and he's right about the money-I'm sure ALL fighters have wanted the money BUT also to be the best to build a reputation and so on. But you got guys coming straight out saying, I'll have 30 fights, earn x amount and quit. The drive ain't the same.
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and he's right about the money-I'm sure ALL fighters have wanted the money BUT also to be the best to build a reputation and so on. But you got guys coming straight out saying, I'll have 30 fights, earn x amount and quit. The drive ain't the same.
Sorry, I was in a fucked up mood yesterday mate, so I kind of just snapped at you on the real boxing comment (which I'll still stand by not being your brightest moment) & went off on one. In all honesty having read through what you've said today properly that was the only bit I disagreed on. My bad man :-\
I wasn't really making my point well. The training instruction given at a club level in the amateurs is fantastic imo & it is generally amateur trainers who create great fighters. Pro trainers just get to either refine them/fuck them up/make absolutely no difference. As much as we want to praise the likes of Roach & Steward, most fighters come into the pros as they were in the amateurs. I believe it's no coincidence that the fighters we identify as having the most craft (Floyd, B-Hop, JMM & Ward) are all still around those who first taught them the art of boxing (admittedly Nard swapped Bouie Fisher for his protege Naz, but still close enough).
Now what I was trying to say was that the system employed by AIBA has discouraged skillful boxing of the type previously seen in the ams. The Americans particularly, us & even the Cubans have all been fucked over by this. This has encouraged two styles of fighting. If you've seen amateur footage of guys like Ward & DeGale fighting at domestic contrasting international, you'd believe in both cases that they were completely different fighters. They've brought in some new rules that will hopefully mean bodywork & jabs count, but I've little hope.
Anyway the point I struggled to make in my punch-drunk haze was that amateur boxing isn't the problem & there are some really excellent boxers & clubs out there. However, the politics both internationally & domestically & the scoring system are ensuring that we don't always get the best getting through & boxers aren't always able to learn in a way to make them more well-rounded pros. Hope that makes more sense than my late night ramblings ;)
Jaz, I never got round to telling you how much I agree with you.
Well, I did, but you missed it the first time round ;D Seriously, very good post. Think it left me thinking to such a degree that I completely forgot to respond! :D
i got bored after about a minute of listening to him rattle on
That just about sums you up ;)