HOW FAR HAS YOUR BOXING JONES FALLEN OVER THE YEARS....

[lb 4 lb]

if at all? For me it's a huge drop. If my boxing interest started out at a 10, right about now I'm probably a 4. It started out about 4 years ago when I stopped my prescription and stopped reading Ring magazine and it's sister publications. Now lately I've gradually been missing so many big fights and don't even care. Most I have on DVD and keep telling myself I'm going to watch them but for a lot of those fights it's been over a year. For instance I haven't watched JMM-MAB or any of the Marquez-Vazquez fights just to name a small few on my long list.

The big fights I make sure I catch like Cotto-Mosley of course, but even that one I saw about 2 weeks late. The worst part is don't really care that I've lost interest in the sport, because I don't see much new talent coming along to replace the old and PPV sales are robbing fans blind.

As for my posting life, I probably spend 90% of it in TAA these days. Is anyone else going through a similar lack of interest in the sport?

[mexican wedding shirt]

Actually no. Although in one sense you're right, there doesn't seem to be enough new young talent now to replace the guys that are on the verge of retirement, but boxing has been as good as ever for the last couple of years.

There has been a plethora of high profile mathups and great fights.

But fuck, you haven't seen any of the Vazquez - Marquez fights? You really should.

[Tam Tam]

Roy Jones? What is this thread about?

[steve_dave]

Roy Jones? What is this thread about?

He was always a big Mosley fan.

[Mitchell Kane]

I'm not sure my interest in boxing has fallen over the years, though it's possible.

I think there's just fewer individual fights and fight cards that interest me, because the quality of them has gone down over the years.

The problem is Showtime has like 1/4 of the HBO budget yet usually puts on more competitive cards...consistently over the past few years.

HBO's talent pool has become stale to a great degree, so I feel like the sport is sort of stuck in a time period where we're being fed a lot of leftovers from the 90's and early 00's.

[Tam Tam]

Interest in boxing comes and goes. People follow fighters, or they follow the sport itself. When the fighters don't appeal to fans boxing is 'dying'. When they do? Boxing is never healthier. It's cycles.

[Erratic]

I was a big fan as a kid, starting around 1991. Over the mid 90s I became a bit more casual, but I started up again being more fanatical in 2000.

Since 2000, I would say I get more fanatical by the day. If there's not too many fights interesting me at the moment, I look for older fights to watch.

[royyjonesjrp4pno1]

I like the sport now more then ever.

[whiskey]

I'm still a big fan. I wouldn't say my interest has decreased, but it hasn't went up either.

It just depends on what's happening at the moment or the very near future.

I would say this though. The more you learn about boxing as a hard core fan, the more you will get cynical. The promoters, the networks, sanctioning bodies etc. just aren't respected anymore. After a while you can see through the bullshit and just hope that you're hearing the truth.

It's like listening to a politician talk about lowering taxes, balancing the budget and creating new jobs.

Meanwhile we know they're just going to do what serves them best financially.

[Joe King]

Well, we need some upset wins ASAP to make waves because it's the same guys on top.

[whiskey]

Well, we need some upset wins ASAP to make waves because it's the same guys on top.

Sometimes though the upset wins actually are "bad" depending on your perspective.

Wright-Mosley
Spinks-Mayorga

Those are a couple that come to mind. They destroyed much anticipated fights.

[Joe King]

Sometimes though the upset wins actually are "bad" depending on your perspective.

Wright-Mosley
Spinks-Mayorga

Those are a couple that come to mind. They destroyed much anticipated fights.


Yeah, you're right but look at how fast Pacquaio rose after destroying Barrera. It's the quickest way to make a new star, if they can keep delivering. Antonio Tarver BLEW his opportunity by fighting like a bitch.

[whiskey]

Yeah, you're right but look at how fast Pacquaio rose after destroying Barrera. It's the quickest way to make a new star, if they can keep delivering. Antonio Tarver BLEW his opportunity by fighting like a bitch.

True, Pacquiao is a great exception though.

Not often do upsets happen in boxing where the underdog is more exciting than the guy the beat. Most upsets seem to occur when a southpaw is involved.

Ban southpaws from boxing! :fightme::warning:

(except for Manny)

[The Cuban Hawk]

Sometimes though the upset wins actually are "bad" depending on your perspective.

Wright-Mosley
Spinks-Mayorga

Those are a couple that come to mind. They destroyed much anticipated fights.

Although I know what you're saying, upset wins should NEVER be considered "bad" by real boxing fans IMO.

The problem here isn't with the upsets happening, it's with fans being ungrateful.

Upsets should be the best things for the sport, and the bigger the better. Yet fans want to look ahead to certain fights and ignore others... and then when something interesting and shocking happens, they're actually disappointed. :dunno:

Can you imagine if Tyson's upset loss to Buster Douglas never happened, and Tyson went on to lose much less shockingly in a megafight with Holyfield? Can you imagine what a classic moment in sports history would've been lost?

People want there to be long reigning, dominant forces in the sport. But IMO, a lack thereof can sometimes make the sport more alive and interesting.

[whiskey]

Although I know what you're saying, upset wins should NEVER be considered "bad" by real boxing fans IMO.

The problem here isn't with the upsets happening, it's with fans being ungrateful.

Upsets should be the best things for the sport, and the bigger the better. Yet fans want to look ahead to certain fights and ignore others... and then when something interesting and shocking happens, they're actually disappointed. :dunno:

Can you imagine if Tyson's upset loss to Buster Douglas never happened, and Tyson went on to lose much less shockingly in a megafight with Holyfield? Can you imagine what a classic moment in sports history would've been lost?

People want there to be long reigning, dominant forces in the sport. But IMO, a lack thereof can sometimes make the sport more alive and interesting.


I see what you're saying. I don't disagree with the spirit of your post at all.

If all the outcomes were so easy to predict the sport really wouldn't be worth watching. If everything was decided on paper, there would be no reason to even have the fights. They could have just given the Patriots the Super Bowl last year and not bothering to play the game.

I just brought up a couple of examples of upsets that didn't "help" boxing.

I would have rather seen Trinidad-Mosley than Trinidad-Wright.

[REEDsART]

if at all? For me it's a huge drop. If my boxing interest started out at a 10, right about now I'm probably a 4. It started out about 4 years ago when I stopped my prescription and stopped reading Ring magazine and it's sister publications. Now lately I've gradually been missing so many big fights and don't even care. Most I have on DVD and keep telling myself I'm going to watch them but for a lot of those fights it's been over a year. For instance I haven't watched JMM-MAB or any of the Marquez-Vazquez fights just to name a small few on my long list.

The big fights I make sure I catch like Cotto-Mosley of course, but even that one I saw about 2 weeks late. The worst part is don't really care that I've lost interest in the sport, because I don't see much new talent coming along to replace the old and PPV sales are robbing fans blind.

As for my posting life, I probably spend 90% of it in TAA these days. Is anyone else going through a similar lack of interest in the sport?U & Beyond the Grave CONTINUE to Push this Agenda, but REED DOESN'T Get It...

1st of All, JMM-MAB was 1 of THE Better Fights of that Particular Year....2nd, Vazquez-Marquez it THE BEST Trilogy EVER...REED Would Suggest U Take the Next Day or 2 to Watch the Trilogy...If that DOESN'T Jazz your "Boxing Jones", then Perhaps U Should Question YOUR OWN Fandom...

Speaking of "New Talent", there's PLENTY Of it Out There...How about Kelly Pavlik, Andre Berto, David Haye, the Peterson Brothers, Abner Mares, Miguel Cotto...These R just a FEW Guys who's Futures R IN FRONT of them...It's Gonna B VERY Fun Watching their Careers Progress...

Manny Pac & Others R MAJOR Players N the Game, Despite Being on the TAIL END of their Primes...& Let's NOT Forget, 2008 is an OLYMPIC Year....

U Should Probably Look IN THE MIRROR for why your "Boxing Jones" is Falling, Cause the Sport Itself is a STRONG as it's EVER Been...U May have to Watch More LOWER Weight Fights than U're Accustomed to or Pay More Attention to NON American Fighters, but REED Honestly DOESN'T See a DECREASE N the Talent Pool...


REED:hammert:

[Mitchell Kane]

U & Beyond the Grave CONTINUE to Push this Agenda, but REED DOESN'T Get It...

1st of All, JMM-MAB was 1 of THE Better Fights of that Particular Year....2nd, Vazquez-Marquez it THE BEST Trilogy EVER...REED Would Suggest U Take the Next Day or 2 to Watch the Trilogy...If that DOESN'T Jazz your "Boxing Jones", then Perhaps U Should Question YOUR OWN Fandom...

Speaking of "New Talent", there's PLENTY Of it Out There...How about Kelly Pavlik, Andre Berto, David Haye, the Peterson Brothers, Abner Mares, Miguel Cotto...These R just a FEW Guys who's Futures R IN FRONT of them...It's Gonna B VERY Fun Watching their Careers Progress...

Manny Pac & Others R MAJOR Players N the Game, Despite Being on the TAIL END of their Primes...& Let's NOT Forget, 2008 is an OLYMPIC Year....

U Should Probably Look IN THE MIRROR for why your "Boxing Jones" is Falling, Cause the Sport Itself is a STRONG as it's EVER Been...U May have to Watch More LOWER Weight Fights than U're Accustomed to or Pay More Attention to NON American Fighters, but REED Honestly DOESN'T See a DECREASE N the Talent Pool...


REED:hammert:

The sport is as strong as it's ever been?

I look at all the names of boxers at or near the ends of their careers and wonder who exactly is going to fill their shoes.

Barrera, Morales, Corrales, Vargas, and Gatti (and maybe J.L. Castillo) all retired or had their careers ended in the past year or so, and even if some of them do try comebacks they don't figure to last long.

Hopkins, Mosley, Trinidad and Jones all figure to be on the next train leaving the station.

De La Hoya and Calzaghe may or may not be in the last years of their career, but they may both likely be retired by the end of '09.

Even younger stars like Hatton and Mayweather seem to be beyond just comprehending their lives after boxing.

That list of names has headlined most of the big events of the past decade.

There isn't a whole lot of names outside of them that's recieved much exposure...be it on Boxing After Dark, World Championship Boxing, or Pay Per View.

Berto and Mares have received some HBO exposure, Linares as well. A few weeks ago Gary Shaw got Angulo and Kirkland some more air time...but that needs to be done much more regularly...and it can't just be fighters signed to Gary Shaw, Golden Boy, Shelly Finkel and Al Haymon.

Ponce De Leon-Lopez is a quality match-up. Witherspoon-Arreola is a decent prospect match-up that at least has some new blood in it, though there are certainly candidates for TV exposure than them...heavyweight or not.

[Tam Tam]

Whoever said the sport is as strong as it's ever been, is just simply wrong.

[Tyler Durden]

Whoever said the sport is as strong as it's ever been, is just simply wrong.

:bears:

[Joe King]

Whoever said the sport is as strong as it's ever been, is just simply wrong.


All the biggest possible mainstream matchups *cough* DLH vs PBF*cough have been made.


Unless they actually pull out Pacquaio to fight DLH, but even then, I don't think it even out does DLH vs PBF 2

Maybe they can throw Tyson vs DLH on the mainstream :lol:but that's pretty much it from a massive media appeal standpoint.

[mexican wedding shirt]

Whoever said the sport is as strong as it's ever been, is just simply wrong.

I said the last 2 years have been great, as good as they have been since I've been a fan. That's beyond doubt.

I shall say this though, there have been some VERY notable exceptions like Morales, Pacman, Corrales, even say Mosley to some extent - that get in the ring and fight, and fight to win. And fight anyone.

But the thing that bothers me about boxing more than the bullshit decisions, more than the politics and the general bullshit - is the trend of fighters fighting not to lose, rather than fighting to win.

Back say in the Fab 4 era, and even up until the mid 90's, fighters tended to just get in the ring and go for it, and fight.

Now though, for whatever reason things have changed.

Partly because a loss is worse now than it was then, a hyped fighter loses and he's done, and has a lot of work to do in order to redeem himself.

And partly because of the large amounts of money at stake. They are not so much fighting not to lose against the opponent, they are fighting not to lose that next big payday, protecting future paydays.

That's the thing that bothers me the most as a fan, I fucking hate safety first fighters.

And I'm not saying fighters should be face first bums either like gatti, they can have world class skill and ability, but just fight.

[salaco]

One of the problems, from this fan's perspective, has been the increasing tendency and license for older and diminishing boxing "stars" to clog TV dates with fights against each other or against lesser fighters from lower weight classes, in an exercise of diminishing returns in terms of entertainment and revenue. Its totally understandable, but it results IMO in fewer matchups between younger contenders / undefeated prospects because there are fewer tv dates/money and therefore, the risk becomes not worth it, and its harder to create new names. That, plus world class fighters only fighting 1-2 times a year.

[steve_dave]

My hands used to shake before big fights that I really cared about. I don't get that anymore... but I'm still as in to boxing as ever.

[steve_dave]

Although I know what you're saying, upset wins should NEVER be considered "bad" by real boxing fans IMO.

The problem here isn't with the upsets happening, it's with fans being ungrateful.

Upsets should be the best things for the sport, and the bigger the better. Yet fans want to look ahead to certain fights and ignore others... and then when something interesting and shocking happens, they're actually disappointed. :dunno:

Can you imagine if Tyson's upset loss to Buster Douglas never happened, and Tyson went on to lose much less shockingly in a megafight with Holyfield? Can you imagine what a classic moment in sports history would've been lost?

People want there to be long reigning, dominant forces in the sport. But IMO, a lack thereof can sometimes make the sport more alive and interesting.

I would trade in my copy of Tyson/Douglas for a nice, shiny new DVD of Tyson/Holyfield in 1990. :nono:

[Hanz]

Boxing is dead IMO. I used to be obsessed with it, recording everything from FNF to Tuesday Night Fights to every ppv, etc. I was on the General Discussion forum every day for 3-4 hours, just talking boxing. This was only as recently as 2003 or so. My interest has declined so much that now I could give barely a crap about any boxer out there nor do I want to even visit this section of the board anymore.
Crap like Pretty Bitch Jr and shot old boring fighters like Hopkins or boring fighters period like Slappy Calzaghe don't interest me at all. They're about as charismatic as Ruiz. Pretty much killed the sport in my view. And there's nobody coming up either. The sport is missing the warriors of yesteryear. Boxers who actually fight because they like to fight rather than some boring safety-first tip tap sh*t for 12 rounds like what Pretty Bitch Jr and Hopkins do.
DLH's an old fart, Mosley's done, Wright's finished, hell there's no heavyweight out there with any real balls, they're just taking whatever fight that pays the most.
It's upsetting really. Seeing the death of a once great sport right before my eyes.
Tam Tam says it's a cycle with ups and downs. Well it's down and going even more down. And there's no sign of an up anytime soon.

[royyjonesjrp4pno1]

Boxing is dead IMO. I used to be obsessed with it, recording everything from FNF to Tuesday Night Fights to every ppv, etc. I was on the General Discussion forum every day for 3-4 hours, just talking boxing. This was only as recently as 2003 or so. My interest has declined so much that now I could give barely a crap about any boxer out there nor do I want to even visit this section of the board anymore.
Crap like Pretty Bitch Jr and shot old boring fighters like Hopkins or boring fighters period like Slappy Calzaghe don't interest me at all. They're about as charismatic as Ruiz. Pretty much killed the sport in my view. And there's nobody coming up either. The sport is missing the warriors of yesteryear. Boxers who actually fight because they like to fight rather than some boring safety-first tip tap sh*t for 12 rounds like what Pretty Bitch Jr and Hopkins do.
DLH's an old fart, Mosley's done, Wright's finished, hell there's no heavyweight out there with any real balls, they're just taking whatever fight that pays the most.
It's upsetting really. Seeing the death of a once great sport right before my eyes.
Tam Tam says it's a cycle with ups and downs. Well it's down and going even more down. And there's no sign of an up anytime soon.
Ive been a hardcore fan since the late 90's.

I still remember seeing the boxing schedule for the fall of 2007. It was the best schedule i can ever remember seeing since i become a fan.

Hanz, you really put too much emphasis on stars. Fighters don't have to be huge stars to be exciting fighters. There are alot of up and coming fighters that are very exciting. The HBO triple header featuring prospects was a great card.

Young fighters coming up right now
Katsidis, Juan Diaz, David Haye, Miguel Cotto, Tim Bradley, Devon Alexander, Amir Khan, Gamboa, Kirkland, Angulo, JCC Jr. I probably missed some fighters out but thats alot of up and coming talent.

[Hanz]

Ive been a hardcore fan since the late 90's.

I still remember seeing the boxing schedule for the fall of 2007. It was the best schedule i can ever remember seeing since i become a fan.

Hanz, you really put too much emphasis on stars. Fighters don't have to be huge stars to be exciting fighters. There are alot of up and coming fighters that are very exciting. The HBO triple header featuring prospects was a great card.

Young fighters coming up right now
Katsidis, Juan Diaz, David Haye, Miguel Cotto, Tim Bradley, Devon Alexander, Amir Khan, Gamboa, Kirkland, Angulo, JCC Jr. I probably missed some fighters out but thats alot of up and coming talent.

Well I'm looking forward to Cotto/Margarito so not all hope is lost...yet.:lol:

[Hanz]

Ive been a hardcore fan since the late 90's.

I still remember seeing the boxing schedule for the fall of 2007. It was the best schedule i can ever remember seeing since i become a fan.

Hanz, you really put too much emphasis on stars. Fighters don't have to be huge stars to be exciting fighters. There are alot of up and coming fighters that are very exciting. The HBO triple header featuring prospects was a great card.

Young fighters coming up right now
Katsidis, Juan Diaz, David Haye, Miguel Cotto, Tim Bradley, Devon Alexander, Amir Khan, Gamboa, Kirkland, Angulo, JCC Jr. I probably missed some fighters out but thats alot of up and coming talent.

Surprising Hatton didn't see that left hand coming from Collazo in your sig.

[El Terible]

I blame PPV's.........not everyone wants to drop 50 for a suspect card....


Back in the day.....it was just the ELITE Fighters on PPV.....Tyson, Holy, Oscar.......now everyone is PPV?? Bullshit. HBO fell off in a huge way. I miss USA Tuesday Night Fights from the Blue Horizon/

[Joe King]

Other than Cotto/Margarito or Cotto/Margarito winner vs PBF, I don't think there is any fight I'd pay for on PPV.

[TFK]

I blame PPV's.........not everyone wants to drop 50 for a suspect card....


Back in the day.....it was just the ELITE Fighters on PPV.....Tyson, Holy, Oscar.......now everyone is PPV?? Bullshit. HBO fell off in a huge way. I miss USA Tuesday Night Fights from the Blue Horizon/


Exactly.

I'm still a boxing fan, but nowhere near what I used to be. And it's a combination of things. I was a big fan of Tuesday Night Fights, as it was always a good mix of up and comers, and down and outers, with an occasional big name thrown in for good measure. What Foreman in his comeback, Vinny Paz's miraculous comeback, Tracy Paterson winning the belt, Tyrone Trice calling out James Toney, Bowe and Mercer almost coming to blows in an interview, The Bowe\Tillery fiasco...it was always entertaining.

These days, fights not good enough to headline TNF are PPV's. The oversaturation of PPV has really hurt the sport. It may have made millionaires out of a few, but at the expense of many.

Plus, undercards have been notoriously weak. PPV's used to have several compelling bouts, that just doesn't happen anymore.

And of course there's been the usual arguments...too many sanctioning bodies, too many weight classes, not enough good heavies, etc, etc, etc.

Boxing has been on an upswing the past year or so, but there is still much work to be done.

TFK

[Mitchell Kane]

I blame PPV's.........not everyone wants to drop 50 for a suspect card....


Back in the day.....it was just the ELITE Fighters on PPV.....Tyson, Holy, Oscar.......now everyone is PPV?? Bullshit. HBO fell off in a huge way. I miss USA Tuesday Night Fights from the Blue Horizon/

The problem with boxing today is most of the dedicated fans - the one's that have followed it for years - still remember the better days, when pay per view was rare and when you did have them you used to get twice the card for almost half the price.

Pay per view cards were events. Even the lower priced Top Rank cards usually had some pretty stacked bout sheets. You knew you were getting about 3 hours of real fights.

But promoters really got greedy and now you're just paying for 1-2 fights now on a card, with only 3-4 fights total...and often there's at least one or two really bad ones...often a four-rounder...something that's really cheapened ppv.

It wasn't just for Olympians/former amateur stars, but also "attractions" like a JCC Jr. blowout, or Butterbean sideshow (both thanks to Bob Arum).

And women's fights also explosed after Christy Martin-Diedre Gogerty got bloody on the Tyson-Bruno II card and King ran with it...as Arum did with miss "Playboy Pink".

It's to the point now where a ppv with 2-3 real fights gets talked about like it's the second coming of The Rematches.

Top Rank does consistently seem to have better overall pay per view line-ups, but that's in comparison to what else is being offered. When Don King does have a ppv these days, it may have a fuller card than some others, but it's often quantity over quality. Golden Boy had a pretty good card with Barrera-Juarez II...until MAB ruined the ending (:lol:) but some of their other line-ups are rather pedestrian.

[lb 4 lb]

I said the last 2 years have been great, as good as they have been since I've been a fan. That's beyond doubt.

I shall say this though, there have been some VERY notable exceptions like Morales, Pacman, Corrales, even say Mosley to some extent - that get in the ring and fight, and fight to win. And fight anyone.

But the thing that bothers me about boxing more than the bullshit decisions, more than the politics and the general bullshit - is the trend of fighters fighting not to lose, rather than fighting to win.

Back say in the Fab 4 era, and even up until the mid 90's, fighters tended to just get in the ring and go for it, and fight.

Now though, for whatever reason things have changed.

Partly because a loss is worse now than it was then, a hyped fighter loses and he's done, and has a lot of work to do in order to redeem himself.

And partly because of the large amounts of money at stake. They are not so much fighting not to lose against the opponent, they are fighting not to lose that next big payday, protecting future paydays.

That's the thing that bothers me the most as a fan, I fucking hate safety first fighters.

And I'm not saying fighters should be face first bums either like gatti, they can have world class skill and ability, but just fight.I agree that is a big killer right there. I think the emergence and success of safety first guys like Floyd & RJJ actually wound up hurting the sport because a lot of the black fighters that followed them wound up trying to emulate them, and it seems to have made them soft. Berto's an exception who seems willing to fight but lot's of other black fighters seem to be more safety first guys. Very few american boxers seem to be willing to be like a Hagler or Duran and have the intention of coming in to just flat out destroy their opposition.

The decline of boxing gyms in america is another and likely bigger reason I think we have no great fighters coming up now. These 2 reasons are why latino and foreign fight cards seem to be doing better at drawing fans for the fighters and the fights.

Over the years many a boxing writer or hater has written how the sport is dying or on it's last leg and all those times they have been wrong. It's this fact that has so many of us in denial that boxing right now is on it's last leg. Because we think since they were wrong then they're wrong now but that isn't necessarily the case. Boxing can die, it won't happen right away, but each era will get significantly weaker than the one before it and the next era coming up I may not even be a witness to, because it does look pretty weak.

[TFK]

But the thing that bothers me about boxing more than the bullshit decisions, more than the politics and the general bullshit - is the trend of fighters fighting not to lose, rather than fighting to win.




That's why I've always said there should be a winner's purse, and a loser's purse. Or at the very least, a bonus system like UFC has. Give everyone an incentive to win.

TFK

[KaukipRrr]

:boohoo: Cotto - Margarito,.. is the only fight, probably in the whole year that I'll take an interest in,.. I wish De La Hoya and Fraud were both literally dead,.. Mosely was going to fight a bum, now he'll do nothing, Kessler will fight a soft German, Clottey will fight a bum, Pavlik will fight two scrubs in a row, Calzaghe will face a shot Roy, Taylor will fight damaged goods, Hatton is damaged goods facing the quintessential paper-belt holder next, Wlad will fight mandatories, and I dont give a fuck about midgets,.. so really,.. there's zilch to look forward to this year, the sport is filled with mismatches, all that's left is to hope a fighter I hate or who I think is severely overrated, gets a shock beat-down, someone like David Haye would do just nicely.

[Tyler Durden]

Boxing is dead IMO. I used to be obsessed with it, recording everything from FNF to Tuesday Night Fights to every ppv, etc. I was on the General Discussion forum every day for 3-4 hours, just talking boxing. This was only as recently as 2003 or so. My interest has declined so much that now I could give barely a crap about any boxer out there nor do I want to even visit this section of the board anymore.
Crap like Pretty Bitch Jr and shot old boring fighters like Hopkins or boring fighters period like Slappy Calzaghe don't interest me at all. They're about as charismatic as Ruiz. Pretty much killed the sport in my view. And there's nobody coming up either. The sport is missing the warriors of yesteryear. Boxers who actually fight because they like to fight rather than some boring safety-first tip tap sh*t for 12 rounds like what Pretty Bitch Jr and Hopkins do.
DLH's an old fart, Mosley's done, Wright's finished, hell there's no heavyweight out there with any real balls, they're just taking whatever fight that pays the most.
It's upsetting really. Seeing the death of a once great sport right before my eyes.
Tam Tam says it's a cycle with ups and downs. Well it's down and going even more down. And there's no sign of an up anytime soon.

Exactly, there are many of us here that feel this way. Some magic was lost and I have read other old-timers as myself share the same thoughts I feel. It cannot be denied it is not the same. There have been ups and downs but this is something different. If you think it is the same feel, you are probably pretty young or extremely stupid.

[Double L]

U & Beyond the Grave CONTINUE to Push this Agenda, but REED DOESN'T Get It...

1st of All, JMM-MAB was 1 of THE Better Fights of that Particular Year....2nd, Vazquez-Marquez it THE BEST Trilogy EVER...REED Would Suggest U Take the Next Day or 2 to Watch the Trilogy...If that DOESN'T Jazz your "Boxing Jones", then Perhaps U Should Question YOUR OWN Fandom...

Speaking of "New Talent", there's PLENTY Of it Out There...How about Kelly Pavlik, Andre Berto, David Haye, the Peterson Brothers, Abner Mares, Miguel Cotto...These R just a FEW Guys who's Futures R IN FRONT of them...It's Gonna B VERY Fun Watching their Careers Progress...

Manny Pac & Others R MAJOR Players N the Game, Despite Being on the TAIL END of their Primes...& Let's NOT Forget, 2008 is an OLYMPIC Year....

U Should Probably Look IN THE MIRROR for why your "Boxing Jones" is Falling, Cause the Sport Itself is a STRONG as it's EVER Been...U May have to Watch More LOWER Weight Fights than U're Accustomed to or Pay More Attention to NON American Fighters, but REED Honestly DOESN'T See a DECREASE N the Talent Pool...


REED:hammert:

Amen !!!!!

[Mean Mr Mustard]

1998 Boxers with more-than-hardcore popularity
Lennox Lewis
Evander Holyfield
Roy Jones Jr
Chris Eubank
Bernard Hopkins
Oscar de La Hoya
Felix Trinidad
Pernell Whitaker
Arturo Gatti
Naseem Hamed

2008 Boxers with more-than-hardcore popularity
Joe Calzaghe
Oscar de La Hoya
Floyd Mayweather
Ricky Hatton
Manny Pacquiao

[mikE]

On the March 5th, 2008 Broadway boxing show, Brian Adams said that the NY golden gloves had the largest number of boxers participating since 1978.

[holler]

I used to watch FNF religiously, not so much anymore. All the fighters who got me into boxing are on their way out and with the exception of a few boxers there hasn't really been anybody who has shown that true STAR power.

Boxing really needs some CHARISMA in the sport. Floyd has the skills but he lacks that charisma to really get people excited about boxing (unless he's making it rain with dollar bills :lol:).

It sucks when future "stars" like Dawson are stuttering retards or eastern europeans (:stir:). David Haye IMO has the potential to be a huge star, but that long ass neck makes me think that his chin is a liability.

[D MAN]

I'm probably like a 6 or 7 out of 10 compared to what i was at the peak in the ealry 00's

But I think it can and will come back, I've just been busy alot lately and haven't had a chance to watch some of the big fights. All it takes it literally 1 or 2 blistering KO's for people to get all excited about the sport again. We just need a bit more excitement in the heavyweight.. for example seeing David Haye get put to sleep HARD should wake everyone up a bit.

Also keep in mind that since I've been posting (10 yrs) this thread comes up every spring / early summer, because it is the "slow season" for boxing.

[KaukipRrr]

I'm probably like a 6 or 7 out of 10 compared to what i was at the peak in the ealry 00's

But I think it can and will come back, I've just been busy alot lately and haven't had a chance to watch some of the big fights. All it takes it literally 1 or 2 blistering KO's for people to get all excited about the sport again. We just need a bit more excitement in the heavyweight.. for example seeing David Haye get put to sleep HARD should wake everyone up a bit.

Also keep in mind that since I've been posting (10 yrs) this thread comes up every spring / early summer, because it is the "slow season" for boxing.

:laughing: , it would,.. reason being this guy has always had way way way too much hype attributed to him, even when he turned pro, the British were screaming horse about his immortality, he was a flourescent tick in every option when it pertained to the stimulus of sensationalism, then ofcourse little Carl bunyip Thompson made it all go quiet for a little while, now the chin of Enzo Macarinelli is reknewed, and the electrodes taste of resserection, it's back to business as far as the barmy army are concerned,..the combination of scorn on the heavyweight division times the way we know the British like to hype up thier sports stars, the next Haye bust should be a ball of tears whistles and hoots.

I'd rank him 4th,.. behind Floyd, Calzaghe and Wlad, in terms of the drama that would proceed a defeat.

[boxingnotboxers]

It waxes and wanes...I'm actually pretty high on it right now, despite my online time dropping (work comes first). Mainly because I'm actually a true follower of a fighter for the first time in over a decade (Paul Williams) so that can keep me going for a while even if he can't become an elite fighter. Otherwise, I actually get pleasure out of telling people I'm a boxing fan, then they mention mainstream fights (hell sometimes a random TNF from years back!) and I try to expand their horizons. It usually fizzles out, but I use that as my guage of how interested I remain in boxing. There have been points when I refuse to engage those same people in any boxing discussion; those are my low-interest points.