A sport like no other?

In analyzing boxing more closely, I've come to a few conclusions:

1.) It has skills that are virtually unmeasurable that can make a huge difference in a persons performance. For instance, George Foreman was and still is by and large an oaf, yet because he can hit like a freight train, it really doesn't/didn't matter.

2.) Focus, drive, and determination seem to be a lot larger part of this sport and its athletes than any other. What I mean by this is, while the top tier fighters throughout history have certainly been talented, I can guarantee there were millions along the way with better natural talent that never reached anywhere near the same level.

3.) And last but not least, for as being depicted as brutal and ape-like in nature, boxing is easily one of the most mental sports I have yet to encounter. It may not take a rocket scientist to be a fighter, but there's a certain level of mental prowess that allows a person to draw on retained information instanteously in the face of intense physical trauma.

Feel free to talk about these points in more detail and add on to them as you see fit, because as a fan of the sport and someone who will be participating within the next week, one of my goals is to get as firm a grasp on the sweet science as possible.

In something as simple sounding as 2 people wanting to bash each other in with their fists until one is declared the victor, it certainly is a bit more complex, isn't it. It seems the more you learn, the more there is to learn.

Atleast that is what I am finding.

Good posts, and dead on the money. It's funny how talent and skill only seem to go so far in the sport - a lot of times it's the intangibles that decide the winner.

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Originally Posted by Youngblood

In something as simple sounding as 2 people wanting to bash each other in with their fists until one is declared the victor, it certainly is a bit more complex, isn't it. It seems the more you learn, the more there is to learn.

Atleast that is what I am finding.

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Thats exactly what I am finding. It is the finest sport on the planet and has a long history (especially if you go into the bareknuckle days) and therefore leaves us with lots of people to look up to and study the styles of. I have a book where a few former champions are interviewed and give their diet and training regime details and I like to look and compare their regimes compared to each others success. I've made my own training regime based around this and have stuck to it for the last 18 months and must admit I have never felt as Healthy/Strong as I do at the minute.

Thank God for Boxing

What stands as a testament to the mental and determination aspects of the sport to me is how you can really make anyone a fighter. Maybe not pro, hell maybe not even a good amateur, but you can make anyone at the very least competitive. Short, tall, wide, thin, long arms, short arms, anyone and everyone has been proven capable of success with the right approach and enough drive.

I've also always thought that the popularity of boxing is a great testament to the quality of a culture as a whole. Being that boxing is full of so many intricacies and mental nuances, I believe it's a good measuring stick for what culture as a whole values. Back in the late 50s through the 60s, when American culture as a whole was more focused on the intellectual issues of the day, boxing was at its peak. Nowadays, when reality tv rules the roost, boxing has waned, and I honestly don't believe it has as much to do with the weakness of the heavyweight division as it is that, by and large, people just don't have the patience or interest in being entertained by anything more than mindless muck and unintelligent dribble. Maybe when people start waking up to the value of brain power we'll start to see a resurgent in the mainstream interest of the sport as a whole, well... at least I hope so.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Cosell

I've also always thought that the popularity of boxing is a great testament to the quality of a culture as a whole. Being that boxing is full of so many intricacies and mental nuances, I believe it's a good measuring stick for what culture as a whole values. Back in the late 50s through the 60s, when American culture as a whole was more focused on the intellectual issues of the day, boxing was at its peak. Nowadays, when reality tv rules the roost, boxing has waned, and I honestly don't believe it has as much to do with the weakness of the heavyweight division as it is that, by and large, people just don't have the patience or interest in being entertained by anything more than mindless muck and unintelligent dribble. Maybe when people start waking up to the value of brain power we'll start to see a resurgent in the mainstream interest of the sport as a whole, well... at least I hope so.

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I think that the resurgence has already begun personally. Boxing is on its way back. Fuck that reality TV shit.