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I watched and was very embarrassed by the boos for the British National Anthem that took place pre Cotto vs Jennings.
I live in Puerto Rico and myself and many others here were very disappointed with the behavior of the fans in MSG. We've had our national anthem booed and made fun of many times, and no one here appreciates it.
Boxing is a brutal sport, but I wish fans would show more class and respect to the sport, the fighters and to their respective countries.
Good post, I have to say I was surprised that a bigger deal wasn't made about it, mainly because there was a much bigger fuss (& quite rightly) made because of the Hatton-Mayweather fight & the Hatton fans' behaviour. With the British fans, its a kind of crossover from what they do at football matches, usually the only ones doing it. What these fools booing don't realize is that not showing this respect could have an impact on how the fight goes as it could drive the other fighter harder (as I think it would if its done to Pacquiao) or it could influence the referee against their fighter.
Will agree with CFH below, I wouldn't mind the anthems being done away with
Am I the only person who doesn't think it's a really big deal? 99% of the time, the boos are aimed at the fighter, not the country he is from (what beef could Puerto Ricans have with the modern British?). And even if they are directed at the country, so what? People are allowed to express themselves.
The singing of national anthems at professional sporting events annoys me anyways, I wouldn't mind in the least if they disappear from them entirely.
Maybe I'm hypersensitive, but I think it's very disrespectful to boo at other national anthems. Very dissapointed in that.
I won't defend the booing but it was probably in retalliation from the Hatton fans booing Mayweathers (the US) National Anthem. Two wrongs don't make a right, but I can tell you that if I were drunk and had the opportunity to hear my "boo's" heard on national TV in retalliation, then i would ;D..
To be honest, i've never heard a national anthem boo'd until the mayweather/hatton fight. I don't want to hear that they're booing the fighter. It is the COUNTRIES national anthem. It's about sportsmanship. The boo's should take place when the fighter is walking towards the ring, and/or when his name/record is being announced. That is the time to boo the fighter for personal reasons. Not the country he is from.
But were all those fans American or consider themselves American? It's not Jennings fault that many Hatton fans are fine troop of drunken imbeciles barely capable of doing anything constructive to the wider world or even themselves. If someone wanted to retaliate they should of at least done it to Hatton at the Malignaggi fight.Quote:
Originally Posted by RP33
It was just a thought.. as i said i'm not really defending it, but i can understand if it happened because i was irritated when they boo'd the US anthem.Quote:
Originally Posted by JazMerkinBut were all those fans American or consider themselves American? It's not Jennings fault that many Hatton fans are fine troop of drunken imbeciles barely capable of doing anything constructive to the wider world or even themselves. If someone wanted to retaliate they should of at least done it to Hatton at the Malignaggi fight.Quote:
Originally Posted by RP33
As far as who's fault it is, that would fall under guilty by association.
I honestly get sick to my stomach everytime a nation's anthem is booed. You can boo a fighter but to boo their country is just disrespectful.
Booing the Anthems is bad. But They should be done away with in boxing IMO.Whats the point. I mean how many boxers really want to be world champions for the bragging rights for there country, there fighting for there own glory really. Wich is what it's all about.
Yeah, I don't understand the booing either. The fans can wait to boo the fighter when he's introduced. At the very least, a boxing fan has to respect a fighter for being brave enough to get in the ring even if you hope he loses when he gets in there.
Ditto.Quote:
Originally Posted by C-Lo
Same here it is disrespectful.
You are there to watch both fighters and will appreciate both of them and their country for having produced such good fighters to give you a good show.
Well, I am British, and I'd probably boo the anthem if Audley Harrison was fighting. I'd also boo the ringcard girls, the referee, both corners, the TV coverage and the bar staff. ;D
I agree that there isn't reallt a place for the anthems in boxing, which is an individualistic sport where it doen't really matter where you're from (in the pros anyway).
They only whip up nationalistic fervour to sell tickets and - at the start of the fight - they've sold all the tickets and PPV that they are going to. ... so there seems little point continuing the charade.
I do think anthems should be played in genuinely representative sports, like rugby union for example.
didn't know that... hate any booing i i'm honest... i remember being at the hatton philips fight and witter was on the undercard :o
he got booed to fuck i thought it was totally classless
but i did laugh when in they all sang witter witter he likes it up the shitter :-X
thought it was totally over the top, not the booing but having to listen to those fkin national athems in the first place wot a load of bollocks. makes sense in a football match or rugby but why the fk with boxers? didnt they play the american anthem as well?
;D couldnt of been sang to a better personQuote:
Originally Posted by Saddo
oh better also say i think booing a national anthem is pathetic, but nothing compared to whistling & jeering at a minutes silence in football games, thats much worse.
I was going to say this fight when I've seen the main post.Quote:
Originally Posted by RP33
Also if you really think about it. What happens when you get a guy like Lennox Lewis again? Do you play the British,Canadian,and Jamaican national anthems? It's pointless if you ask me too.
This is a pet peeve,I think its pretty chitty and uncalled for.Boxing is a wide international sport bringing fighters from every walk of life and many nations together.In some cases,the hopes and focus.....rightfully or wrongfully....of a country can be piled onto a fighters shoulders.....they enter under the flag and respect and common courtesy are not too much to ask for.No matter If its In England,Germany or the States....Or New York.Check out An introduction and anthem over in Japan,you can hear a pin drop!
Its just classless,if you represent and vocalize support for a favorite fighter....try cheering louder or at least reserving your negative vibes for the moment the fighter in introduced by the MC....not during the National Anthem.Save that silly shite and buy a ticket to attend a WWE wrestling match .
I dont really care if they run a national anthem or not,but if they are running it,there's no reason to boo it unless your a total a-hole
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Originally Posted by Spicoli surfs 'Nawlins
great post
When England play a game of football the social standings come into play and more often than not a french/german/australian anthem will get booed. However head to twickenham for a game of rugby and you wont hear a single jeer amongst the 80 odd thousand in attendance.
Its no defence for the morons that did boo the stars and stripes but it was like 10-11pm on a saturday night out in vegas and im pretty sure the majority of those that did do it did it to try and get a reaction out of mayweather which sadly didnt come.
But booing your hosts national anthem is pretty much the equivelant of wiping your arse on their flag and i sincerely hope the americans in attendance that night dont tarnish us all with the same brush.
why does it bother people that they booed? Now if they booed the US national anthem for keeping us all waiting I could understand that.
Daft thing is once one side starts it off the other side kicks in, either because it the football terrance mentality or because like me, you find the whole thing ridiculous in the first place. Playground stuff. You boo me I boo you. :confused:
I refuse to stand for national anthems. Don't take it that I hate you or your country because I don't stand for my own. I consider it to be making a point. If I stood to because its convention then I become one of the sheep I complain about. Or it could just be I'm too lazy to get back up after I've gotten comfy;D
I think it's pretty bad/idiotic/juvenile.
Although the moronic Puerto rican/Americans were at least at HOME.
The moronic Hatton fans were STUPID beyond belief - Their man was fighting an American, in America, with THREE American judges and an American based/living ref. Unbelievable. :beat:
I don't see the big deal. It is disrespectful, but it isn't something I can get upset about. Personally I would never boo an anthem, but if others choose to do so then so be it. I'm not one for anthems at fights anyway. It isn't a case of "us" against "them".
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Originally Posted by Fenster
:scratchchin: maybe the Khan fans can boo Barrera. That would be fun:cool:
Am I the only person who likes the booing? :confused:
Seriously boxing is about watching two people attempt to beat up the other guy and the vast majority of the paying fans at the event are there to support one of those guys against the other.
They paid their cash to be there, they have every right to support their fighter and boo the opposing fighter and his anthem if they want to it's all pantomime and part of what makes sport great.
Newsflash, the vast majority of sports fans don't pay their cash to watch something impartially without an opinion on all wins. And secondly its a natural reaction for all sporting fans to see a victory for our fighter, our team etc as a victory for us, it's what gives sport its meaning and value.
The vast majority of people who go to sporting events go with groups of friends, they get pissed, boo the other team, other guy, sing songs, chant etc. It's just harmless fun.
If fans wern't allowed to boo, chant, sing and be totally partisan they most likely wouldn't go the fights, matches etc.
Do you want everyone to have to wear a shirt and tie like Merchent and Lampley and then sit in silence like they do for tennis whilst eating strawberries and sipping pims?
Fuck that, boxing is a rough working man's game and its fans the rough working class man. If he's going to stump up his hard earned cash to go and watch a fight then he has every right to boo the shit out of the other fighter and his country if he wants to.
If you don't like booing of the anthems then stop playing them, its not like any fan in the arena wants to sit through 15 mins of gay pre fight pagentry anyhow with wannabe American R&B stars competing amongst themselves to see who can bastardise their anthem the most by turning it into some hip hop dance track or showcase their vocal skills.
The last part you mention is the thing that does actually bug me a lot. Anthems are bad enough anyway, but why the need for these god awful singers how over enunciate every word and stretch out the anthem for as long as possible?? Now some of these singers really deserve a good booing!Quote:
Originally Posted by Bilbo
Just dreadful IMO. :rolleyes:
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Originally Posted by milesThe last part you mention is the thing that does actually bug me a lot. Anthems are bad enough anyway, but why the need for these god awful singers how over enunciate every word and stretch out the anthem for as long as possible?? Now some of these singers really deserve a good booing!Quote:
Originally Posted by Bilbo
Just dreadful IMO. :rolleyes:
I hate the way the Americans do their anthems, so utterly self important and over the top.
If they don't like the booing they could try and be classy like in Germany with the good looking classical orchestra girls, that's a nice sophisticated way to do the intros in my opinion. True they usually ruin it afterwards with some long haired homosexual student kid singing a love ballad to Nikolay Valuev on his guitair but the anthems themselves are exceedingly well done.
Booing adds to the occassion.
I don't see why it's disrespectful to boo the anthem yet it's fine to boo a fighter. A 'country' cannot be offended. Only the people who live in the country can be offended, so then it becomes a personal issue.
So if only the people who live in the country (you for example) can be offended, how is that worse than booing the fighter - who i presume could be offended or at least intimidated, seen as though all the hostility is aimed at him, rather than be spread out amongst a country.
Are you more important than the fighter? Nobody can account for the rest of the country. It may offend people individually.....just like booing one person may offend the individual. Unless you're more important than that individual, then you can't really say whether or not it is worse. ;D
I am on the side that says booing the national anthems is bad. I know that a couple of years ago there was alot of that going on w/ the US and Canada before hockey games and they would have players for each team on the big screens request that the fans not boo the anthems. It seemed to work.
If I was fighting and say against a british fighter and the british fans started booing during the American anthem I'd just walk over to the other corner, grab the british flag, rip it in half and stomp on it.
:lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by LuciferTheGreat
AgreedQuote:
Originally Posted by CFH
;D nah man just british as was born here, he can have the others as well if he asked nicelyQuote:
Originally Posted by The Fightfan
yes these american idols cheapen the anthems for sureQuote:
Originally Posted by milesThe last part you mention is the thing that does actually bug me a lot. Anthems are bad enough anyway, but why the need for these god awful singers how over enunciate every word and stretch out the anthem for as long as possible?? Now some of these singers really deserve a good booing!Quote:
Originally Posted by Bilbo
Just dreadful IMO. :rolleyes:
anyone remember i thought they did?Quote:
Originally Posted by Drago
yes, for all the servicemen and women.
the rest of the US can sod off then?
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Originally Posted by LuciferTheGreat
hard to do wearing boxing gloves.:-X
basically what hopkins did then