How Important is Personality?

[surfthehurf]

I've been thinking a lot recently about a certain fighter and his lack of charisma. The nice guy in me says give him a break, he likes to let his gloves do the talking, which is why I haven't called him a 'boring fk' on YouTube videos.
But I actually can't understand how on earth anyone can be an international level sportsman without being able to show a bit of passion in interviews. I mean I'm a shy guy who gets nervous talking in front of a group, but heck I can show a bit of grit when I need to :x

Lennox Lewis was quiet but still eloquent and interesting. Scott Quigg is quiet but still gets across his love of boxing and passion for training. Can a phenomenally good boxer be successful if they could put a glass eye to sleep?

[Coco]

Hamed's and Calzaghe's personalities never had you on the edge of the seat!
Duran, Chavez and Pac-Mans English wasn't really good enough to make them worldwide 'personalities'
They all did their talking in the ring.

[Rexob]

Hamed's and Calzaghe's personalities never had you on the edge of the seat!
Duran, Chavez and Pac-Mans English wasn't really good enough to make them worldwide 'personalities'
They all did their talking in the ring.

Hamed was pretty funny in the interviews he used to give?

[ThereByTheGrace]

Very important. Ali was the greatest sportsman ever and his personality was a strong part in that. People who dont watch or have ever watched boxing know who he is that's very powerful.

[bripez]

Hamed's and Calzaghe's personalities never had you on the edge of the seat!
Duran, Chavez and Pac-Mans English wasn't really good enough to make them worldwide 'personalities'
They all did their talking in the ring.

The boxers you mention (apart from Calzaghe in my opinion) all had an aura or an indefinable likeability factor, so they can get with not being a raconteur.

[mickey1975]

Hamed's and Calzaghe's personalities never had you on the edge of the seat!
Duran, Chavez and Pac-Mans English wasn't really good enough to make them worldwide 'personalities'
They all did their talking in the ring.

Duran and Chavez's lack of English added to their aura, I think.

[bripez]

Hamed's and Calzaghe's personalities never had you on the edge of the seat!
Duran, Chavez and Pac-Mans English wasn't really good enough to make them worldwide 'personalities'
They all did their talking in the ring.

Duran and Chavez's lack of English added to their aura, I think.

I would agree with that - an aura of menace that is actually enhanced by their accents / not speaking English.

[handsofstone]

Ali had the biggest personality of anyone in any sport or any walk of life for that matter

I like listening to Hopkins,i dont agree with some of the stuff he said especially before the Calzaghe fight but when it gets down to discussing boxing and fights,he doesnt come out with the same tired stuff most of the others do,Mayweather puts me too sleep in his interviews,Khan is the same,they say the same stuff before every fight and just recycle it for the next opponent

Fury is great value because he doesnt take himself too serious when he makes his statements,Bellew is a good talker too,so is Groves

[mickey1975]

I find Hopkins incredibly boring. He constantly repeats himself. I feel like I've done his jail with him. I think Fury is a great personality, because he is 100% genuine and couldn't care less what people think. He's so up and down you never know what's coming next. Loved Hatton in the early days, but once he realised he was viewed as the boy next door, he ruined it by going on and on and on... about it. He still goes on about going to his local and his council estate , which looks pretty nice, actually. Luke Campbell has a good personality, too.

[Coco]

Hamed's and Calzaghe's personalities never had you on the edge of the seat!
Duran, Chavez and Pac-Mans English wasn't really good enough to make them worldwide 'personalities'
They all did their talking in the ring.

Duran and Chavez's lack of English added to their aura, I think.

I would agree with that - an aura of menace that is actually enhanced by their accents / not speaking English.

Only because they could fight, if you do your talking in the ring personality is much less important.

[ILikeBeer]

Like it or not, popularity matters a lot more than skill in boxing. If you can't sell fights, than you won't progress as far as somebody who can.

Look at Tyson Fury. He has very little chance of beating Klitschko, but because he prattles on about cancer, Klitchko's underpants and the fact that he believes David Price to be a homosexual plumber he has somehow managed to get fan interest in this fight.

[banjo]

Hattons 'lad-next-door' persona got tired because it was as if he was the only professional sportsman who stayed around the same city he grew up in.

Frank Bruno was popular because he was the typical lovable oaf that Brits tend to like.

Froch has a massive chip on his shoulder as if he's the only sportsman to do things the hard way.

[veriton]

I've been thinking a lot recently about a certain fighter and his lack of charisma. The nice guy in me says give him a break, he likes to let his gloves do the talking, which is why I haven't called him a 'boring fk' on YouTube videos.
But I actually can't understand how on earth anyone can be an international level sportsman without being able to show a bit of passion in interviews. I mean I'm a shy guy who gets nervous talking in front of a group, but heck I can show a bit of grit when I need to :x

Lennox Lewis was quiet but still eloquent and interesting. Scott Quigg is quiet but still gets across his love of boxing and passion for training. Can a phenomenally good boxer be successful if they could put a glass eye to sleep?

Terry Flanagan? He makes Scott Quigg look like a world class raconteur.

[mickey1975]

Like it or not, popularity matters a lot more than skill in boxing. If you can't sell fights, than you won't progress as far as somebody who can.

Look at Tyson Fury. He has very little chance of beating Klitschko, but because he prattles on about cancer, Klitchko's underpants and the fact that he believes David Price to be a homosexual plumber he has somehow managed to get fan interest in this fight.

What about the far inferior boxers to Tyson thar Wlad has boxed with zero personality? People go on like he's talked his way into it when actually he's more deserving than most.

[surfthehurf]

I like it how nobody has named the specific guy I'm talking about in the thread. Also, I'd never had Hopkins down as a dull person.
Terry Flanagan may be a right laugh for all I know. BN fighters don't get enough exposure.

[magwitch]

Hattons 'lad-next-door' persona got tired because it was as if he was the only professional sportsman who stayed around the same city he grew up in.

Frank Bruno was popular because he was the typical lovable oaf that Brits tend to like.

Froch has a massive chip on his shoulder as if he's the only sportsman to do things the hard way.

Would Frank Bruno have been more or less popular in Britain if he'd been a ruthless S.O.A.B. that could knock them over like nine-pins, at the world level, like his nemesis Mike Tyson?
Well you're getting into what makes different fan types here.....he'd have had a lot of respect, but he would have been less popular imho. Like you say, Brits love an oaf that nearly makes it. There's a certain protection that not being too successful brings.


As for Ricky Hatton. He's a phenomenon - of that there is no real doubt. Good for the sport, good for the fans of boxing in this country. Now for the 'but'.....Hatton was perfectly geographically poised to be a big success imo. There was already a bit of a boxing scene around Manchester at that time and Hatton, with his all action style (which is to take away nothing from his considerable ring smartness), his down-to-Earth personality - and not least his willingness to talk about Manchester City a lot, was the perfect storm.

[palooka]

Personality or quick wit is useful for marketing or television but not essential for boxing or life, most people who fancy themselves as personalities are dicks.

[forcefraser]

I like it how nobody has named the specific guy I'm talking about in the thread. Also, I'd never had Hopkins down as a dull person.
Terry Flanagan may be a right laugh for all I know. BN fighters don't get enough exposure.

Please tell us who it is. You know you want to.

Hopkins is a racist egomaniac.

[surfthehurf]

I like it how nobody has named the specific guy I'm talking about in the thread. Also, I'd never had Hopkins down as a dull person.
Terry Flanagan may be a right laugh for all I know. BN fighters don't get enough exposure.

Please tell us who it is. You know you want to.

Well he's fighting tonight at the O2

[mickey1975]

Apparently he has a very nasty streak in him and has been extensively media trained.

[Shambles]

Apparently he has a very nasty streak in him and has been extensively media trained.

Bit harsh, I've heard that Cornish is a lovely man.

[ILikeBeer]

Apparently he has a very nasty streak in him and has been extensively media trained.

Bit harsh, I've heard that Cornish is a lovely man.

[johnswan1]

Joshua doesn't have to say anything interesting or controversial. He's the golden boy of British boxing. He's good looking and comes across as friendly, humble and is always smiling outside of the ring while inside it he has a really nasty streak. That counts as personality.

For me Calzaghe is the most boring personality in British boxing history.

[danamba7]

I don't get the want or need for AJ to be a bad lad. He has a good balance of being respectful outside the ring but savage inside it. He has that aura that you could easily be mates with him but don't fornicate him over coz he'll take ya head clean off.

[ILikeBeer]

I don't get the want or need for AJ to be a bad lad. He has a good balance of being respectful outside the ring but savage inside it. He has that aura that you could easily be mates with him but don't eff him over coz he'll take ya head clean off.

Neither do I.

Haven't we got enough in boxing trying to look hard? It's boring.