Is Boxing Now Very Much Outdated?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www1.skysports.com/frochgroves/story/29800/9034440/carl-froch-mocked-george-groves-after-he-revealed-his-pre-fight-tactics-

Does watching two adult men taking part in a slanging match, with one calling for 'respect' before they come together in the ring so as to try and knock each other unconscious, do anything to show our young how to behave?

[sandyRoe]

Pre fight bluster is part of the professional fight scene now. Amateur boxing teaches young people a lot of good things.

[rockyracoon]

I don't like boxing much but I really cringe when they start with the verbal sparring, it makes me feel quite embarrassed for them.

[tonyav]

It sells tickets, aog.

[RATTER15]

I would hate to see it banned, I dont follow it myself but it is a great sport especially at amateur lever.

[bednobs]

i agree with tony - i'm sure it's a ploy by the promoters in order to whip up excitement and sell tickets. I think boxing as a sport or for entertainment is outdated anywya, and has been for about 100 years, however seeing the amount people will pay to watch a fight that could be over in 5 seconds tells me that it's not!

[ichkeria]

This is just the cringeworthy nonsense you get with professional boxing. As sandy says, amateur boxing is a different matter entirely.

[ummmm]

My cousin is a semi pro boxer. He's the English welterweight champion. Before he took up the sport I thought it was barbaric...

[Sipowicz]

No and no.

[FredPuli43]

No, it isn't, if you think young men don't see it context, and think that Carl Froch is a role model for how they should conduct themselves in all circumstances. Of course, you may say that young men have always shown bravado and said things like that when confronted by someone who is due to hit them. and not even then, and that has been so ever since young men have existed.

This sort of thing has been going on in pre-fight talk for a long time; the promoters like it, because they always want to sell tickets and get TV viewers. If they can sell the fight as a grudge match, or have the fighters presented as having personal dislike of each other, all the better for sales.

Mohammed Ali and Joe Frasier were presented in that way. In later years, Ali revealed that the two of them shared a car , around a fight time, and Ali said that could have been very embarrassing, if it got out !

These

[Old_Geezer]

The activity is not #different to what it's always been. Unsure what "outdated" has to do witrh it, to be honest. It's a weird thing for folk to want to do but difficult to impose one's will on another and ban something when it can be shown to be no worse than sport where the intent to damage another isn't there. As for the banter, well there is an overall drop in behaviour these days as winning becomes important at all costs and playing the game is for fools. If anything that is directly in keeping with modern mores.

[dave50]

It doesn't seem to get as much coverage on TV as it used to in the days of Ali, Frazier and Foreman. Maybe it's because there are no real personalities anymore.

[andy-hughes]

The concept of boxing has been debated before, and I will continue with my opinion - it is a barbaric sport and has no place in a civilised society.

The notion of a contest in which the winner is the one who aims to inflict the most brain damage on the other is beyond comprehension.

As for the guff about 'channeling aggreession in the young' - how about channeling the notion that hurting someone is wrong, whether it is in the street with stanley knives, or in a ring with boxing gloves.

[anotheoldgit]

ummmm

/// My cousin is a semi pro boxer. He's the English welterweight champion. Before he took up the sport I thought it was barbaric... ///

What made you change your first correct thoughts, was it the fact that it had now become more personal to you, would you revert back to your original thoughts if your cousin chose to give up boxing or was hurt in anyway?

[FredPuli43]

And, no, boxing is not outdated. It doesn't attract the large following that lesser bouts used to attract, but the big fights still do. A problem for years has been that the number of organisations has grown , so that there can be several world champions. But they do have some 'unification bouts' to make a fighter champion of more than one; these sell very well.

[ummmm]

The last fight he broke his jaw in the second round. Horrible...

I haven't changed my mind as such, I just chose to support him. When he stops I won't watch another boxing match.

[mccfluff]

i hate boxing, i can't stand to see people hurting each other, i really don't get it. i went to a live amateur boxing event, worst night ever

[FredPuli43]

AOG, didn't realise that you thought boxing barbaric; you gave the impression that you were objecting to the slanging match. When did you decide that it was barbaric ?

[anotheoldgit]

tonyav

/// It sells tickets, aog. ///

And in some cases so would bear baiting, cock fighting, public hangings and the reintroduction of public arenas such as the Coliseum, unfortunately there are many human beings who would delight in these sort of weird sports if they had not been forcibly outlawed many years ago.

Time that boxing was now added to the list of outdated spectator sports.

[bednobs]

i think it's pretty obvious in the q fred puli that aog is asking about the slanging match and the trying to knoock each other unconcsious both being a rubbish way to educate the young on how to behave!

[aelmpvw]

considering you opinions on boxing mcfluff i'm curious to know why you attended?