It?s a macho sport with macho men sitting ringside, and macho, armchair experts sitting in front of their TVs and computers, while weighing in on every move made by the idols and pawns that entertain them.
Terms like ?washed-up? and ?bum? are thrown around constantly.
Words are cheap.
While it?s perfectly understandable, and even fun, to debate and criticize athletes to an extent, sometimes it?s taken too far.
I?ve sat ringside and listened to fight fans mock and scream at the fighters. I?ve listened to people shout unnecessary insults and laugh at a boxer who was just embarrassed by being TKOd in the first round.
Maybe I?m too sensitive, and I know it?s just the nature of the beast, but I think that men and women who have the nerve to compete in such a risky and bloody sport deserve some degree of respect, regardless of the extent of their abilities and talents.
Arkansas?s Delray Raines was KOd in Rnd. 2 of his fight with undefeated David Lemieux. He was KOd in Rnd 1 of his fight with once beaten Ronald Hearns. However, in his most recent fight, he knocked his opponent out in Rnd. 2.
Raines landed in LA last night, as he will be facing another tough, undefeated foe ? Erislandy Lara.
Raines (18-8-1, 13 KOs) is a young fighter with a lot of heart. Despite his disappointing losses, he is still eager to fight, and determined to win.
Delray Raines is not a bum.
Those of us who follow the sport closely hear and read the same remarks every day. Amazingly, even future Hall-of-Famers are often viewed as washed-up oxygen wasters after a single bad night.
Shane Mosley was the man who was going to KO Floyd Mayweather Jr. Innumerable fans cluttered the boxing forums and comment sections to said so. But immediately after Mayweather beat him, Mosley became ?washed-up? and ?old?, with seemingly no consideration of the fact that Mosley was beaten by one of the two greatest boxers on the planet. So now he gets a shot at the other one, Manny Pacquiao.
Perhaps every so-called boxing expert should try his or her hand at the sport just once.
Lace up a pair of gloves, find a willing opponent and give it a try.
For the average person, a single 3-minute round of trying to land punches, being all tensed-up while trying to avoid them, and getting pounded to the head and body numerous times would bring a whole new understanding and appreciation to the sport.
It?s not as easy as it looks. In fact, it is definitely one of the most physically and mentally demanding sports of all.
If you?re really out of shape, 3 minutes will seem like an eternity, after which you will want to lie down and beg God to allow you to die.
?Bum? you say?
How about letting the bum of your choice land a hard, straight shot to your nose, and see if you can continue to fight?
It doesn?t matter if you?re 9 foot 10, and 625 lbs with 5% body fat. If you?re not used to it, one powerful shot to the nose from somebody who really knows how to deliver it will immediately cause your eyes to well-up, and then send tears streaming down your macho cheeks, at which point you will quickly come to the realization that boxing isn?t as much fun as it appears to be.
If you survive that, let him land a left hook to your liver and see how that works for you.
If you fall down, you must be a bum.
Perhaps softball would be a better choice.
