How much do you REALLY know about boxing???

[Jimmy G-Force]

I am just wondering how some people get their information on boxing....

I mean how long have you been watching the sport, how many fights have you really seen be it in person or video, have you ever really been in a gym other then a few times hitting the bag...Do you actually know any fighters and that does not mean third hand because you know a guy who knows a guy.....Can you actually get into a debate on a fighters career without having to look at boxrec to see if they won or lost a fight?....

Seriously though I am wondering because it seems so many people these days actually know little about boxing itself other then what they get off the internet yet they will try to debate things as if they know it first hand...

EG- When someone says Fighter A wants X amount of dollars to face Fighter B and a ring size of 16X16...But Fighter B states they wont fight in a ring less then 20X20..

Where do you get your info from?...Website, ESPN, chatroom, Reliable news source like a newspaper or do you get it from Forums and gossip columns

It what you are saying based on REAL boxing knowledge or all second hand info

My very first memories of boxing were when I was 6 years old, I remember watching Hagler smash Alan Minter to pieces on T.V. Then after that I guess it was Hagler again 3 years later doing pretty much the same thing to Tony Sibson. My Mam liked boxing back then I guess, hence the reason I saw these fights live. Honeyghan v Curry, Bumphus then Blocker and Starling I also remember watching live on T.V.

It wasnt until I was maybe 12 or so when I got my first Boxing VHS tape which was called Champions Forever. I must have watched that 100 times, and was fascinated by Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Holmes and Norton.

Then Tyson came along and I was hooked. My favourite fighters during my teens were Micheal Nunn, Jorge Paez ( I remember a fight when he had a Batman emblem shaved into his head ), Meldrick Taylor, James Toney, RJJ and Oscar. I remember shedding a tear the night Chavez lost his first fight to Frankie Randall, I even remember where I was that day. I was boxing obsessed at this time, but this was way before the internet in my world.

There was a time that I could tell you every champion from every division, but I certainly couldnt do that now. I also subscribed to that monthly magazine that came with a free boxing video and pretty much owned the lot. That gave me an insight into all the fighters before my time. Sugar Ray Robinson, Walcott, Marciano, Tunney, Johnson, everyone really.

The Fab Four VHS tape was another of my favourites giving me all I needed to know about Hagler, Hearns, Leonard and Duran.

The birth of the net saw me download pretty much every major fight in history, I became an anorak and had to see the likes of Salvador Sanchez, Wilfredo Gomez, Aaron Pryor and the magnifcent Arguello to name but a very few.

I remember shedding my first boxing tear when Benn lost to Watson, I was a huge Nigel Benn fan. The same went for Tyson v Douglas, but I had to listen to that on the radio at stupid o'clock in the morning. I remember waking up the next day thinking my world had ended, and a myth shattered.

I seem to know at times alot more than I actually think, mainly due to the fact I dont follow boxing as religiously as I once did. I will never miss a Marquee fight but I no longer make sure I watch every domestic fight I can, like I once did. There is still nothing that sends a shiver down my spine like the atmosphere of a big fight, and I dont think anything ever will.

I've followed Roy, Oscar and Hatton from the very early days, and they have always been my top 3 fighters, more so Ricky, as thanks to Saddo I became someone he calls a friend.

I feel at times though that I'm at the end of a special era, boxing for the most part, unless it's a big fight doesnt get me as excited as it once did. For me, there doesnt seem to be many fighters out there coming through that get me excited like they once was.

Juan Manuel Lopez is someone I really like the look of, and Gamboa last time out was the first time I'd caught him, and he looks impressive, but it's early days yet.

I have become a huge fan of MMA, and watch everything related to this sport. UFC, Strikeforce, Dream and the WEC, I never miss a show. MMA is something that I've come to really appreciate over the years. At one time, due to my intense boxing background, I hated watching the ground game and preferred the striking only fights. Now it's the opposite, and I love JiuJitsu, especially now I understand the technical side of it. And I've started training it myself. I've done some boxing before on various occasions, but only for fitness, I was never really any good.

I've always been very good though at picking fights, but never bet. I dont know why, I could have made some serious money, for the most part usually getting within a few rounds if a KO or picking the decision correctly for the most part. Probably less so now, as like I say, my current knowledge isnt anywhere near as up to date as it used to be. Although there is very little I dont know about MMA as I follow this like I used to follow boxing. Boxing will always be my first love, but MMA is a very close second these days.

I have met plenty of professional boxers over the years, and never really met an arsehole, although Eamon Magee was a bit of a prick. I've been to countless live events over years and loved every one. I've read many books over years, usually boxing autobiographys or anything by Thomas Hauser. I have written alot of boxing articles myself over the years, and obviously learnt alot through research for them. I have been here and known Saddo as a friend since day one.

Now I'm boring myself so I'll stop there ........