Heavyweight Boxing Embarrassment

[David Johnson]

Can things get any worse in British heavyweight boxing?

In the last few years we have had Audley Harrison. I had the misfortune to watch one of his "fights" down the pub and he gave the impression that he thought boxing was not a contact sport.

Then we had David Haye, who talked the trash talk. Got a Tshirt I think in which he was depicted holding the dripping, decapitated head of Klitschko. Haye ended up getting a right pasting by Klitschko and promptly "retired".

And now we have Chisora, who slapped and I mean slapped, Klitschko across the face at the weigh in, promptly lost comprehensively on points to Klitschko and then has a punch-up with David Haye (don't ask) at the post- fight press conference.

Embarrassing or what?

Bring back our 'Enry.

[RoddersUK]

Sorry but they are all Neanderthals and and there is no such thing as the "Noble Art". I was forced to box at an early age and in the Army and have nothing but contempt for it, the people who indulge it and the bloodthirsty morons who support it.

[max_tranmere]

I've never understood how boxing wasn't abolished when all the other barbaric, savage, voyeristic 'sports' were done away with years ago. To watch while two men beat the hell out of each other, and if one knocks the other one out you are supposed to cheer with joy, is something I don't think has a place in modern society. The aim of the 'sport' is to punch your opponent's head until he loses conciousness - and when he does the crowd leap out of their seats with joy! How do we have such a thing in modern society?

[Deuce Bigolo]

Boxing is little more than a con mans paradise and has been for decades

When you consider how many different organsiations are trying to run it
Its a circus with no credibility

What really gets me is the guy holding the title can go eons without accepting a fight and when he does he picks someone for 2 reasons

1. they have the cash
2. he thinks he can beat them or if its his last fight it will generate a bigger purse

Nothing to do with putting on a spectacle for the fans

Everything to do with lining their own pockets and the pockets of their parasite entourage

[william]

Aint that what sport is all about now ? money ?

Look at foot ball and the fact that the clubs are all fucked through paying out more than they can afford ? The sponserships the clothes for fuck sakes man a home shirt and away shirt a training shirt how many fucking shirts do they need ?

Its all calculated to get as much revenue generated - buy a shirt thats been made in some sweat shop in the far east for pennies ? Yeah right.

Football nowadays - yep pass me that toothpick as id rather stick toothpicks in me eyes than watch that shite.

Boxing ? if you went up and did that in the street then you would be lifted and probably charged and end up doing time so get in a ring and dress it up and suddenly its a sport. A game of cunning and skill ? tradition and wait gonna no talk shite its barbaric dangerous and incites the idea that violence is okay in the right circumstances whats the difference between the street and the ring ?

Should have been stopped ages ago.

[David Johnson]

I agree with the vast majority of what is written here. I wouldn't dream of buying a ticket for a fight but I have watched a few largely because I happened to be in a pub at the time and they had Sky on.

I am in two minds really. Olympic boxing with people using headguards seems much more a sport than the brutal bullshit you see around and in professional fights. Amateur fights seem to be much shorter.

You are right that professional heavyweight boxing is still tainted with the gangster thing back from the time of Brando in On the Waterfront "I coulda been a contender" through to people who no-one appeared to know initially, handling the score cards in the last fight that Amir Khan was involved in.

On the other hand, anyone who has been in a town on Friday and Saturday night would see that there are a lot of kids who are into having a punchup. If some of that aggression could be channelled instead into training and fighting in a gym, all to the good.

The problem with that is that Chisora and Hayes are a piss poor advert for boxing being a good discipline. Hopefully they will get suspended for a long, long time.

[tuf766]

Staged to get the public interested in boxing again.

[Arginald Valleywater]

Seriously these guys are not boxers, jsut pretty boys who wouldn't have been allowed to spar with Ali and his compatriots. WWF is more realistic than modern heavyweight boxing.

[MHPoppy]

Yeah, saw the video. He went berserk. Total embarrassment.

[bernard72]

I remember when boxing was on mainstream tv.
I think ITV made a full Saturday night out of it. Hearns,Hagler, Durran and Minter. Bomber Graham, Kirklen Lang,Really great fighters.
Never did like the heavyweights but the guys above and then in later years Bank, Watson,Eubank and Collins. But in reason years it seems boxers had to talk shite and act like pricks to sell a fight.
For me it was a great nights TV. Ok most on here are not fans of boxing but it wasn't always dominated by dicks like Haye & Chisora.