This week we salute more fans for voicing their opinions on a number of things. Questions stemming from weight differences that may hold whatever advantages being a few pounds heavier by fight time, to the seemingly diminishing popularity boxing has on one fan. We’ve got some yesteryear Vs today in that old adage regarding stamina and vigor, a Pac Man fan who wonders how’d he fair as a full-fledged Lightweight, and the Roy Jones, JR. emails that pour in showing indications that he’s still very much in remarkable demand.
George, You are off the wall in your email bag but love it. What does the boxing mainstream need to do to bring back the respect to the sport of say, the Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano days? Off of boxing, who wins the World Series? I think the Whitesox!
Charles
Charles,
I kind of took that in a complimentary way. On the respect you’re saying, I don’t foresee any more than what is put in, meaning from the Presidents to the promoters, and up to the commissions, boxing needs a facelift reviving those glory years.
Speaking of baseball for a moment, could you envision, or any other American for that matter, MLB becoming subscribed for cable subscription purposes only taken off of FOX for the World Series? Outrageous? What do you think of manny pacquiao fighting as a lightweight?
Do you think he can also be that good in that division, as we all saw last sept. the great Erik failed to conquer raheem, do you think if manny was the one fighting raheem what do you think is the outcome?
Ajnin Ajnin,
About Zahir Raheem’s performance, look, all you could do is give praise where the credit is due; and Raheem did his damned best that time beating Morales. I won’t tarnish that victory in any well-deserved sense of the way to subject for instances speculating any further when the causes supposing something else are nearest nil to bringing up anyway, or going there.
For Manny, of absolute course he’s more than carried himself to the next level to fight as lightweight. His real advantages are that he can fight at both junior light and Lightweight, and it wouldn’t affect him. It would seem that boxing is having some sort of revival, but not quite to the level it had during it’s heydays when everyone watched Ali vs Frazier or even on the level of the early 80’s with Holmes vs Cooney or Marvin Hagler doing a TV commercial for a deodorant company. Even the show Saturday night live did a spoof on the macho man Hector Camacho that spoke about his mainstream popularity back then. What is holding boxing back?
Why can’t it be as popular as say the NBA?
Do you see anyone stepping up to straighten the ship?
Thanks!
Rafael
Rafael,
Well, the same argument could be placed about sports popularity when a neighbor of mine got bewildered after telling me that boxing and baseball were the most that Puerto Rico, for example, excelled in, and I told him to the contrary that it was in the Universities and youth that had basketball preceding volleyball being in the leads, not to mention surfing. I think the PPV crossover did a good thing even with the recoil about a fired trigger that set a few things in boxing back. However that industry wasn’t the pioneer by a long shot with closed circuit having been around before.
Once upon a time they needed you in the seats as much as the advertisers paying for the airtime on television did. That costs bucks. What they realized more was that people would come in droves regardless of the overpriced advertising, wherein footing the bill became a conflict. Now by cutting out TV you have a huge sum to work within another system in place. Some view this as an abettors bidding nightmare for an albatross…. but really is sensible marketing. I believe boxing will return one day back to television to its capacity that should be undertaken; which will only display Olympic medallist in the impeding wetting of your appetite; then go gradually straight to PPV. It could be a 60-40 proposition in their favor however since investors wouldn’t partake in any interest to rocking any boats or skyrocketing prices to drive potential buyers away. Buyers beware.
Roy Jones Jr is 1 of the 2 greatest fighters ever 1 or 2nd regardless of what any 1 says, and at this time in career he has nothing more to prove cause at his prime there’s no one who would be able to step in the ring with him and even feel like they could have a chance, I mean damn he’s the last person to beat Hopkins really and Hopkins won 20 straight after Jones decided there was no more comp for in the division, if he stayed in that division he’d still be that champ now. AND THAT’S Real. J Mac
J Mac, Spoken like a true boxing aficionado my friend. I’d only question one of his fights at Light Heavyweight were he was seemingly behind in, and the other fighter whose name escapes me at the moment accidentally injured himself during the fight having to go to the scorecards.
But overall I’ve found absolutely nothing in what you said to discredit Roy at all with. I might disagree to some extent on Bernard Hopkins getting the benefit of a draw out in Quito, Ecuador against Segundo Mercado the first time they met for the Vacant IBF Middleweight championship, having seen that one myself. Then again, there’d been even other questionable decisions offhand that come to mind; one of which notably the Oscar De La Hoya Vs John-John Molina victory as a questionable question mark winning; enough to divide and persuade opinions like a Democratic-Republican Convention could do kicking things around like a football. .
Hi, I enjoy reading your opinions immensely mostly because of the logic and facts you use to explain a fighter. I agree with you that RJJ is/was a phenomenal fighter. I do wanna mention something though and ask your opinion while at it. Why is it that people or critics always mention people of yesteryears to be better than all. In acting people like Liz Taylor, Bob Mitchum, Maryln Monroe, Brando etc., are considered the best ever while Tom Hanks who is practically the best ever is put to the side. James Dean is considered a legend and DiCaprio is not. If DiCaprio had died right after Titanic, I can assure you all these “experts” would say he was the best ever. When it comes to boxing, I really tire of hearing how the boxers of years back were way more talented than now. I am not disputing that, I’m only saying that even now in our midst we have fighters who can match up many of those old fighters and Roy is definitely one of them. If Tarver claims to be great, let him try to unify the light heavyweight. Won’t happen and u know it. Tarver will be remembered for only one thing and that is his wins over Roy, period. Khalid Low
Khalid,
You have swarmed enough the scent of Hollywood to regenerate that old itch of the acting bug in me once more, WHEW! There is a certain amount of sale ability to boxing true, though the emphasis is more on the productivity to the delivery, not competing for an Academy Award. Mostly the reasoning discussed to the old timers philosophy of yesteryear acquired dealings are more with breaking down the experience level, and little to do with today’s fighter’s achievements. This whole thing started when they went from fifteen rounds to twelve. Again, some of yesterday’s pugs didn’t even get to their second wind until much later. It’s just the system. If you navigate somewhere between around 26, 25, 20, 15, and 10 rounds for championship, regional, and supporting fights, they could fight any amount of those aforementioned at the drop of a dime. You might as well be peeling away at the enamel as to whoever had the better stamina to those criteria’s.
Professionally fighters back then fought anywhere from forty-five to fifty some odd fights without any personal guarantees to be cracking open into a top ten rating, much less fight for the championship; winning record notwithstanding. How could anyone compare, or be put through that demoralizing happening today? Hi, where’s James Scott, i met him years ago, in prison on a trip with youths. I followed his career but lost track some years ago. Can you help with some information, thank you lr32I
Larry Richio
Larry, many might not know as to whom you’re referring to, so let me give some color. James Scott, 19-2-1, 11 KO’s, fought professionally inside at the Rahway State Penitentiary serving a 30-40 year sentence stemming from an alleged 1975-armed robbery conviction.
Professionally his bouts were televised locally on the TV networks, and Scott got paid on one occasion the sum of $15,250.00 dollars for fighting Alvaro “Yaqui” Lopez, who at the time was rated fifth in the light-heavyweight division.
Do drop us another line here on the home front of RSR directly to “Bad Brad” Berkwitt to see about the matter to getting you in touch with whom you asked.
Your article was fair to RJJ and he is the best fighter to ever fight. I would take him to beat Sugar Ray Robinson, Marvin Hagler, Ali, Liston and the rest. Shoot, I would even pick him to be my ugly sister, and she is pretty big too.
RJJ #1 Fan
RJJ #1 Fan,
Careful what you wish for. I heard about guys like you fronting look-a-likes or whatnot. If she beats the tar out of you for that disrespect, you deserve it.
