To the handful of you that keep bothering me about boxing...

Well, I'm well read on it. I have a lot of books (both e-book and paper) on the general history of boxing from the Greco-Roman days to the earliest champion-deciding events in the 1700s up to now, and various training manuals (e-book and paper, stuff from the 1700s to now). I base my personal fitness routine around stuff that boxers, wrestlers, MMA fighters, and old school (generally speaking, before the 1960s) weightlifters do. I train in actual boxing with other people when I can, and I'll also compete full contact as well. If the yearly local toughman event fits my work schedule and my mind and body is ready ("my body is ready"...LOL) I will get into it. I wish I could actually fight every few months or so instead of MAYBE once a year. But, honestly, I don't really like watching it. Not the stuff today anyway. I don't really like anyone who's active now, especially the heavyweights. There are strong, beastly hitters like David Tua, and some big, tall guys in there too like the Super Klitchko Bros. but their skill level ranges from sorry as hell to so-so, as far as pro boxers are concerned and when comparing them to everyone who came before them. Most of these guys today don't even really look like boxers with trim, sleek, strong, athletic physiques. Most of them look like overly muscled bodybuilders who've been pumping dumbbells and toning their abs instead of spending time learning how to actually box better, and some of the heavyweights have guts. On their boxing technique, I need to rant a bit. Roy Jones made the mistake of relying too much on his natural freakish athletic ability instead of learning proper boxing and when he got older and couldn't move fast like that anymore he got hit more and lost more. Mayweather will experience the same thing, mark my words. Ali, despite his very awesome accomplishments, made a similar mistake too (he only used straight punches, really didn't go to the body, relied on leaning away for defense, etc) and it made itself very evident near the end of his career when he started losing. I think Ali started the trend of boxing with a style like that. It attracts attention and is visually impressive which is good for ratings and ticket sales, but it's not functional in the long run and it can backfire on you. These flawed boxers today are literally godlike compared to someone untrained of course, but obviously amateurish compared to most of the guys at the top of the food chain in the 90s (a younger Mike Tyson had good fundamental boxing technique to go with his in-fighting barrages), and especially Gene Tunney and Joe Louis and they were from the 1920s and 30s. Anyone with true skill and not just a pair of heavy hands today, regardless of weight class, is someone who's old and about to retire because they were at their physical prime in the 90s but they're still lingering around in the sport today for money (Holyfield) or because their weight class has so many jobbers that they aren't truly threatened by anyone so they can hang onto their belts and/or improve their record and make money every 6 months or so (Hopkins). I watch the classic fights, thanks to YouTube. 1980s...maybe some fights from the 1990s...and then on back as far as you can go when they had old ass cameras that they had to turn with a crank (bitches don't know 'bout Bob Fitzsimmons vs Jim Corbett, 1897 heavyweight title match).


[quote="Vivian":37342cr0][quote="UrbanChamp":37342cr0]I'm willing to bet I love boxing more than anyone here. But, the only kind of boxing I'd even care about RPing would be bare-knuckle rules. Seems that would fall into the category of the Last Man Standing special fight.