Is There Any Heart Left in Boxing?
One of the main attractions to combat sports besides seeing blood splattered all over the canvas is the desire to see an athlete display “heart” or incredible courage in the face of adversity during a match. We want to see someone who has suffered insurmountable odds overcome them before our very eyes, for the price of an admission ticket. We often hear of fighters who suffered poverty, abuse or drugs while growing up, then overcame them by learning to box. Great fighters such as Roberto Duran, Mike Tyson, and Manny Pacquiao all overcame a childhood of living on the streets and fighting for survival at young ages.
These three fighters, for example, fought with such great “heart” and ferocity, that their names will never be forgotten by fight fans. They created a legacy out of beating incredible odds that also showed in their performances in the ring. Does a fighter have to suffer greatly in life to be a great fighter? Can an audience sense in a fighter’s performance if he has been pushed past normal circumstances outside the ring? I think so.
Since I started watching boxing as a teenager, the first thing I noticed is the physical attributes of the fighter. Who “looks” the toughest? Who has the meanest look or the most clenched jaw? Who has the tightest skin and the most chiseled muscles? So I would have my pick for the winner at the beginning of the fight from this first observation. (Ok, so this still happens to me sometimes) But then as the fight progresses, something changes when I see a fighter begin to fight with an intangible sense of survival, his heart. Let’s face it. All fight fans are a fan of suffering. We want to see a fighter get beat down within an inch of his life, then come back with this Lion King exuberance and turn the tides and win in hero-type fashion, annihilating his competition. This is what the fans want to see. Now of course our judgement changes if we are involved directly in the sport such as a trainer, judge or fight promoter, and we begin to look at the fighters differently. Then we begin to judge the fighter on his boxing technique, his record, etc. Everyone has their own agenda in the sport. Granted, a fighter may have all the “heart” in the world but if he is not successful, then it doesn’t matter, right? Right. No one wants to see someone get their brains beat in if they are outmatched or under qualified.
However, I believe that a fighter can still undergo the suffering and pain tolerance needed to bring his inner “abused child” out in the ring, and fight with every last bit of heart that he contains, by taking the time to learn the sweet science correctly and put himself through tough matches with sparring partners. The issue with today’s boxers not having the grit and heart that they used to bring to the ring has to do with today’s society being different than before. Everything today is fast paced, over-insured, or under-insured. Not many athletes are willing to take the time or risk to suffer the way that the fighters use to. The conditioning that it takes to cultivate a great boxer takes years to develop. If you didn’t have your ass beat-down for years in the streets, then you will have to have it done in the ring by someone willing to invest years of time and training in you. Nowadays, that really isn’t an option, unless your family is in the business. Then there are the issues with concussions, “punch drunk,” etc. I feel that the ones who took these risks were the great ones. The fans appreciate the fighters who have gone through the “trauma” if you will and were strong enough to make it through. To surpass your own physical or emotional limitations and to overcome them is where heart comes in. It over-rides the brain sometimes. The will to win becomes greater than the risk factor of the gamble. This is why Rocky Balboa, although a character, is so real in all of our minds. His heart was stronger than his mind or body and that is what we crave to see. At the risk of the fighter, and not ourselves, of course.
Floyd Mayweather, JR. is an amazing athlete who has made more money than anyone else in the boxing business, yet, he has left fight fans empty of the passion and fights that they want to see. It has morphed into the heads of fighters that they don’t have to take all the punishment as the fighters back in the day, to make money in the business. Well, this may be true, but has boxing been “outsmarted? Did Floyd dismantle the sport to where you can evade punishment and still get paid? Yes, he has and all the while doing it, made a great living for himself and his children. That is wonderful. But to take the heart and suffering out of boxing, is like taking the protein and tasty fat out of a steak. It leaves the fight fans chewing on a dried out piece of leather. When we pay for a steak, we want all of it. The fat, juice, and aroma with a side of garlic mashed potatoes and buttered veggies.
My wish is not for boxers to hurt themselves intentionally or to become brain damaged in the chase for glory or a world title, or for our satisfaction. My wish is for boxers to have respect enough for the sport to take the time to understand its history and appreciate the pain and suffering that the pioneers before us by taking the time to take the pain. You don’t have to have the same experiences that Duran, Tyson, and Pacquiao had to be great, but you should put the time in the gym to condition your body and to take the hits and sparring necessary to make you a true warrior, so you gain the respect for yourself as a champion, or at least someone greater than when you began the sport. Boxing was not meant to be a fast food. It has flavor and history, slowly marinated to perfection, by generations of great fighters like Muhammad Ali. No other sport can compare to its nostalgia and depth. To do it the right way, is a matter of careful training and cultivation. A coach caring about his fighter’s welfare. A fighter trusting his coach with his life. That bond is great and should never be taken for granted and is as much a part of the sport as the gloves and ring. To understand the growth of soul that happens when get your ass beat down in that ring, then have that person reach down with their glove, and pull you back up and give you a hug, is something you can’t buy or pay for. You can pay to see it, but only a real fighter can experience it. You have to walk the walk. And if you do, you will have earned the respect for yourself that perhaps no one else in your live has ever given you.
So yes, there is heart in boxing. Boxing is heart. A fighter’s style tells the story about the man. So find a fighter that makes you feel what you want to feel. If you want to feel like a good business man, watch Floyd Mayweather, JR. If you want to see heart watch Miguel Cotto. You can see him fighting with passion and pride. But make no mistake about it, fighters use all the tools that he was given to fight with in his fights. But the difference is that no one can give you or teach you heart. That is something you must learn to fight with on your own, if you are strong enough to pay the price for it.
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