Back when They used to Fight

[Jeff Higgins]

We just don't see this kind of heart anymore. Nothing but hype, b.s., and way too many "tough guy" tattoos these days. Mere circus side shows compared to the great ones back in the day. RIP, Marvelous Marvin... The Hit Man was a worthy opponent...

[jyl]

I used to love watching boxing, followed most of the name fighters. I don’t know if the quality was so vastly much better then - there were certainly schmo fighters, even on national TV you’d sometimes see some tubby guy seemingly just there to get pounded - but I think it must have to be, with MMA taking away so much audience and money from real boxing now. I don’t watch anymore so can’t say, and not sure where I could watch if I wanted to. I do watch Olympic boxing as much as I can.

MMA doesn’t interest me much. Yes, they can do lots more than boxers are allowed to, but fights don’t develop with beginning middle and end, there’s not time for body hits to build up and legs and arms to slow. And the theatre is off-putting.

I was kind of interested in watching fencing for a while, my son fenced a bit in middle school and the teachers loved his dancer’s footwork, but the sport puts ridiculous stress on one knee so I wasn’t unhappy that he stopped.

[pwd72s]

A buddy & I saw the fight on closed circuit...it was total war. We got our money's worth,

Sorry to hear Hagler has passed...

Agree...that was a golden age of boxing.

[speeder]

That's a very famous round, a couple of real men standing toe-to-toe and just throwing hands.

I'm a major boxing fan and even though Hagler was the superior fighter, I just loved watching Hearns...one of my favorite fighters of all time. "The hitman." His short right was so devastating and quick that it was hard to see sometimes and I had to rewind a knockout over and over to catch it. My buddies and I grew up in the ultimate time to watch boxing on TV.

[Rawknees'Turbo]

Originally Posted by jyl

I used to love watching boxing, followed most of the name fighters. I don’t know if the quality was so vastly much better then - there were certainly schmo fighters, even on national TV you’d sometimes see some tubby guy seemingly just there to get pounded - but I think it must have to be, with MMA taking away so much audience and money from real boxing now. I don’t watch anymore so can’t say, and not sure where I could watch if I wanted to. I do watch Olympic boxing as much as I can.

MMA doesn’t interest me much. Yes, they can do lots more than boxers are allowed to, but fights don’t develop with beginning middle and end, there’s not time for body hits to build up and legs and arms to slow. And the theatre is off-putting.

I was kind of interested in watching fencing for a while, my son fenced a bit in middle school and the teachers loved his dancer’s footwork, but the sport puts ridiculous stress on one knee so I wasn’t unhappy that he stopped.

The unpredictability of MMA fights (can't count on a beginning, middle and end) is one of the reasons that I love watching that sport. Also, there is plenty of time for various blows to body, legs, etc., to build up and many fighters slow seriously from them to the point that their performance level is barely recognizable from at just ten minutes in, sometimes less); maybe you haven't watched very many MMA fights (don't mean that as an insult, BTW, as it's definitely not for everyone)?

I don't like the theater either (my favorite fighters have always been the ones that say very little) but thankfully there is not much of that, given the big mouths always end up looking like idiots sooner or later (including McGregor, Colby Covington, etc.).

BTW, ol' Higgins doesn't care for MMA either, but that is easily explained by his all-around, galactic level of suck, bigly!

[Jeff Higgins]

Heh heh... I gave MMA a fair shot way back when my kids were little. Something to watch together, with some excitement and action. They both told me it looked more like a fight on their grade school playground, with two kids rolling around picking cat turds out of the sandbox. Weren't impressed - wanted to go back to "real" fighting. Myself, I was always kind of apprehensive, wondering if I had inadvertently stumbled upon some gay soft porn channel, what with two grown men rolling around on the floor, hugging', kissin', and gropin' each other like that. I was always afraid of what they would do next, right there in front of my kids. My wife would have never forgiven me.

[DavidI]

You guys crack me up! Hagler vs. Hearns was the best 3 rounds of boxing history in my opinion. I work part-time as an official for the state in MMA and boxing contests and recently earned my professional boxing referee license as my next career. These fighters are incredible athletes and on a different level, especially the MMA guys!

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by DavidI

These fighters are incredible athletes and on a different level, especially the MMA guys!

I'm sure you're right, but the aura that surrounded the men of the sweet science hasn't been replicated with the MMA. The MMA is edgy and angry; it's modern and fast, but some of us don't appreciate what's been lost.

We all march to our own drummer.

[pwd72s]

Boxing? Rhetorical, of course...how long would today's heavyweight champ, Tyson Fury, have lasted against Ali in his prime? Ali-Frazier-Foreman...epic stuff!

[speeder]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Boxing? Rhetorical, of course...how long would today's heavyweight champ, Tyson Fury, have lasted against Ali in his prime? Ali-Frazier-Foreman...epic stuff!

I think that Tyson Fury would have had a chance against Ali, one of the few I'd say that about. He's a great fighter and really tough.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by DavidI

You guys crack me up! Hagler vs. Hearns was the best 3 rounds of boxing history in my opinion. I work part-time as an official for the state in MMA and boxing contests and recently earned my professional boxing referee license as my next career. These fighters are incredible athletes and on a different level, especially the MMA guys!

My son, the one eyed one, started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Law School after he lost his ROTC commission after the accident.

He "rolls" competitively in Virginia and is working his way up the BJJ belt ladder.

He loves the competition and the odd comradery of folks who do the sport. No one can believe he is a lawyer.

I will tell you, most fights will end on the ground. You do not want to be there with someone who knows how to work the ground game. They know stuff I was never taught.

I, btw, loved boxing. Still do. My Dad boxed at West Point and I sparred, never fought without headgear, growing up in SoCal. I was too big as a 13 year-old...I'd have gotten destroyed by the men in my classes.

[Wetwork]

Muay Thai...ran across a few of her fights and it got me back into watching fights. She's a hell of a figher.

Saenchai is however my favorite fighter of all to watch. He's so good and fast he can be showy about it. Pro Muay Thai is a proformance show, its more than the fighting its the whole event, they try to entertain as well as beat the crap out of each other.

MMA/Pride got boring when they stopped trying to see which martial arts was the best. I watched and paid for the very first Ultimate Fighting Championship, and those folks still haven't decided which form is the best. I was pretty chapped I paid $100 pay for view and none of the UFC matches went over 90 seconds, so I never paid to watch it again. Granted stuff has changed since the 90's LOL.-WW

[Rawknees'Turbo]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Heh heh... I gave MMA a fair shot way back when my kids were little. Something to watch together, with some excitement and action. They both told me it looked more like a fight on their grade school playground, with two kids rolling around picking cat turds out of the sandbox. Weren't impressed - wanted to go back to "real" fighting. Myself, I was always kind of apprehensive, wondering if I had inadvertently stumbled upon some gay soft porn channel, what with two grown men rolling around on the floor, hugging', kissin', and gropin' each other like that. I was always afraid of what they would do next, right there in front of my kids. My wife would have never forgiven me.

Oh man, hilarious!

#forumbuttpinch

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by Rawknees'Turbo

#forumbuttpinch

Spoken like a true MMA man!

[WPOZZZ]

I still prefer boxing.

[Baz]

Back in the 60's when we lived in Norfolk, my Dad used to take my brother and I to the base at Little Creek to watch boxing. I was Elementary school age and remember taking it all in!

[Rawknees'Turbo]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Spoken like a true MMA man!

You want another one?!?!

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by Rawknees'Turbo

You want another one?!?!

Let me "turn the other cheek"...

[stealthn]

My buddy and I are avid fight fans and always have the argument about the best matches. This year we both agreed the Ward Gatti trilogy are THE best fights (at least the first two) ever.

[Por_sha911]

I thought this was going to be about the good old days of the NHL