incorrect boxer name

rampage · Post by **rampage** » 20 Oct 2007, 15:33

Former cruiserweight champion/Mike Tyson opponent "Alfonzo Ratliff" is listed here as "Alfonso Ratcliff". The "s" in "Alfonso" should be a "z", and there is no "c" in his last name.

rampage · Post by **rampage** » 21 Oct 2007, 15:04

Is anyone going to fix this glaring mistake, or am I just wasting my time?

alarmakool · Post by **alarmakool** » 21 Oct 2007, 18:13

SO very glaring!!

Actually, just doing a google search of both ways show several results for both ways. Wikipedia has it one way, a newspaper has it another, several sources have it one or the other. So I'll leave this up to someone who can absolutely verify it.

rampage · Post by **rampage** » 21 Oct 2007, 20:12

alarmakool wrote:SO very glaring!!

Actually, just doing a google search of both ways show several results for both ways. Wikipedia has it one way, a newspaper has it another, several sources have it one or the other. So I'll leave this up to someone who can absolutely verify it.

I'd say it is indeed glaring when a boxing database screws up a former champion's name in their records. Look in any record book ("The Ring", for example), any Tyson biography, any boxing almanac, and you'll find it printed as "Alfonzo Ratliff". Not to mention any of his fight tapes. I must be honest--I think I would trust "The Ring Almanac" and HBO more than I would wikipedia. Just a thought.

Blue · Post by **Blue** » 22 Oct 2007, 05:29

What is glaring is your impatience with a site staffed by volunteers;

I entered the correct surname “Ratliff” from notes I kept while following his career.
Alonzo, was the name most used in the press media of the day with Alfonzo and
Alfonso used a lot less. Research on his 1st name is still ongoing.

FYI, "The Ring" record book of the day was full of errors and had lost a lot of
credibility from the Don King/ABC fiasco. It was the info source for the TV media.

rampage · Post by **rampage** » 22 Oct 2007, 16:09

Blue wrote:
FYI, "The Ring" record book of the day was full of errors and had lost a lot of
credibility from the Don King/ABC fiasco. It was the info source for the TV media.

Maybe, but I think Mr. Ratliff would have corrected the TV guys if they screwed up his last name--they do prefight interviews, you know.

And yes, I am aware this site is staffed by volunteers. By and large, you guys do great work and I really appreciate the time and effort you put into the site--it is my source for most of my info on fighter's records, etc. But yes, I do get a little impatient when I try to help out with said records and I am ignored--I posted a correction, and no one replied or did anything about it. Then I posted again, and some other guy essentially told me that I didn't know what I was talking about. Furthermore, it is not the first time this has happened--I posted awhile back about an incorrect fight result, and I had to repost several times before I even got a reply--after a few days, it was finally changed.

My point is this--the database isn't perfect, and, official editor or not, we're all in this together trying to make it as accurate as possible, so it would be nice if my help were a little more appreciated (and if it didn't take several posts before the incorrect info is finally corrected). Thanks for changing it, though.

alarmakool · Post by **alarmakool** » 22 Oct 2007, 17:55

Where did I say that you didn't know what you were talking about? I made a sarcastic comment about it being "glaring." If anything, I made my ignorance known on not knowing how exactly it was spelled and couldn't come up with a definitive answer.

You made 2 posts, just under 24 hours apart on the weekend, then you're shocked that no one instantly responded. You ask for respect but you aren't giving any. You were impatient, defensive, and not very truthful about how the entire 3 posts played out...

Also I wasn't really aware the making 2 posts was "several."

Any help, on any fight, fighter, or record is greatly appreciated. Just don't be a jerk because you feel you're being ignored just because you haven't gotten a response immediately.

rampage · Post by **rampage** » 22 Oct 2007, 19:24

alarmakool wrote:Where did I say that you didn't know what you were talking about? I made a sarcastic comment about it being "glaring." If anything, I made my ignorance known on not knowing how exactly it was spelled and couldn't come up with a definitive answer.

You made 2 posts, just under 24 hours apart on the weekend, then you're shocked that no one instantly responded. You ask for respect but you aren't giving any. You were impatient, defensive, and not very truthful about how the entire 3 posts played out...

Also I wasn't really aware the making 2 posts was "several."

Any help, on any fight, fighter, or record is greatly appreciated. Just don't be a jerk because you feel you're being ignored just because you haven't gotten a response immediately.

You didn't "say" that I didn't know what I was talking about (hence the "essentially said" in my other post), but you implied that you didn't believe me when you said that you'd "leave it up to someone who could definitively answer." If I wasn't certain, I wouldn't have posted it in the first place.

There are other posts on this section of the site that got instant response/correction. Besides, since you guys are volunteers, shouldn't the weekend, when you presumably don't work, give you more time to work on the site?

I didn't give any respect? I said flat out in my last post that the people who run this database do a great job and that I appreciate their hard work.

I am not asking for respect myself, just appreciation/non-sarcastic response for my help.

When I referred to my "several" posts, I wasn't talking about this time. I was referring to the other time I posted a correction, where simialr events occured--in that case, it was "several" posts (which, incidentally, is why I was impatient--it's not the first time this has happened).

I wasn't aware I was being a jerk--just someone who wants to help out.

Blue · Post by **Blue** » 23 Oct 2007, 04:26

No one thinks U are a jerk and we appreciate all the help we can get.

When alarmakool stated he would "leave it up to someone who could
definitively answer”, he was just saying an editor familiar with the
1980’s would check it and make the correction.

We dont take heresay.
Read the announcement at the top of the forum page.
*** PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING ***
U made your first two post without any source or reference.
U also posted on busy Saturday night when most editors are
at the fights or watching one on TV in a social setting. Others
are busy searching the internet for results of the days fights.

Have U ever tried to call FightFax or a commission on a weekend?

alarmakool · Post by **alarmakool** » 23 Oct 2007, 16:15

Oh I didn't mean to imply that I didn't believe you. I just did a quick Google search to verify, found both spellings showed several result and knew I didn't have the resources to find out and would leave it up to one of the more informed editors.

rampage · Post by **rampage** » 23 Oct 2007, 17:27

Fair enough. For the record, I didn't have an official source originally--it was one of those things that I just knew, and I noticed the mistake while perusing Tyson's record. I gave you the sources afterwards. Next time I will make sure I have official sources before I post. Sorry for causing an argument.