Most incorrectly and overused terms in boxing (by fans)

[Bill Paxtom]

Let's start with "ruined".

With all due respect to my friend Brock, but....... Maidana didn't ruin anybody.
He gave Floyd a hell of a fight, probably more than Floyd expected. But ruined??
No.

To me, ruined is where the other fighter is never the same after that.
Usually a grueling, punishing fight, where the fighter suffers irreversible wear and tear.

Another is "cherry-picking".

It's overused for sure. Cherry picking occurs... but not every soft touch a fighter intermixes in between tough fights should be considered cherry-picking. Once a cherry-picker, always a cherry-picker. Meaning that fighters that become known for that tend to do so more often than everybody else. But not everybody is a cherry-picker.

How about "exposed"?

That's a really overused term. What is exposed, anyway? To me is where the fighter's record was built with smoke and mirrors (parade of tomato cans, for example). A bogus record just waiting to be exposed by the first good opponent a fighter faces. That is exposed. But it's overused. Every time a fighter loses, he's been exposed. B.S.



I'm as guilty of using these terms as anybody else, but usually try to reserve them for cases that truly merit their use.

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'Ruined'

Would lead everyone to assume that a fighter was never the same again, usually after absorbing
a frightful beating, and incapable of performing on a good level again.

See; Dwight Muhammad Qawi over Matthew Saad Muhammad
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'Cherry-Picking'

Yes, selecting an opponent who has absolutely 'no chance' of defeating you. Typically a
Champion selecting a 'safe opponent' to defend his Title against.

See; Ray Leonard ........Opponent List > Davey 'Boy Green, Larry Bonds, Bruce Finch
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'Exposed'

A fighter who had previously dominated, suddenly gets 'exposed' when he takes on a
somewhat unknown opponent who has his 'so-called' number.

See........... Carlos Monzon over Nino Benvenuti
See........... Pedro Flores over Yoko Gushiken
See........... Vernon Forest over Shane Mosely

[Beanflicker]

I think the exposed thing gets blown out of proportion because, to me, it's supposed to mean that a guy was SUPPOSEDLY A-level, fought another A-level guy and was beaten to the point where he was "exposed" as not truly elite.

But the fact is, A-level fighters lose to A-level fighters all the time, it doesn't in itself mean that the guy who lost was not A-level and was "exposed". I think a guy who unfairly gets that criticism is Prince Naseem, who was a world champ at featherweight for 7 or 8 years before losing to MAB. I never understood why losing to one of the greatest fighters in boxing history meant you were "exposed".

Shane Mosley is an all time great, I don't see why he was "exposed" because Forrest and Winky Wright had his number.

[Ron Swanson]

I think the exposed thing gets blown out of proportion because, to me, it's supposed to mean that a guy was SUPPOSEDLY A-level, fought another A-level guy and was beaten to the point where he was "exposed" as not truly elite.

But the fact is, A-level fighters lose to A-level fighters all the time, it doesn't in itself mean that the guy who lost was not A-level and was "exposed". I think a guy who unfairly gets that criticism is Prince Naseem, who was a world champ at featherweight for 7 or 8 years before losing to MAB. I never understood why losing to one of the greatest fighters in boxing history meant you were "exposed".

Shane Mosley is an all time great, I don't see why he was "exposed" because Forrest and Winky Wright had his number.

I think you are misinterpreting exposed. It just means shown for what it is. It doesn't mean the person "exposed" is a bum or any insult at all. At the time casual boxing people thought Naz was the best fighter in the world even though they were hiding him from Marquez and Mayweather. In this case exposed simply means shown to the masses that he wasn't the Superman they thought. He was exposed as a beatable great champion who was highly entertaining.

[Bill Paxtom]

'He's a good gym fighter.'

'Tough-Nosed'

'Cagey'

'Unproven'

'A Cutey'

[B][/ 'Well-Protected'B]

[Beanflicker]

I think you are misinterpreting exposed. It just means shown for what it is. It doesn't mean the person "exposed" is a bum or any insult at all. At the time casual boxing people thought Naz was the best fighter in the world even though they were hiding him from Marquez and Mayweather. In this case exposed simply means shown to the masses that he wasn't the Superman they thought. He was exposed as a beatable great champion who was highly entertaining.

I don't agree with that definition. It makes no sense really, because obviously every champion is a "beatable champion". In that case, every time somebody loses they are "exposed" and that's really taking all meaning out of the term. The word "exposed" has much more negative connotations, you immediately think of a fraudster being "exposed".

I'm not saying it means that a guy goes from an A-level fighter to a bum, but it certainly means that a guy had successfully hidden a significant weakness, most of the time against soft opposition, and an A-level fighter exposed it. In Nas' case, I don't think that's a fair claim because even though he did have technical flaws, he had been champion for 7 or 8 years and had great success against top ranked opposition before losing to MAB. Sometimes a loss is just a loss, it doesn't necessarily mean an exposing.

[TitoFan]

ex-pose

[ik-spohz]

verb (used with object), exposed, exposing.

1. to lay open to danger, attack, harm, etc.:
"to expose soldiers to gunfire; to expose one's character to attack."

2. to lay open to something specified:
"to expose oneself to the influence of bad companions."

3. to uncover or bare to the air, cold, etc.:
"to expose one's head to the rain."

4. to present to view; exhibit; display:
"The storekeeper exposed his wares."

5. to make known, disclose, or reveal (intentions, secrets, etc.).

6. to reveal or unmask (a crime, fraud, impostor, etc.):
"to expose a swindler."

7. to hold up to public reprehension or ridicule (fault, folly, a foolish act or person, etc.).



To reveal or unmask a fraud or impostor. In the true sense of the word, a fighter is not exposed merely 'cause he loses, as Bean said. It's basically when a fighter is unmasked as not being as great as was previously thought, or as his record would indicate.

To me, the classic way of exposing a fighter is when the fighter has a bloated record, filled with non-competitive or low-quality opponents. Which is why W-L records are so overrated sometimes. You can fight 40 bums (yes... I'll use that word too) in your own hometown.... beat them all.... and be exposed when you finally fight someone good.

[holmcall]

Matinee idol! WTF is a matinee idol?