{"id":18991,"date":"2012-05-22T00:02:31","date_gmt":"2012-05-22T05:02:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=18991"},"modified":"2012-05-22T00:02:31","modified_gmt":"2012-05-22T05:02:31","slug":"the-fight-game-with-jim-lampley-boxing-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=18991","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe Fight Game\u201d with Jim Lampley \u2013 Boxing Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>By Gina L. Caliboso<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you read my RSR bio, it begins with a tidbit about my love for boxing. In conversation with my brother in law this past weekend, he asked me, \u201cWho\u2019s your favorite boxer?\u201d But, with a hook (non punch type). \u201cYou can\u2019t mention Pacquiao or Mayweather. No one currently.\u201d I nodded okay and it took a moment. \u201cSugar Ray Leonard. He fought everyone. Duran. Hearns. Hagler.\u201d He and I continued to discuss various aspects of boxing, including the cost of the Mayweather \u2013 Cotto PPV. It cost him $60! \u201cAnd for what, Gina? For what? To see Mosley fight and then Mayweather?\u201d Good points brother in law. Later, my sister says, \u201cYou paid $60 for that fight?\u201d She looked at me. It\u2019s still unclear as to if whether I\u2019ll be invited for the Pacquiao \u2013 Bradley fight on June 9th.<\/p>\n

Over the weekend, the first episode of Jim Lampley\u2019s show on boxing titled, \u201cThe Fight Game\u201d premiered and for the first time in a long while as a fan, I found the specific discussion on boxing to be brilliant. I\u2019ll begin by saying that it\u2019s obvious the show is a work of love for Lampley. He\u2019s passionate, genuine, and unafraid to ask the boxing experts and high level players the questions and answers that boxing fans want to hear. Just in his first installment, he spoke with Richard Schaeffer of Golden Boy, Bob Arum of Top Rank, Amir Khan and Freddie Roach, Max Kellerman, and Roy Jones, Jr. As MMA (specifically UFC), gets play on FOX Sports and even Spike has an MMA show, it\u2019s just too bad that \u201cThe Fight Game\u201d doesn\u2019t appear on network television. Any sports fan would love this in-depth look at boxing.<\/p>\n

As I\u2019ve mentioned before, boxing is really at a crossroads. But ultimately, if fights want to be made, it isn\u2019t just the boxers speaking anymore. There\u2019s a lot of back and forth on who should fight who, which fighter should get what. I get that. Boxing fans get it. But for some reason, STILL the fights DO NOT HAPPEN. All the fighters do is pay lip service to give what the fans what they want to hear, but very rarely do they make good on what the fans want. At the same time, as each fighter remains in his corner, one fighter can take the role of the good fighter versus the bad fighter. Promoter versus promoter.<\/p>\n

But back to Lampley\u2019s \u201cThe Fight Game.\u201d He did not give a drawn out history about boxing, but instead, dived right in and gave kudos to Mayweather for his victory over Cotto. He then spoke to Schaeffer of Golden Boy, but I enjoyed his interview with Bob Arum most of all. Arum had a great quote about Mayweather, making reference to the undefeated champ taking a lesson and coined a phrase \u201cJoseph Goebbels of propaganda.\u201d That name has history attached to it, no doubt.<\/p>\n

Following his discussion with the match making powers that be for Mayweather \u2013 Pacquiao to happen, he then mentioned Lamont Peterson being tested positive for steroids. Peterson\u2019s bout against Khan has since been cancelled. And then, he brought on Freddie Roach and Amir Khan. Is this show great or what?
\nLampley then went on speak with fellow HBO Commentator Max Kellerman. Kellerman is fast becoming one of my favorite play by play boxing commentators. His language is fresh and his boxing opinions and insight are right on.<\/p>\n

But my favorite part of the show occurred when he brought on Roy Jones, JR to discuss the \u2018head butt\u2019 behavior of Timothy Bradley. Jones played a bit from the Devon Alexander bout, but I loved his comment, \u201cIt\u2019s purposeful, but not intentional.\u201d It is the colorful banter of a fighter that makes it so wonderful to watch!<\/p>\n

Finally, I\u2019d like to comment on how the show ended. Lampley will have an ongoing list called the \u201cArturo Gatti\u201d list. The fighters on this list represent what Gatti represented as the people\u2019s fighter that with his entertainment quality, he appealed to the boxing fan because he fought and gave his best performance at every opportunity. Gatti\u2019s fights with Mickey Ward are the best boxing has ever seen. In the bouts between Gatti and Ward, you could see that it was sheer will by the end of the fight. I can still see that fight and root for one over the other. The Gatti \u2013 Ward fights were on par with Rocky Balboa vs. Apollo Creed. There truly is nothing like watching boxing \u2013 when, in the ring of boxing, two boxers are merely two men just trying to survive with someone wanting it more. I\u2019ll be tuning in just to see who makes Lampley\u2019s \u201cArturo Gatti\u201d list.<\/p>\n

As I mentioned that boxing is currently at a crossroads because there is such great potential with the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao bout, I\u2019ll steal a few words a la Larry Merchant. Please forgive me. Despite the fans\u2019 complaints about boxing no longer being a sport in the next few years because of MMA, we still tune in to see the fights. For all you combat sports fans that watch both, but perhaps watch one over the other, I\u2019ll give you this. MMA fights are more brutal. MMA fights are exciting. There is appeal because you can expect the unexpected, such as a front kick by UFC fighter Anderson \u201cSpider\u201d Silva, or GSP giving a boxing clinic in the octagon. One well-timed elbow or knee and an MMA fighter can be done. I love it too.<\/p>\n

But, my love, my true love is boxing. It\u2019s still a highly contested bout that is played out like a small play and the fight emerges with who can take the punch better. Who the judges perceive as winning the bout over 12 rounds. As much criticism as there is with boxing taking too long with a decision, MMA disappoints me because once a fighter gets caught NOT looking, he\u2019s done and that\u2019s it. MMA ends too quickly. And really, every criticism one combat sports fan says about boxing, can be said about MMA. Dana White ultimately saved a sport that was on the verge of just not cutting it. There were no rules, no judging. Apparently combat sports fans need some order to two fighters battling instead of a massacre royale with blood spewing and bones being broken.<\/p>\n

With that, RSR Boxing fans, I leave you on this note. In the end, despite the lofty criticism of my true love, I remain loyal and I love boxing. I have a genuine love for the sport of boxing, but as Lampley suggests, boxing truly is a \u201cFight Game\u201d and I\u2019ll be tuning in for the next installment. As with all things I love, I\u2019m sure I won\u2019t be disappointed.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Gina L. Caliboso If you read my RSR bio, it begins with a tidbit about my love for boxing. In conversation with my brother in law this past weekend, he asked me, \u201cWho\u2019s your favorite boxer?\u201d But, with a hook (non punch type). \u201cYou can\u2019t mention Pacquiao or Mayweather. No one currently.\u201d I nodded […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[105,6254,6253,532],"class_list":["post-18991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-boxing-news","tag-boxing","tag-fight-game","tag-lampley","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18991"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18991\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}