In between the coverage, I happened to catch that fight where Golota threw like ten low-blows at Riddick Bowe. Man boxing has really sunk. I was sinking then really. Remember Sugar Ray and the bolo-punch on Duran? Here's the riot from the first fight.
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I still think that boxing ended with the retirement of Marvelous Marvin Hagler. A great man, a great fighter, an honorable man who was dissed throughout his career by the many wazoos who populate the sport. Hagler and Ali, the best two fighters of the modern era. It still weirds me out that Ali was canonized only after Parkinson's stole his voice and body.
Adin
Hey hey hey. Unfair. That bout was ten years ago. Boxing is definitely on an upswing right now. The heavyweight division is still shaky, but we just came off of an all-time great trilogy between Israel Vasquez and Raphael Marquez, a brilliant battle between Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto, the rise of Manny Pacquiao as a global superstar, and a bunch of other great fighters. More importantly, the good fighters are actually fighting each other -- the promoters have stopped the stupid sniping and warfare, and we're seeing a lot of the fights that should be made, get made.
Marc Adin writes: "I still think that boxing ended with the retirement of Marvelous Marvin Hagler. A great man, a great fighter, an honorable man who was dissed throughout his career by the many wazoos who populate the sport. Hagler and Ali, the best two fighters of the modern era."
I loved watching Hagler. A few years ago he was behind my wife in a line at the post office and he hit on her. Who could blame him?
He was seriously robbed in that first fight with Vito.
Man, I love watching those old fights on ESPN Classic etc. I know it seems like a savage sort of sport, and I get ridiculed all the time for apologizing for the sweet science, but man I can't help it.
I agree with the announcer. "Thugs and hooligans."
Man, how great is George Foreman in that clip?
Heavyweight boxing has really sunk. The other weight classes are as exciting as ever, as David pointed out upthread.
Tough to judge boxing based on an old Riddick Bowe fight. There have been a few great fights in recent years. Find a replay of the first fight between Jose Luis Castillo and the late Diego Corrales. Or the first fight between Mickey Ward and Arturo Gatti.
One problem with boxing is that some guys are so good, and also cautious (e.g., Wladimir Kitschko, Floyd Mayweather) that their fights against lesser opponents can be boring -- and pretty much all their opponents are lesser.