The horrible state of modern boxing, I blame the fans

Morning

Having watched the weekends action which left a sour taste in my mouth and reading comments on here how Ortiz deserved it, I'm really concerned about the mindset of the new generation of boxing fans. It was a cheap shot an act you don't want to see in boxing, If Khan or Pacquiao had done it, the Mayweather fan boys would've been in uproar, so lets be honest for a moment. I've read unsavoury comments like "Mayweather shouldve sent Merchant into a grave" by one poster on here. Why ?? May I ask please ? The gentleman is 80 years old and was asking relevant questions which we would like answered, do you really want the post fight interview to be "Thanks to God, Team Money and all the people whove bathed my feet and cooked my food" and not answering the questions posted to him??

The fans today seem embrace vile rants, intolerable language from pet fighters, David Haye's "Its going to be one sided as Gang Cuddle in a bad way" Mayweathers " Mother effing this mother effing that" Does this really appeal to you, I'd much prefer a gentleman to be the face of boxing.

The fans seem to want extravagant entrances, I had to turn the tv over waiting for Haye/Klitschko entrances it was embarrassing I follow boxing not dramatic wrestling, what was the point of it?

Fighters wearing different and multi-coloured gloves these days, should be stopped.

Boxing fans need to grow up, act like men.

Thanks

TCribb

I thought Mayweather's response was OTT, but he'd already given his answer and all Merchant was doing was badgering the guy. Yeah I know it's Merchant's job to ask revealing questions, but his interview style's crap, and he's way past due his retirement.

Awful article. Most boxing fans have turned off Haye due to his rants. Mayweather despite being fantastic to watch isn't popular because of his attitude and anyone who blames Ortiz for not protecting himself is a fanboy? Do you think this was the first cheap shot in boxing? Heard of Honeyghan?

Should Dempsey have given Willard space because he wasn't really ready to get back into the action?

Boring, nostalgic rubbish.

He does have a point about different coloured gloves though Scott...

I agree that boxing is a bit of a shambles.

Fighters ducking.
Fighters not showing up to fight.
Fighters cheating.
Awful refereeing.
Awful judging.
Fake injuries.
Shambolic matchmaking.

You can label every 'big' fight in the past 2 years especially with anyone of these tags.

I'd not even read to the end and seen the part about gloves. Boxers who do that disgust me. Boxers with tattoos shouldn't be allowed either. They look like ruffians and rapscallions.

I quite like different gloves, was it Josesito Lopez who was wearing Cleto Reyes with Mexican Flags on at the weekend, they were cool.

What a ridiculous article. For information - i dont think any of us on here are as you put it 'the new generation' of boxing fans. We have been watch boxing for many many years.

Like Scott says - Haye lost 90% of his fan base in the past year. Most would agree that Mayweather is a plonker, but his skills are what keeps his fans ticking over.

What happened this weekend has been going on for decades in Boxing. And what does having different coloured gloves matter in the slightest??

As for 'gentlemen' in boxing; we have Pacquiao for that and it's boring.

Ridiculous modern multi-coloured gloves eh...

Spoiler:

If it's not a rude question, just how old are you tcribb?

Think this article, of the jist of it, is well off. Most boxing fans I know don't care for Haye's gobby attitude or Mayweather's constant belittling of opponents and interviewers at all. This whole sob story for Ortiz is getting ridiculous; he broke the rules. Mayweather, regardless of whether it was sportsmanlike or not, didn't.

I'd say the current 'state' of boxing owes more to the continued rise of the 'alphabet boys' and an ever-decreasing amount of youngsters getting in to the sport at an early age. How the fans are to blame for this, I'll never know.

Pretty poor all round, tcribb.

Would assume your user name of Tcribb is in tribute to bareknuckle champion Tom Cribb, who lest we forget needed some seriously underhand tactics to beat Molyneux first time round. Whilst I agree with some of what you say this idea that skullduggery or lack of sportsmanship is a new phenomena ius simply not the case.

BALTIMORA wrote:rapscallions.

What a great word

tcribb wrote:I've read unsavoury comments like "Mayweather shouldve sent Merchant into a grave" by one poster on here.

Where?

different strokes for different folks mate... everything and everyone appeals to a different person. it always has.

Union Cane wrote:Ridiculous modern multi-coloured gloves eh...

Spoiler:

If it's not a rude question, just how old are you tcribb?

Perhaps he's used to watching in black and white.

"Television sets displaying different and multi-coloured moving images these days, should be stopped."

Boxing is a business and needs to sell PPV to the masses for the sport to survive. Like it or lump it, the public (i.e. non boxing public who vastly outnumber us poor souls) eat up the dramatic entrances. Naz gathered a huge following in part because his style got people interested and his style in the ring had them hooked. Ali knew the importance of the media and how manipulating it and feeding it would help his career. He badgered Liston into a fight. There is nothing new here in boxing. Duran was an animal in and out of the ring and threatened to kill more than one opponent, and if Im not mistaken informed Sugar Rays wife he was going to kill her husband before the first fight. BUT if you watched Duran you were hooked, he had the public interested, filled stadiums and fought the best and at the end of the day that is what boxing is and always has been about. If the guy goes into the ring and performs he is forgiven all his ills and Floyd performs.

Society likes to look to the past and remember the good old days. Looking into boxings past shows a brutal and unforgiving time where just about anything went.

Would never have found boxers in years gone by doing what Mayweather did would you, Saddler was famous for breaking every single rule in the book not to mention Fritzie Zivic.

p.s. Welcome to the forum.

Scott, Jeff you seem like two levelled headed chaps, Of course underhand tactics have happened throughout history. My point is I'm reading Mayweather didn't do anything wrong, maybes in the land of the law but it was an unsavoury ending and an awful cheap shot, no getting away with it, I'd feel cheated as a fan if I paid top dollar for that.

Sean I believe you have a point sir. For those who say we dont have a new generation of fight fans I believe you're pulling the wool over you own eyes. Haye v Harrison happened on PPV because of who ?? These glamour fights which have no appeal boxing wise get made because of the new generation. A lot of new fans dont seem to enjoy just the tussle of boxing but would rather buy the fight on the back of some gobshine.


Beg your pardon Scott not to avoid your question, I read it on Sunday by some chap called Coxall or on those lines,

Union Cane rule number 1 never ask the age on a first date sir,

The warmest of welcomes, by all accounts!

There are many gripes I have with modern boxing, tcribb, but as those above me have mentioned, there have been plenty of cases of such happenings in the past.

The only thing that really is rife is politics getting in the way of many fights (this of course happened in the past, too, but less frequently than it does now), and the ridiculous belt organisations creating umpteen champions.

Union Cane wrote:"Television sets displaying different and multi-coloured moving images these days, should be stopped."

I blame the parents.

As has been said numerous times already, Ortiz only has himself to blame for the ending and is not the fault of Mayweather. You deliberately headbutt someone and you in that moment tell your opponent that the gloves are off and anything goes, he as a world champion should have the nous to be aware of the situation and to defend himself at all times. To summarise Mayweather did absolutely nothing wrong, it's his ruthless streak that makes him so successful.

Thanks for the welcome Fists of Fury & Scott

The Money Man wrote:As has been said numerous times already, Ortiz only has himself to blame for the ending and is not the fault of Mayweather. You deliberately headbutt someone and you in that moment tell your opponent that the gloves are off and anything goes, he as a world champion should have the nous to be aware of the situation and to defend himself at all times. To summarise Mayweather did absolutely nothing wrong, it's his ruthless streak that makes him so successful.

Well I see your point sir, but lets be honest and a 100% straight had Pacquiao or Khan acted that way, do you think the Mayweather fans and team would be so forgiving?

And you think fans of Pacquiao are going to be forgiving of Mayweathers actions, see little point to what you're saying, better to take the view of an unbiased observer rather than a fan of him.

tcribb wrote:Scott, Jeff you seem like two levelled headed chaps, Of course underhand tactics have happened throughout history. My point is I'm reading Mayweather didn't do anything wrong, maybes in the land of the law but it was an unsavoury ending and an awful cheap shot, no getting away with it, I'd feel cheated as a fan if I paid top dollar for that.

Sean I believe you have a point sir. For those who say we dont have a new generation of fight fans I believe you're pulling the wool over you own eyes. Haye v Harrison happened on PPV because of who ?? These glamour fights which have no appeal boxing wise get made because of the new generation. A lot of new fans dont seem to enjoy just the tussle of boxing but would rather buy the fight on the back of some gobshine.

To be fair, tcribb, it was ever the case.

Anybody here will confirm that I am a huge Jack Dempsey fan and I could quite easily reel off a hundred reasons as to why that is the case. However, boxing's first million dollar gate was the Dempsey v Carpentier fight at Boyles's Acre in 1921. This fight was predicated on Dempsey's having been accused of draft dodging and Carpentier's having been a war hero. Promoter Tex Rickard had even instructed Dempsey to " go easy on the little Frenchie - first round kayos are bad for business. "

I love the romance and the legends of old time boxing - as well as the boxing I witnessed as a child, which left an indelible mark on me - but I do think we need to be a little objective before we dismiss the modern game, wholesale. No doubt, boxing has seen better times, but no doubt, either, that there is still much to enjoy.

tcribb wrote:

Union Cane rule number 1 never ask the age on a first date sir,

Union, even newbies are ruining you. Are you ok?

Cribb few on here are more in thrall to the old timers than I but think there are a few myths that are often perpetuated about them that don't really stand up to analysis.

Old timers didn't use underhand tactics - Zivic disproves this.

The best always fought the best - Will v Dempsey and Robinson v Burley disprove this.

Governing bodies were above reproach the IBC and Blinky Palermo and his cohorts disprove this.

Boxing is far from perfect now, the alphabet soup is a pox on the sport but there was never a utopia and unfortunately probably never will be.

well at least he got noticed quick. get controversial works in boxing too.

tcribb wrote:

The Money Man wrote:As has been said numerous times already, Ortiz only has himself to blame for the ending and is not the fault of Mayweather. You deliberately headbutt someone and you in that moment tell your opponent that the gloves are off and anything goes, he as a world champion should have the nous to be aware of the situation and to defend himself at all times. To summarise Mayweather did absolutely nothing wrong, it's his ruthless streak that makes him so successful.

Well I see your point sir, but lets be honest and a 100% straight had Pacquiao or Khan acted that way, do you think the Mayweather fans and team would be so forgiving?

Pacquiao is too busy kissing Mosley and Clottey's @ss

tcribb wrote:Well I see your point sir, but lets be honest and a 100% straight had Pacquiao or Khan acted that way, do you think the Mayweather fans and team would be so forgiving?

Actually most people criticised Pacquiao for being too sporting against Mosley and not getting on with the job.

I'm not a Mayweather fan, I'm a boxing fan and I would have the same opinion. You'll notice all the professional boxers and analysts blaming Ortiz, not Mayweather.

Even if we accept it's unsporting, it's a one off occurance. What's sporting about hitting your opponent when he's standing up (Dempsey vs Willard)? That's the sportsmanship era? Both within the rules, they are fine.

rowley wrote:Cribb few on here are more in thrall to the old timers than I but think there are a few myths that are often perpetuated about them that don't really stand up to analysis.

Old timers didn't use underhand tactics - Zivic disproves this.

The best always fought the best - Will v Dempsey and Robinson v Burley disprove this.

Governing bodies were above reproach the IBC and Blinky Palermo and his cohorts disprove this.

Boxing is far from perfect now, the alphabet soup is a pox on the sport but there was never a utopia and unfortunately probably never will be.

Quite Rowley, however we didnt have to wait for Hayleys comet before a fighter boxes again, we didnt have 58 divisions with 750 fighters claiming they are/were multi weight divisional champions.

tcribb wrote:Beg your pardon Scott not to avoid your question, I read it on Sunday by some chap called Coxall or on those lines,

Never heard of him and wouldn't think it sums up the views of this generation of boxing fans.

Having considered it I can now actually see where you are coming from in saying "I blame the fans", it is the element that follow a particular fighter and are utterly blind to his faults that cause the problems, we have had many such people on here in the past and it does detract from the enjoyment of many discussions when things descend along the same well trodden paths. I would class myself as a boxing fan rather than a fan of any particular boxer, therefore I have to agree with you that it is the 'fanboy' types that have led the sport to be in the state in which we find it today. I do like coloured gloves though.

Bingo, Union, it is the blind ignorance of some when it comes to a certain fighter that spoils threads and can breed dislike of the fighter in question.

Fists of Fury wrote:Bingo, Union, it is the blind ignorance of some when it comes to a certain fighter that spoils threads and can breed dislike of the fighter in question.

Spot on Fists

Union Cane wrote:Having considered it I can now actually see where you are coming from in saying "I blame the fans", it is the element that follow a particular fighter and are utterly blind to his faults that cause the problems, we have had many such people on here in the past and it does detract from the enjoyment of many discussions when things descend along the same well trodden paths. I would class myself as a boxing fan rather than a fan of any particular boxer, therefore I have to agree with you that it is the 'fanboy' types that have led the sport to be in the state in which we find it today. I do like coloured gloves though.

That's better son.

Scottrf wrote:

tcribb wrote:Beg your pardon Scott not to avoid your question, I read it on Sunday by some chap called Coxall or on those lines,

Never heard of him and wouldn't think it sums up the views of this generation of boxing fans.

bets on it being coxy?

Michaels, Sean wrote:

Union Cane wrote:Having considered it I can now actually see where you are coming from in saying "I blame the fans", it is the element that follow a particular fighter and are utterly blind to his faults that cause the problems, we have had many such people on here in the past and it does detract from the enjoyment of many discussions when things descend along the same well trodden paths. I would class myself as a boxing fan rather than a fan of any particular boxer, therefore I have to agree with you that it is the 'fanboy' types that have led the sport to be in the state in which we find it today. I do like coloured gloves though.

That's better son.

Uh Oh

tcribb wrote:

rowley wrote:Cribb few on here are more in thrall to the old timers than I but think there are a few myths that are often perpetuated about them that don't really stand up to analysis.

Old timers didn't use underhand tactics - Zivic disproves this.

The best always fought the best - Will v Dempsey and Robinson v Burley disprove this.

Governing bodies were above reproach the IBC and Blinky Palermo and his cohorts disprove this.

Boxing is far from perfect now, the alphabet soup is a pox on the sport but there was never a utopia and unfortunately probably never will be.

Quite Rowley, however we didnt have to wait for Hayleys comet before a fighter boxes again, we didnt have 58 divisions with 750 fighters claiming they are/were multi weight divisional champions.

Many share your frustrations, though I fail to see how these ills can be attributed to the fans, who are very much the victims of this situation, as opposed to the cause of it.

AlexHuckerby wrote:

Scottrf wrote:

tcribb wrote:Beg your pardon Scott not to avoid your question, I read it on Sunday by some chap called Coxall or on those lines,

Never heard of him and wouldn't think it sums up the views of this generation of boxing fans.

bets on it being coxy?

Sounds right, ban him.

precisely windy imagine blowing a grand to go see that!

Scottrf wrote:

AlexHuckerby wrote:

Scottrf wrote:

tcribb wrote:Beg your pardon Scott not to avoid your question, I read it on Sunday by some chap called Coxall or on those lines,

Never heard of him and wouldn't think it sums up the views of this generation of boxing fans.

bets on it being coxy?

Sounds right, ban him.

I second this

Michaels, Sean wrote:Union, even newbies are ruining you. Are you ok?

It's not been going well recently has it.

The genius of PBF wrote:

Scottrf wrote:

AlexHuckerby wrote:

Scottrf wrote:

tcribb wrote:Beg your pardon Scott not to avoid your question, I read it on Sunday by some chap called Coxall or on those lines,

Never heard of him and wouldn't think it sums up the views of this generation of boxing fans.

bets on it being coxy?

Sounds right, ban him.

I second this

dont you ever get bored with your sad persona?

Think you are looking at things through Rose tinted specs. Have you forgotten Ali's vile trash talking pre Frazier? Or the cheapshot Duran landed on Buchannen to win his title? Such things have always happened in boxing, only these days it is magnified a hundred fold by replays, HD TV, mass media, the Internet etc. Hayes trash talking is classless and appeals to the lowest common denominator, nit the knowledgeable fan. Virtually every opinion of mayweather I read on 606 is that they don't like him but respect his ability. As for the ring entrances and gloves, bit of an irrelevant issue IMO, but like most sports these says boxing has to try to sell itself as a product in an attempt to survive. The real factors killing boxing are PPV TV, proliferation of alphabet titles and the best often not fighting the best - now if you ask any self respecting fan what he hates about boxing it'd be these very things, so I don't see how you conclude that it's the fans hurting the sport when most are violently opposed to the very issues doing it the greatest harm. Must try harder.

mayweathers winning me round in truth, just sheer unpredictability much prefes someone with a personality rather than boring humble manny