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The Standing Eight Count – Boxing and the Internet, is it a Curse or a Savior?

standingeightcountBy Dave Wilcox

I love to read. I’ll read books, newspapers or whatever else I can put in my hands with the written word on it. Growing up, one of my biggest joys came as I woke up each morning to run out to the front curb and grab the daily newspaper.

Never did a day pass that I didn’t spend as much time as necessary studying all the box scores, batting averages, earned run averages, standings and all that was going on in the sports world that given day.

Once a month (and I counted the days for that once a month), I would walk to my local book store (you remember those, right?) and get my hands on every damn boxing magazine in print to bring home. Upon returning home, I would immediately lock myself in my room and spend hours reading about the great sport of Boxing.

No magazine was safe from my wrath. I would have Boxing Illustrated, KO Magazine, Boxing Digest and of course the granddaddy of them all, “The Bible of Boxing”, The Ring to feed my obsessive reading pleasures.

My bedroom wall was plastered with those old KO Magazine centerfolds. Who needs Playboy when you had KO Magazine?

Those were good times indeed. I also knew that every time there were bouts taking place, I could count on my local newspaper having a story on said bout the very next day.

Then came the internet…….

I can still read my daily newspaper in today’s world, but the darn thing is much thinner than in its glory years and they appear to be filled with more advertisements than actual content. Newspapers are struggling to survive in the age of the internet and at times, that makes an old guy like me die a little bit inside.

After all, who needs a newspaper or a magazine when we can get immediate results by simply logging on to your computer?

I can’t remember the last time I saw a Boxing magazine on a store shelf. Even more disturbing is the fact that I have seen very little Boxing coverage for years in my local newspaper, unless it was regarding Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather, JR. Now the public interest on those two is even waning because of the inability of the two clowns to make their super fight happen.

I enjoy boxing on the internet and social media as much or more than the next guy, but in some respect, it feels as if something has been lost in this fast paced, instant gratification society we now live in.

I should be the last one to complain because the internet age of boxing has given me so many opportunities in the sport that would have never been possible for me with my 10th grade education in the previous world of print media.

I’ve covered championship bouts in Vegas, I’ve interviewed and made relationships with childhood boxing heroes of mine and I’ve been given the opportunity to express my thoughts through my columns.

Certainly if you would have asked a young Dave Wilcox in 1983, if he would have taken those wonderful opportunities in return for no more magazines or mainstream media, he probably would have jumped at the chance.

In 2014, old whiney guy Dave misses the Saturday morning magazine marathons and being able to watch a fight without paying fifty bucks for the privilege.

Christmas day taco update:

Tacos made by Deborah=100
Tacos eaten by fat Wilcox family members=100
Dave taco coma- 4 days and counting

Random thoughts:

-I’m looking forward to a Heavyweight title bout that features two US heavyweights and doesn’t include a Klitschko. Should be an existing night in Vegas on January 17th when WBC Champion, Bermane Stiverne defends his belt against Deontay Wilder. Stiverne is more battle tested and has beaten a much higher level of competition. Then again, as long as his opponents had a pulse, that would have been better competition than Wilder has seen as he has padded his undefeated record to date. I’ll take Stiverne by KO in a crowd pleasing bout. I don’t think Wilder’s legs will hold up once the chin is tapped by the champion.

-My beloved Philadelphia 76’ers ruined everything by finally winning a game this season, but their 0-14 mark so far at home and 4-25 overall record this season keeps me hopeful.

-I look for two blowouts in the College football playoffs this week. Oregon should crush Florida State and Alabama will have no trouble with Ohio State, thus setting up another National Championship for the Crimson Tide.

-I’m usually not a UFC guy, but I’ve been watching promos for the upcoming Jon Jones Vs. Daniel Cormier bout and I think I took the bait. Looks like young Long Snapping extraordinaire, Richard Wilcox has convinced the old man to pay for his first UFC event since Royce Gracie fought Ken Shamrock.

-I hope everyone has a very happy and safe New Year’s celebration. 2014 has been great and 2015 will be even better!

Keep punching….

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