering which fights will be made, who will fight who, and when it will happen - all these elements keep boxing fresh.

Inside the ring anything can happen. It doesn't matter who you are, once punch can put you on the floor. I love how styles make fights, I love how every boxer fights in a different way. I love the personalities; the good-guys, the bad-guys, and everyone in between. I enjoy the subjectiveness of boxing, and the debate which the unstructured nature of the sport incites. I love the fans who put it at the centre of their lives, who care about whom should be ranked above who, which achievements are significant and which are not. Those knowledgeable guys who can put things in context.

That's why I love boxing.

[Bill Butcher]

Why do I love boxing ? :think

The art of one man vs one man in their own perfected style trying to best the other while millions watch with all that pressure on their shoulders appeals to me greatly.

[duranimal]

Oscar De La Hoya got me into boxing.

I like boxing because it presents us with the kind of unbridled masculinity that doesn't exist in our timid, metro-sexual, politically correct society. There is no specific or practically credible moral justification for human beings engaging in such barbaric and dangerous behaviour. I like that fact that the justification comes from traditionally abstract concepts like honour and pride.

I like the purity of it. Two men, a pair of gloves and a ring - in which there is no where to hide. There are no substitutes in boxing. There are no transfer fees. You can't buy success. You have to earn it. I like the unpredictability of boxing, both inside and outside of the ring. The anticipation, excitement and occasional disappointment of match-matching; wondering which fights will be made, who will fight who, and when it will happen - all these elements keep boxing fresh.

Inside the ring anything can happen. It doesn't matter who you are, once punch can put you on the floor. I love how styles make fights, I love how every boxer fights in a different way. I love the personalities; the good-guys, the bad-guys, and everyone in between. I enjoy the subjectiveness of boxing, and the debate which the unstructured nature of the sport insights. I love the fans who put it at the centre of their lives, who care about whom should be ranked above who, which achievements are significant and which are not. Those knowledgeable guys who can put things in context.

That's why I love boxing.

Yeh, just imagine the nightmare if that bitch Harriot Harmon was prime minister, she wants boxing banned:scaredas:

Just this morning i had some verballs with some 30 something women at the spinning class, i'd told-em i'am of too the Cotto/Pacman fight & the whole gang chorused OH thats so Barbaric, i would'nt let my son box which led too my reply: well then, thats the reason why we've got all these beckemesque bitch boys around today then & you lot are always complaining about there's no good real men around anymore, you're all shit mothers, I'am popular ME:smoke

[El Cepillo]

Yeh, just imagine the nightmare if that bitch Harriot Harmon was prime minister, she wants boxing banned:scaredas:

Just this morning i had some verballs with some 30 something women at the spinning class, i'd told-em i'am of too the Cotto/Pacman fight & the whole gang chorused OH thats so Barbaric, i would'nt let my son box which led too my reply: well then, thats the reason why we've got all these beckemesque bitch boys around today then & you lot are always complaining about there's no good real men around anymore, you're all shit mothers, I'am popular ME:smoke

Sir, I salute you :good

[Jaws]

Few, if any, sports are as pure as boxing. One man battling against against another in the most primitive way possible---a fight, with no sticks, balls, equipment, etc.

Boxing also requires, by a wide margin, the most intense training of any sport.

I love the training, the styles, the strategy, and the unknowns---you never know what is going to happen. There is NOTHING like a big knockout in sports. No other sport has such an "end". Other sports have points and a time limit. Which boxing does too---the decision win. But where boxing has something over all others is the KO element.

The rules of boxing also really allow each man to test their skills to a higher degree against each other, unlike MMA where there are just too many fluke variables that can end a fight. A guy who lost one night could win the next against the same person in MMA. In boxing, you are actually able to get a sense of who is the better fighter.

Boxing can have its low periods, but when it is at its best, I think it has the highest high of any sport.

[fists of fury]

Yes too me it's a BOY'S/MAN'S voyage of self discovery as it exposes you too yourself in the most correct basic & primitive way, it's a personel "you on you" thing & one of the best sports too equipe you with the nessessary charector foundation too ride & cope with life's storms that confront us all along the way, in effect mental self discipline. It's a man's nature too wish too be the gladiator too strive for the of single finite victory & too have no equals.

I'am no longer a young man but the memories are still there when i get a chance too be alone & recall my youth albeit heading the ball in slow motion into an empty wembley net to win the cup final or when i'am in the gym spinning till my lungs are bursting i put myself into the boxers position of succeed or die trying, boxing is an example that you must give your best at all time's 100%, we love boxing as we can fight by proxy hence the lifetime admiration of our own favorites, there pain is our pain,

We all wish we were them & in a way we are as we show our loyalty with our identification with that certain fighter & it gives us that mano un mano invisible mental connection, Boxing is the sport of example as too what it takes too overcome adversity & myself i boxed as a kid/teen & i can honestly say hand on heart it set me mentally on the path i wanted too go down & as a brutal example i'am going too touch on what Roberto Duran had too endure mentally when he returned home too Pananama after the New Orleans humiliation where lesser men scoffed & laughed at him & called him a coward, what must he have felt deep in his soul.

i was unemployed at the time for about 2 years & every day i'd get up & walk the streets looking for work always thinking too myself what are my troubles compared too Duran's? NOTHING absolutly NOTHING i'd say too myself, i used Duran as a an example of 2 men divided by half a world & both at rock bottom but the affinity of one for the other gives you that inspiration & determination too step foreward & drive yourself on too succeed no matter what it fuckin takes & thats why i love our most fantastic sport of boxing as it allows us and gives us an individuality that can be fashioned by EXAMPLE too our own actions & last but not least:

My wife hates boxing as most women do & that's just FUCKIN GREAT:yep as it's the only thing the bitches can't corrupt or pollute with there nagging, they fuck off too bed & leave yer alone:happy:happy:happy

Good post.

The irony for me is that my dear old mother doesn't mind the sport at all, and my two sisters really like boxing. It's my younger brother who's the one who thinks it's pointless. I've tried to explain it, but he just doesn't get it.

Now girlfriends are another story...never had one who liked the sport.

[fists of fury]

I like boxing because it presents us with the kind of unbridled masculinity that doesn't exist in our timid, metro-sexual, politically correct society. There is no specific or practically credible moral justification for human beings engaging in such barbaric and dangerous behaviour. I like that fact that the justification comes from traditionally abstract concepts like honour and pride.



I really like this bit. Nicely said.

[Dismantled]

Don't get me wrong, all sports at the top level take dedication, skill, character and nerve. But for me, many sports are merely games played at a professional level.
The athletes can pat themselves on the back and have a laugh, go for a hot shower, have a beer or two and pretty much go home unscathed afterwards, even after losing.
In boxing, you could end up in hospital, even after winning.
Boxers carry visible signs of their profession on their faces...cuts, bruises, scars...there is no hiding in boxing on any level.

Absolutely, boxing is so much more than just a game. Consider the sheer amount of courage that it takes for a boxer to step into that ring when you know you could die at any moment or sustain permanent brain damage; it's like war on small scale.

I think something like 10 boxers die per year on average worldwide.... How many others end up with some form of dementia later in life? Everyone should applaud these brave men.

[Hydraulix]

My dad and I used to watch boxing when I was a little girl. Back then, Mike Tyson was the absolute shit. However, I later developed a huge crush on Lennox Lewis. Oh, that hair. Georgeous.

[prime]

Why does grass grow green?

Why do birds take to the air?

Why do I love boxing?

[Gesta]

Yeh, just imagine the nightmare if that bitch Harriot Harmon was prime minister, she wants boxing banned:scaredas:

Just this morning i had some verballs with some 30 something women at the spinning class, i'd told-em i'am of too the Cotto/Pacman fight & the whole gang chorused OH thats so Barbaric, i would'nt let my son box which led too my reply: well then, thats the reason why we've got all these beckemesque bitch boys around today then & you lot are always complaining about there's no good real men around anymore, you're all shit mothers, I'am popular ME:smoke


:good:good:good

[prime]

Just this morning i had some verballs with some 30 something women at the spinning class, i'd told-em i'am of too the Cotto/Pacman fight & the whole gang chorused OH thats so Barbaric, i would'nt let my son box which led too my reply: well then, thats the reason why we've got all these beckemesque bitch boys around today then & you lot are always complaining about there's no good real men around anymore, you're all shit mothers, I'am popular ME:smoke

I too frown at the effemination of the male today.

Boxing is a metaphor for manhood and there is little "Beckmanesque" about it.

[john garfield]

My dad loved boxing -- took me to all the gyms and shows in New York. I think boxing 'n I'm a kid again.

[DRMULLEN]

they are the best fighters in the world in a fair fight. other is i ain't got no pie in 8 years.