Do you Need to have Boxed to be a Fan?

[thepocketrocket]

It gets mentioned a lot when people are 'debating'. The "what would you know, you have never laced a pair gloves on" line is designed to show the other persons opinion to be worthless.

But can a non-fighter at least empathise with what is going on? And because you have fought, does that make your opinion inherently right?

Thoughts?

[whiskey]

If not fought then at least gone down the gym, hit the bags, hit the pads and maybe gotten in and done a few sparring sessions.

A serious fan will have at least done that in my opinion. Get a few shots off and felt a few rib benders to see what the craic is.

You can often tell those that have, and those that have not - because they think like it's Street Fighter or Top Trumps cards "Oh he is faster and has more power so he gets an 8 and the opponent has less power and less speed so he is a 6, therefore he loses" without any regard to how their styles mesh and other circumstances.

Certain promoters feast on that limited thought process which is so common in our sport. They feed in faded stars and people that have no chance to make their man look good, when in reality the first time they come across a proper opponent who can fight and can whack - they get smoked or win by the skin of their teeth, whereas they looked super human until then.

Participation opens up your eyes.

[TJ77]

No not really it may make you have a better understanding of what it takes to get fighting fit.And the nerves ,pain and emotional factors of fighting but I know fighters and ex fighters who are not fans of the pro game at all.I also know very knowledgeable fans who have never been near a gym.
If you are a true fan of boxing you will not only enjoy the spectical of the fight.
But want to understand the training sacrifice and mentality that goes into making a fighter.
I am sure there are people who are not physically able to have ever boxed or done any sport and are unfortunately confined to a chair.
That does not mean they cant understand or love boxing as much as you or I.
I love Arsenal but don't draw on my old sunday league experience its a separate thing.
The stigma you mentioned in your op does exist but anyone who would say that probably wasn't worth talking too anyway .

[lefty]

It reminds me of the mentality that used to exist in football that you had to of been a top player to be a top manager. The likes of Mourinho, Wenger and co put that one to bed.

[JC]

It depends a bit on what's being discussed.

Some things you can judge from watching a lot of fights, following a lot of careers, studying form, etc. Other things I think you need some kind of first hand experience to really understand.

But either way there's always going to be someone with more experience/knowledge than you.

[Bennyblanco]

I think it certainly helps you realise how tough of a sport it is, if not just the pain of taking a punch then the fitness needed

[stevieb_8006]

It's like saying you have to play an instrument to enjoy music.

[tallsdav]

^^ nah it's really not like saying that at all.

Go to any boxing event, 90% of people there would be out of breath just thinking about the gym. Yet they all think they are experts on footwork, hand speed, conditioning, fight tactics etc.

It's fine to have an opinion but most people put their opinion across as fact, without having punched anything but the wall when the mrs wouldnt fetch more beers from the fridge.

Fact.

[tonyevs]

It's like saying you have to play an instrument to enjoy music.

Spot on mate


The people who insist you have to have fought/sparred (because they had some limited experience) are very often the worse type of boxing fan.
But the guys who have achieved something will no doubt have a better understanding.

[Lenny Cravats]

I don't think so. I boxed at a gym for 2-3 years as a teenager. It taught me how to box, but nothing I didn't already know about boxing - if you get what I mean.

[chad]

If that was the case boxing would be left with hardly any fans.

[SamWise72]

There are some very astute readers of a fight on here who, as far as I know, have never boxed. You only need to listen to some commentary to know that even some who have boxed at the highest level don't know much. It's not an exact science.

[lefty]

There are some very astute readers of a fight on here who, as far as I know, have never boxed. You only need to listen to some commentary to know that even some who have boxed at the highest level don't know much. It's not an exact science.

Yeah I agree. There's a lot of people who think that because they've boxed or because they train people that they're experts. In a logical sense you'd think that was the case but there's a lot from that background who are rubbish at reading fights.

[expe]

Dean Powell never boxed and he was not only a fan, but a trainer, cutman, second, manager and matchmaker and the lack of in ring experience did him no harm at all.

[ThereByTheGrace]

I don't think so. I grew up where my family had all fought, so I learned loads just from watching and listening from the outside.

[stevieb_8006]

It's like saying you have to play an instrument to enjoy music.

Spot on mate


The people who insist you have to have fought/sparred (because they had some limited experience) are very often the worse type of boxing fan.
But the guys who have achieved something will no doubt have a better understanding.

yeah exactly, its macho bullshit

[ajwesty13]

i used to do boxing to get fit absolutely loved it.... then got in the ring with a 18 year and he was told to go easy on me ... in my head i laughed but i caught him with a right hook i didnt laugh much after that he hit me so hard i saw noise.....

but i agree with

It's like saying you have to play an instrument to enjoy music.

[handsofstone]

I broke my hand in my first sparring session

[ajwesty13]

Yeah I agree. There's a lot of people who think that because they've boxed or because they train people that they're experts. In a logical sense you'd think that was the case but there's a lot from that background who are rubbish at reading fights.

yeah mcrory automatically springs to mind :)

[stevieb_8006]

^^ nah it's really not like saying that at all.

Go to any boxing event, 90% of people there would be out of breath just thinking about the gym. Yet they all think they are experts on footwork, hand speed, conditioning, fight tactics etc.

It's fine to have an opinion but most people put their opinion across as fact, without having punched anything but the wall when the mrs wouldnt fetch more beers from the fridge.

Fact.

u could argue that 90% of music fans would be lost if they were left in a recording studio without any previous experience, that doesn't invalidate their opinion in any way. you can still appreciate Floyd mayweathers ability to not get hit without having the know-how to do it yourself. You can still admire carl frochs courage without wanting to go there personally.

Boxing fans can be so snobbish. a percentage think they have a superior "claim" on the sport. so the late dean powell knew nothing cos he never boxed? allegedly knows nothing cos he never boxed?

Your opinion doesn't have to be the correct 1 for you to like something. im no good at snooker but still enjoy playing it.

[greenyox3]

You don't have to have boxed to be able to hold an informed opinion. However I do feel that you need to have, at least, spent some time in a gym to have a true appreciation of technique and what a fighter puts himself through. So it certainly helps, and in some cases that experience will play a part in your opinion-forming process.

But as for people who boo at fighters, call them "bums" or anything similarly derogatory, while they swill their beer and munch on their chips whilst sat on their useless fat ar$es - those people should be subjected to torture in the form of a full professional training session with a coach in a bad mood.

[kamicazze]

There's aspect of it to both. Like for instance if I'd never attempted it when playing footie I'd have no idea how hard a bicycle kick or volley is.

[tallsdav]

I broke my hand in my first sparring session

cool name.

[jonp]

To be a fan of course not to have an opinion of course not to have an opinion where you can back it up with some first hand experiance it helps.

If we were on here debating how hard it is to drag yrself out for the last round in a tough fight or to get up of the floor and come back to win,to walk out in front of a huge crowd and control your nerves then i would listen to every body talking but i am going to give more weight to the people on here who have actualy done it.

If we were chatting about how to treat a cut and mick williamson joined in the conversation i think it would be lunacy to say that a man in the streets point held as much weight as micks.

Saying that i know boxers who are very shallow on the background of boxing and even tactics they just know how to fight cant explain how they do it.

Another example is Andrew hartley and Charly zellonoff have both boxed but i would take the experiance and knowledge of 90 percent of posters on here over them.

When i hear fans and interested parties saying what a fighter should have done in a certain situation i find it amusing sometimes.it would be like me telling a marathon runner to pick up the pace in the last three miles I havnt done a marathon I couldnt do a marathon and i would feel daft trying to tell a bonofide runner what hed done wrong from veiwing a race i thought he could have done better in.

[lefty]

To be a fan of course not to have an opinion of course not to have an opinion where you can back it up with some first hand experiance it helps.

If we were on here debating how hard it is to drag yrself out for the last round in a tough fight or to get up of the floor and come back to win,to walk out in front of a huge crowd and control your nerves then i would listen to every body talking but i am going to give more weight to the people on here who have actualy done it.

If we were chatting about how to treat a cut and mick williamson joined in the conversation i think it would be lunacy to say that a man in the streets point held as much weight as micks.

Saying that i know boxers who are very shallow on the background of boxing and even tactics they just know how to fight cant explain how they do it.

Another example is Andrew hartley and Charly zellonoff have both boxed but i would take the experiance and knowledge of 90 percent of posters on here over them.

When i hear fans and intersted parties sayig what a fighter should have done in a certain situation i find it amusig sometimes.it would be like me telling a marathon runner to pick up the pac in the last three miles I havnt done a marathon I couldnt do a marathon and i would feel daft trying to tell a bonofide runner what hed done wrong from veiwing a race i thought he could have done better in.

I agree with that. Certain things for sure only a boxer who's been involved in them can fully understand.