Felix Trinidad Boxing
‘Boxing’s dead.’
‘Boxing’s not what it used to be.’
‘There are no good wrestlers out there today.’
in spite of a virtual plethora of associations boasting their own version of a title, almost everybody would fail to name even one of the lads who stake claim to a form of the fragmented heavyweight championship. WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, IBO ( probably, another organization surfaced as this article was being written ), does it matter anymore?
Yet with at least 5 world heavyweight belts, can the casual observer name even one champion? If so , rest assured that person is in a rare group.
Raised on fighting, I was sufficiently fortunate to see many of the game’s greatest warriors, some in their prime. I sat impaled in front of an enormous TV that was set inside of a wooden cupboard. There were 2 round knobs to change the channels on the right side of the monstrosity, one for the UHF channels which constantly broadcast static. Somewhere within the channel choice of 2, 4, five, seven, 9, eleven, and thirteen, I witnessed Ali win his title back from Leon Spinks ; Sugar Ray Leonard win the welterweight championship from Wilfred Benitez ; Alexis Arguello fall to Aaron Pryor 2 times – I watched one or two cartoons back then too.
As I grew into adulthood, the primitive television was upgraded to one with a RC and the addition of a cable box. Between closed circuit television and cable, my fighting fix was happy with wars from some of the greatest fighters to ever lace up gloves. Duran beat Leonard. Leonard beat Hagler. Hearns beat Duran.
Is it actually critical to say’Mike’ when talking of Tyson? Nuff said.
Iron Mike was fighting’s last personality that may be recalled by the average person or casual fan. Still, most folk remember Iron Mike.
Tyson fights transcended the game of boxing. They were never fights ; they were grand spectacles : events of their own. Mike could have been pit against the Pope, Elvis, or even God ; and it would have been called’The Tyson Fight.’
Today’s fighting PPV numbers look trivial to the consistent record smashing cards that Tyson pulled even when his career was on the fall. Delahoya and Mayweather drew a record PPV number for their latest bout, but it was not without spending a large amount of cash on promotion. Commercials, print media adverts, and – for the 1st time in boxing history – a complete wire reality tv series was filmed to hype the fight.
Rules are incorporated to ensure safety and lose the barbarous savagery of a street fight. Biting and poking in the eyes are two examples of banned offensive strategies.
Though many boxers have had pre-eminence in street fights, many factors – outside of being a great fighter – come into play to account for the success. They also exercise to have great staying power. When pitting an in shape sportsman against a standard person who is not coaching, the staying power factor alone will sway the fight in favour of the sportsman. Coupled with fighting skills, you have a no contest in favour of the fighter.
Felix Trinidad came out of retirement to lose to Roy Jones Jr. And can boast that he also earned more for the losing effort than most MMA wrestlers, even champs, have earned in their whole career.
Only time will tell.
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Boxing – Does Felix Trinidad Still Have It?