Big props to Cris Arreola

[JazMerkin]

Why are people ripping Arreola for crying? It's not like he broke down in the middle of the fucking fight and quit or something. He fought a tough fight, showed a ton of heart, and was justifiably upset when he was defeated. I don't see what the problem is.

Don't you understand!!! He cried!!! What a baby!! So what if he'd likely dreamed of that moment since he was a child only for it to disappear... he's not a real man, not like the REAL men on this board who just in case you don't know, DON'T CRY. It's not like he showed any heart absorbing 300 punches from 250+lbs of pure muscle. He cried & he quit. I'll guarantee you none of the hard men who mock him would of done either. They're REAL MEN.

It's one of those great things about boxing forums. They seem to be a magnet for men who are a mix of Arturo Gattiesque boxing heart, a Charles Bronson like emotional state & generally have the courage of your average SAS commando.

He did not quit....

Maybe I should have used one of these smileys , although I thought the last paragraph & my general attitude throughout showed my attitude to whether he quit (just for you Daxx)

[Youngblood]

In fairness to Cris Arreola, it is a very powerful thing. The range of emotions one goes through preparing for a fight is quite extreme. Not even including all the training.

You start your fight day off often with butterflies. Then get adrenaline rushes. Feel you can't lose. Then fear creeps in on you as the fighting hour approaches and you just want to run! Then the adrenaline again...over and over. And this range of extreme emotions continues, and cycles right up until the ref signals and the first punch is thrown.

I fought the same night as the Mayweather fight, and experienced all of that. I was on the winning side, and experienced the greatest feeling of happiness I've ever known, same one I feel any time I win. Gotta be better then any drug, ever.

But on the other side there is often a competitor who worked equally hard to get there, who went through all those same emotions before that first punch was swung. And they weren't so fortunate. Probably half of the fighters who lost on our card that night had tears in their eyes. Many were deeply sad, if even just briefly. If they weren't, then they probably weren't true competitors, warriors, or maybe snuck off somewhere else to do it, or are better at masking it.

I harped a bit about Arreola's tears, because I didn't think he worked hard enough in prep for that level of competition. Not for the emotion. And I regret it, and apologize for it. Who am I to judge how he prepares himself. And I certainly won't harp on him for his tears of disappointment. It's a powerful thing, stepping through the ropes. It can buckle the strongest of peoples wills.

So yea. Unless you have worn their shoes and walked the same path as they, it is probably best not to judge.

[killersheep]

In fairness to Cris Arreola, it is a very powerful thing. The range of emotions one goes through preparing for a fight is quite extreme. Not even including all the training.

You start your fight day off often with butterflies. Then get adrenaline rushes. Feel you can't lose. Then fear creeps in on you as the fighting hour approaches and you just want to run! Then the adrenaline again...over and over. And this range of exteme emotions continues, and cycles right up until the ref signals and the first punch is thrown.

I fought the same night as the Mayweather fight, and experienced all of that. I was on the winning side, and experienced the greatest feeling of happiness I've ever known, same one I feel any time I win. Gotta be better then any drug, ever.

But on the other side there is often a competitor who worked equally hard to get there, who went through all those same emotions before that first punch was swung. And they weren't so fortunate. Probably half of the fighters who lost on our card that night had tears in their eyes. Many were deeply sad, if even just briefly. If they weren't, then they probably weren't true competitors, warriors, or maybe snuck off somewhere else to do it, or are better at masking it.

I harped a bit about Arreola's tears, because I didn't think he worked hard enough in prep for that level of competition. Not for the emotion. And I regret it, and apologize for it. Who am I to judge how he prepares himself. And I certainly won't harp on him for his tears of disappointment. It's a powerful thing, stepping through the ropes. It'll can buckle the strongest of people wills.

So yea. Unless you have worn their shoes and walked the same path as they, it is probably best not to judge.

I think the general public expects fighters to be like this

devoid of emotion etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHQjuk2jb08