Al Bernstein On Boxing: Sorry To Disagree, But...

[Saddo]

I can count on one hand the times in my 30 year career that I have expressed disagreement with any of my broadcasting colleagues in a public forum.

Mind you, I have often disagreed, but seldom if ever have I spoken out. My style as a communicator is not built on argument or confrontation and I don’t really understand “media feuds.” And, I am certainly not trying to ignite one here.

All that having been said, I feel called upon to strongly disagree with some of the opinions expressed by ESPN commentator Teddy Atlas in a recent interview I read on the internet.

I’ll further qualify this (how much qualifying can one man do?) by saying that Teddy and I have never had any issue with each other on a personal basis, and we have many mutual friends.

So, this column is really a reaction to his comments and there is nothing else behind it.

In this recent interview, Teddy makes some all inclusive comments about the internet that I think are very unfair and ina... Full Boxing Article here...

[Youngblood]

Teddy knows boxing. Teddy don't know scoring. or much else.

[Violent Demise]

Bernstein is the muthafukkin man. He knows what's up. I have yet to really disagree with any of his view points. He has an outstanding Boxing mind

[TheMacMagician]

The internet, in about 95 percent cases, connects me to boxing. Thats my avenue, and i'm damn sure i'm not alone. If it wasn't for the omnipresence of boxing on the internet, it would certainly have one less fan, and probably countless others. I think they should give Teddy Atlas a job somewhere else hidden away where he can take his uber metaphoric ass and tell someone who gives a shit.........

[Diane]

Teddy is an idiot, and needs to get with the times.

If it wasn't for the internet, I wouldn't know most of what is going on in boxing. The network he works for, sure as $hit doesn't give it enough coverage.

I can honestly say that I have learned a lot from some writers, and even from some members here. How is that a bad thing.

[Jimanuel Boogustus]

Teddy is an idiot, and needs to get with the times.

If it wasn't for the internet, I wouldn't know most of what is going on in boxing. The network he works for, sure as $hit doesn't give it enough coverage.

I can honestly say that I have learned a lot from some writers, and even from some members here. How is that a bad thing.

Maybe he does need to get with the times a little but i think the point he is making is that an article like this...

Put your money on Juan Manuel Marquez

Is complete garbage and that it does not represent the a true, popular or well thought fact or opinion.

Its just words without restriction.

I can see why someone like Teddy would hate such a thing. It is all we have but at the same time it sucks a little bit. Right?





*Edit*

What Missy Said

[Kel]

"Boxings future DEPENDS on the internet"

100% agree and if it was not for Saddo's I'd still be sat in the pub talking to people who know fuck all about boxing.

Teddy is scared of technology or someshit, either that or he ain't took the time to find the 'real' boxing related sites.

[killersheep]

No other medium can provide global interaction like the internet. It's really a no brainer. Cheers to you Al, it's good to have you on board. Atlas doesn't bother me as much he does a lot of people, he's a known quantity he's gonna repeat over and over what he thinks is important for a fighter to win a fight.

[jokaleras]

speak your mind al bernstein. how are you doing? it's good to hear from you again.

[jamiebhoy]

Without the internet I would be lost on what's happening. I rely on this site in particular for my news and access to watching sites thanks to the people on here who are able to share fights.

With the stripping away of terestrial television covered fights, you are only able to see the bigger fights if you have access to cable tv,satellite etc and even then you have to pay additional costs.

Look at your local newspaper , how much boxing news is in there. Where do you look, the internet.

To knock the most modern and technological advancement since television is just ignorant. Even my 87 year old grandmother has internet access.

To tar us all with the same brush and say that we need to get a life and we are not knowledgable is again ignorant.

It's a standing joke in my house about me having my cyber buddies since I joined here short time ago, but without this place i would be as Kel said reduced to talking to peole who last watched Tyson in his prime and think they are boxing fans.

Get a PC Teddy and have a quick lesson on how to surf the net, you'll find that there's a whole new world waiting, and someone might even talk to you

maybe we should invite Teddy to the board for a day and show him we can ask intelligent questions based on some pretty good knowledge of the sport.

[ryanman]

"Boxings future DEPENDS on the internet"

100% agree and if it was not for Saddo's I'd still be sat in the pub talking to people who know fuck all about boxing.

Teddy is scared of technology or someshit, either that or he ain't took the time to find the 'real' boxing related sites.

Yea totally agree mate. I've been into boxing since i was a young boy, and throughout most of that time have had nobody to discuss it with as my friends are either into football or no sports at all. I tried for years to convert them to this amazing sport but with only limited success. They would take an interest for the big fights, but little else. Couldn't blame them really, i mean they had no real way to access it. I'd tell them about a great fighter or a great fight, they might say 'oh wow,that sounds good', but i had nothing to back it up for, save for my blurry collection of VHS. Now, within seconds, i can be showing them Castillo-Corrales or Ward-Gatti. I defy anybody who watches something like that and not become a fan. Now almost all my friends have some level of interest, and one is now a big fan. I can't describe the joy of having my friend call me up to discuss things such as whether Kevin Mitchell can win a title, or that Khan has joined Roach, or calling up frantic when Mayweather - Marquez was postponed. For somebody who either had to watch boxing on his own or with half-interested friends this is a real joy. The internet takes the sport we love to new people, and allows people to stay in touch with the latest happenings. It keeps the knowledgable fan in the know, and with an endless supply of fights, new and old, and is the most powerful way of generating new fans.

[God.in.my.corner]

I gotta agree with FightFan. I love Tedy, but he's still stuck in the 1980s. Boxing's future viability depends on the internet. I think Tedy should have seperated the boxing news element from the keyboard warrior mentality of some of the analysts/board posters.

[Howlin Mad Missy]

It's weird. I reckon everyone on here has at times read 'reports' from some backyardwannabehicksville writer.com and groaned when someone here has posted a link to it and tried to legitimise their ramble for/against fighter A. Now I'm not being down on anyone who wants to embark on a writing career but they are 10 a penny and I can imagine the frustration of those in the trade inundated with interview requests.

Perhaps Teddy should take a look at the boxing forums and experience the good, the bad and the downright ugly and then take a look at the regular press.

The internet because of it's immediacy has broken any number of stories before it every hits mainstream. In fact very little boxing EVER makes the TV news and only occasionally in the papers and when they do it tends to to be one or two boxers. No coverage of the lesser known fighters plying their trade week in week out. The internet allows this. It encourages (mostly) honest debate precisely because we don't have to worry about pissing off a boxer/trainer/manager/promoter/network/and being refused access to them.