| |
|
THE PRICE OF PAIN
By Jim Amato PhilBoxing.com Tue, 23 Dec 2008

In many sports a participant is subject to pain. It goes with the territory. The nature of the beast so to speak. To me there can be no greater obvious damage to a participant than in boxing.
If you are a boxer and happen to be matched with a superior opponent you must try to summon the courage to endure the pain. It is the game and it is expected of you. Anything less from you could brand you as a coward to the average fan.
He who sits on couch and sips beer watching you take a first class shellacking. Oh the fan will call you a gutless dog but he has probably never stepped into the ring. If he has. it was probably not against world class opposition. I have seen some great fighters take terrible beatings. Case in point, the recent beat down of Oscar De La Hoya against a fighting machine named Manny Pacquiao. It was decisive and it was sad.
This brought back the memories of the great Ali being battered by Larry Holmes. Of Holmes being wasted by a young terror named Mike Tyson. There was an aging Jose Napoles being savaged by John Stracey. The worst for me was seeing my hero Roberto Duran being tormented by William Joppy. I can bring up so many other examples. Like Bobby Chacon being ripped apart by Ray Mancini. Etc, etc...It all spells one thing...SADNESS. Look at some of the beatings the great Julio Cesar Chavez absorbed as his career was winding down. Time waits for no man. Even the greatest will be defeated. Erosion takes a man's talent like a flowing river cuts through the earth.
I hope now the Oscar will retire. He has nothing left to prove. I worry that another great fighter, Shane Mosley will suffer a sad defeat at the hands of Antonio Margarito soon.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Jim Amato.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Weigh-In Results: Brian Norman Jr. vs. Jin Sasaki , Wed, 18 Jun 2025CLARESSA SHIELDS VS. LANI DANIELS PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES , Wed, 18 Jun 2025Brian Norman Jr.: "This Championship Belt Means Everything to Me!" , Wed, 18 Jun 2025Julian Gonzalez Takes on Former World Title Challenger Jason Sanchez in Main Event on Friday, June 27th at The 2300 Arena in Philadelphia , Wed, 18 Jun 2025IBA reaffirms its commitment to good governance and stability in Africa , Wed, 18 Jun 2025Day One of the USA Boxing Junior Olympics and Summer Festival Concludes , Wed, 18 Jun 2025The Past Week in Action 16 June 2025: Hitchins Stops Kambosos; Wins by Andy Cruz and Teremoana; Donaire Returns By Eric Armit, , Tue, 17 Jun 2025THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 9 - MUHAMMAD ALI WINS WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE By Maloney L. Samaco, , Tue, 17 Jun 2025OKC Nears First NBA Title in Thunder Era; Outclasses Indiana, 120-109 in Game 5 By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Tue, 17 Jun 2025Crawford Refutes #3 P4P Ranking; WBA Doesn't Forget Nonito Donaire By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Tue, 17 Jun 2025GM John Paul Gomez joins Touchmove in Roxas City By Marlon Bernardino, , Tue, 17 Jun 2025Perfect foe, perfect outcome By Joaquin Henson, , Tue, 17 Jun 2025Prospects Collide Results: Rajon Chance Defeats Yan Carlos Perez , Tue, 17 Jun 2025Undefeated Russian super middleweight Petr “The Surgeon” Khamukov to headline This Friday in Long Beach on DAZN , Tue, 17 Jun 2025International Boxing & MMA Consultants Appointed to serve as El Salvador Professional Combat Sport Commission , Tue, 17 Jun 2025Sasotize teams champion and 1st runner up in 2nd JCI Senate Chess Tourney By Marlon Bernardino, , Tue, 17 Jun 2025USA Boxing’s Elite High Performance Team Concluded World Boxing Championship 2025 With Nine Medals , Mon, 16 Jun 2025"The Filipino Flash" Nonito Donaire Makes Stunning Comeback, Wins Interim WBA 118-lbs Title in Argentina!! (PHOTOS) By Carlos Costa, , Sun, 15 Jun 2025DAZN is Set to Make Exciting Debut in Thailand with Thrilling Dream Boxing/Highland Boxing Show By Carlos Costa, , Sun, 15 Jun 2025Hitchins Dominates, Stops Kambosos Jr. in Eighth Round to Retain IBF Super Lightweight Title By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 15 Jun 2025THAI SIMSRI READY FOR CHRISTIAN ARANETA IN IBF WORLD TITLE SHOWDOWN THURSDAY IN JAPAN; WILL THE CEBUANO “BOMB” STOP HIM? By Carlos Costa, , Sun, 15 Jun 2025Pinoy Power! Pacquiao, Donaire, and Araneta Ready to Shine in World Title Fights By Carlos Costa, , Sun, 15 Jun 2025“PROSPECTS COLLIDE” TAKES CENTER STAGE , Sun, 15 Jun 2025Nonito Donaire Favorite to Beat Andrés Campos for WBA Interim World Title; Both Men Make Weight Ready in Argentina! By Carlos Costa, , Sat, 14 Jun 2025Oklahoma Forces 2-2 Finals Series Tie, Starves Indiana for Point in 111-104 Win By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Sat, 14 Jun 2025 |

|
|
|
|
|