Whenever I see a RINGSIDE special, I rarely ever see the "dark side" of the fighters careers, you always see the "best" of them. To me, its all nostalgia and all "fine and dandy" but I think it's selling people short. There has to be a downside to the upside, else how can you really show off what the fighters were really made of?
Take for instance, Muhammad Ali. Now its all great to show him defeat Liston, Foreman and Frazier...but they always stop at Manila...they refuse to show the decline of a great and illustrious career. And I can understand paying tribute to a great fighter by showing his greatest fights, but if you want an accurate overall portrayal, you need to show the rest.
Show Ali against Jimmy Young, show Ali against Alfredo Evangelista, show Ali against Earnie Shavers, show Ali's final battle with Norton, show the matches with Leon Spinks, and yes, show the Holmes and Berbick fights...show the public what happens when you take one fight too far.
Myself I dont see how the Shavers-Ali bout was "bad" at all, it was arguably his last great ring performance, and the Norton fight was very competitive, they ARE good fights...and the Holmes fight, while as sad and heartbreaking as it was, showed the courage and toughness of Muhammad Ali, and the Berbick fight showed that EVERY fighter, no matter how far gone, has one last great fight/moment left in them, as Ali staggered Berbick in the 5th.
Why not show that other side?
RINGSIDE: Biased?
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I Feel Fine
- Heavyweight
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I'm not sure that they have the rights to those fights. There's usually big gaps in those Rinside shows, especially with more modern fighters. I don't recall them showing Ali-Frazier I or Ali-Frazier II either.
Sort of irrelevent, anyway. I wouldnt want to see Robinson's last forty or so fights. I don't think they show Hoylfield's last 10 or so fights on his Ringside special. They stop at Douglas with Tyson's Ringside show, where's the whole second half of his career? Ali is not the only fighter to have a bad ending to his career, not by a long shot.
Sort of irrelevent, anyway. I wouldnt want to see Robinson's last forty or so fights. I don't think they show Hoylfield's last 10 or so fights on his Ringside special. They stop at Douglas with Tyson's Ringside show, where's the whole second half of his career? Ali is not the only fighter to have a bad ending to his career, not by a long shot.
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HomicideHenry
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Yeah, I agree there is alot of gaps in those shows, and I did notice that Tyson's stopped at Douglas as well...which I find odd, considering Tyson for another decade was still the biggest draw in boxing, though he really didn't defeat anyone of any real importance.
But I do think it is relevant, considering (least with Ali) that his wins over Shavers, Spinks and Norton were some of his "greatest" victories, despite being passed his prime.
I was also a bit disappointed with the Foreman special, as well. They talked about the Cooney fight but didn't show it, they even mentioned that Foreman continued fighting on until 1997, but they stopped the show after he defeated Moorer in 1994. Too many inconsistancies.
But I do think it is relevant, considering (least with Ali) that his wins over Shavers, Spinks and Norton were some of his "greatest" victories, despite being passed his prime.
I was also a bit disappointed with the Foreman special, as well. They talked about the Cooney fight but didn't show it, they even mentioned that Foreman continued fighting on until 1997, but they stopped the show after he defeated Moorer in 1994. Too many inconsistancies.
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I Feel Fine
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Yeah, I only saw the Foreman one once, and a while back, but I don't recall them showing his Frazier rematch, the Young fight. You'd expect those as well.
Obviously I agree that if you're doing a full overview of Ali's career you have to show the ending, but I think like every great fighter, you can sort of tell when Ali's career should be done. Sort of like Charles after Marciano or Robinson after Basilio.
Obviously I agree that if you're doing a full overview of Ali's career you have to show the ending, but I think like every great fighter, you can sort of tell when Ali's career should be done. Sort of like Charles after Marciano or Robinson after Basilio.
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HomicideHenry
- Heavyweight
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They broke the Foreman special into two parts, one was when he was in his prime and the second was simply called "The Comeback", they rarely showed any of the fights that put Foreman back into the running for a title shot, especially Cooney (which was the 'turning point' for George), only showing Holyfield and Moorer.
And sure, you can usually tell when the "end" is inevitable, but with Ali the Frazier fight in Manila made it appear that the end wasn't near, considering it was one of the greatest fights of all time; it just leaves the casual fan (not us die hard fans) to wonder what happened next.
It's sad, I think, that a whole generation doesn't really realize that Ali had fights with Dunne, Coopman, Evangelista, Shavers, Norton for a third time, Young, exhibitions with Inoki and Alzado, Spinks...its almost as if a whole life time is missing from the picture, that there was a more vulnerable time for "The Greatest" you know?
As far as Robinson is concerned, he did have some last few hurrah's in those last 40-50 fights of his, and they were good fights, though it is apparent that after his last bout with Gene Fullmer he was never quite the same and was going down hill, but his fights with Terry Downes, Joey Giardello, etc are a bit of history, and if truth be told, Robinson's "past best" record (in his last 41 fights) was 27-10-3 with 1 NC (?) and that's a record some fighters today would probably be proud to own themselves.
And sure, you can usually tell when the "end" is inevitable, but with Ali the Frazier fight in Manila made it appear that the end wasn't near, considering it was one of the greatest fights of all time; it just leaves the casual fan (not us die hard fans) to wonder what happened next.
It's sad, I think, that a whole generation doesn't really realize that Ali had fights with Dunne, Coopman, Evangelista, Shavers, Norton for a third time, Young, exhibitions with Inoki and Alzado, Spinks...its almost as if a whole life time is missing from the picture, that there was a more vulnerable time for "The Greatest" you know?
As far as Robinson is concerned, he did have some last few hurrah's in those last 40-50 fights of his, and they were good fights, though it is apparent that after his last bout with Gene Fullmer he was never quite the same and was going down hill, but his fights with Terry Downes, Joey Giardello, etc are a bit of history, and if truth be told, Robinson's "past best" record (in his last 41 fights) was 27-10-3 with 1 NC (?) and that's a record some fighters today would probably be proud to own themselves.
down side of boxing careers of famous fighters
ESPN Classic and Ringside doesnt appear to have any problem of not having fights to show of the downside of Joe Louis's boxing career,such as the fights with Ezzard Charles and
Rocky Marciano.
Although ESPN classic use to show the Ali vrs Larry Holmes fight numerous times which was always dificult to watch.
Also notice on the George Foreman Ringside show,they didnt show any of Foreman's comeback after the Rumble IN The Jungle 1975-1977?
I always thought that period was interesting.
Im sure a few years ago,ESPN Classic had showed Foreman vrs Lyle,Foreman vrs Frazier II and Foreman vrs Jimmy Young.
I really dont think a boxing fan on ESPN's pay roll or at least some knowelegable on the staff there either puts those shows together anymore,probably just some knucklehead interns who know didddly or just dont care about boxing history.
Rocky Marciano.
Although ESPN classic use to show the Ali vrs Larry Holmes fight numerous times which was always dificult to watch.
Also notice on the George Foreman Ringside show,they didnt show any of Foreman's comeback after the Rumble IN The Jungle 1975-1977?
I always thought that period was interesting.
Im sure a few years ago,ESPN Classic had showed Foreman vrs Lyle,Foreman vrs Frazier II and Foreman vrs Jimmy Young.
I really dont think a boxing fan on ESPN's pay roll or at least some knowelegable on the staff there either puts those shows together anymore,probably just some knucklehead interns who know didddly or just dont care about boxing history.
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I Feel Fine
- Heavyweight
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Foreman vrs Lyle
Yeah, I have seen it too on ESPN Classic,although curiously they show it once in aBlue Moon,like once a year at 3 in the afternoon on a weekday.
I use to see it once a year,but have not seen it or listed last last couple of years on ESPN Classic.
On the George Foreman Ringside,they were discussing it as one of the greatest fights of all time,and Burt Suger even has it in his book Greatest fights of all time,but they didnt show it,just talked about it for a minute.
Maybe some on the ESPN Classic archives staff lost,stole the only print they had.
I use to see it once a year,but have not seen it or listed last last couple of years on ESPN Classic.
On the George Foreman Ringside,they were discussing it as one of the greatest fights of all time,and Burt Suger even has it in his book Greatest fights of all time,but they didnt show it,just talked about it for a minute.
Maybe some on the ESPN Classic archives staff lost,stole the only print they had.
Ali vrs Norton
The LEGENDS OF THE RING series now on the SPIKE channel
have shown Ali vrs Norton I,they also shown (I think)
Ali vrs Norton II and selected rounds of Ali vrs Norton III.
Those use to be 2 hour shows,however I noticed in the repeats Ali vrs Norton I has been wittled and abridged down to an hour show,the last few times THE SPIKE CHANNEL has aired them.
have shown Ali vrs Norton I,they also shown (I think)
Ali vrs Norton II and selected rounds of Ali vrs Norton III.
Those use to be 2 hour shows,however I noticed in the repeats Ali vrs Norton I has been wittled and abridged down to an hour show,the last few times THE SPIKE CHANNEL has aired them.
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sockdolager
- Heavyweight
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- Joined: 17 Jun 2005, 08:57
Decagon wrote:I get pissed off at Ringside as well. It did a report on Sugar Ray Leonard's brilliant upset win over Marvin Hagler, but didn't include how after the press conference, he took a HUGE diarrhoea shit. I was in the stall next to him, and it was disgusting. Ringside unfairly focuses on the non-defecation-related aspects of fighters' careers.
