Billy Joel Saunders license suspended in UK

[brilo33]

Don't see why he couldn't just fight somewhere else. (after Corona that is) This is not the kinda thing that would warrant suspension in most Boxing commissions surely.

While it was stupid, and pointless, and not funny. I would also hope he didn't apologize for it.

It's time people stop apologizing for offending whiners. If you're offended hey, stay in your house and watch Sesame Street because in the real world people say sh*t you don't like sometimes.

No need to be a whiny little p*ssy everytime you disagree with something someone said or did.

whats your views on mike tyson ?

[oogiebe]

Don't see why he couldn't just fight somewhere else. (after Corona that is) This is not the kinda thing that would warrant suspension in most Boxing commissions surely.

While it was stupid, and pointless, and not funny. I would also hope he didn't apologize for it.

It's time people stop apologizing for offending whiners. If you're offended hey, stay in your house and watch Sesame Street because in the real world people say sh*t you don't like sometimes.

No need to be a whiny little p*ssy everytime you disagree with something someone said or did.

Dude comes out of nowhere and picks up the slack for Ronny J.

[gilgamesh]

It won't be just feminists and snowflakes who get offended by this sort of thing.

I'm sure there are plenty of good women out there who have suffered from domestic abuse who will be appalled by BJS' piss poor attempts at humour.

A ban under the current circumstances is pretty pointless, but the board have to be seen to do something.

Boxers have a bit of a reputation among the masses of being mindless brutes. This sort of thing doesn't help that image.

Plenty of boxers are decent guys and a lot (including BJS) do a great deal for their communities, but that doesn't make the news, this sort of thing does. So the board need to clamp down on it even if it is only to save a bit of face.

Why? Why is it their responsibility what a boxer says outside of the ring?

Is it a rule in Boxing that Boxers are required to be role models?

You're fighting for a living. If people love you or hate you. What's the difference?

[gilgamesh]

Don't see why he couldn't just fight somewhere else. (after Corona that is) This is not the kinda thing that would warrant suspension in most Boxing commissions surely.

While it was stupid, and pointless, and not funny. I would also hope he didn't apologize for it.

It's time people stop apologizing for offending whiners. If you're offended hey, stay in your house and watch Sesame Street because in the real world people say sh*t you don't like sometimes.

No need to be a whiny little p*ssy everytime you disagree with something someone said or did.

whats your views on mike tyson ?

Exciting fighter. Piss poor behavior outside the ring (and inside the ring sometimes) got him Prison time, and a lengthy suspension, and he continued after his time was served in both cases.

What does that have to do with anything? Tyson definitely did far more egregious sh*t than Saunders.

[margaret thatcher]

Silly billy has a long record of stupidity

[gilgamesh]

Silly billy has a long record of stupidity

I know about it. I remember the paying a hooker to hit a guy or spit on him or some sh*t.

Even that, it's a matter for the Police. Not the Boxing commissions to handle.

[brilo33]

whats your views on mike tyson ?

Exciting fighter. Piss poor behavior outside the ring (and inside the ring sometimes) got him Prison time, and a lengthy suspension, and he continued after his time was served in both cases.

What does that have to do with anything? Tyson definitely did far more egregious sh*t than Saunders.

whats worse then as tyson got a license and fought after coming out of jail,

[gilgamesh]

Exciting fighter. Piss poor behavior outside the ring (and inside the ring sometimes) got him Prison time, and a lengthy suspension, and he continued after his time was served in both cases.

What does that have to do with anything? Tyson definitely did far more egregious sh*t than Saunders.

whats worse then as tyson got a license and fought after coming out of jail,

Right. After serving his sentence, and serving out his suspensions.

Nothing to do with this situation. Not sure what your point is. You seem to be asking provocative questions just to start arguments.

[gilgamesh]

The poll doesn't have any options that I'd click on.

For me it'd be.

No, It was offensive, but it's not the Commissions place to make a ruling on something like this.

[brilo33]

The poll doesn't have any options that I'd click on.

For me it'd be.

No, It was offensive, but it's not the Commissions place to make a ruling on something like this.

to be honest i see your earier post and totally agree with you

[brilo33]

It won't be just feminists and snowflakes who get offended by this sort of thing.

I'm sure there are plenty of good women out there who have suffered from domestic abuse who will be appalled by BJS' piss poor attempts at humour.

A ban under the current circumstances is pretty pointless, but the board have to be seen to do something.

Boxers have a bit of a reputation among the masses of being mindless brutes. This sort of thing doesn't help that image.

Plenty of boxers are decent guys and a lot (including BJS) do a great deal for their communities, but that doesn't make the news, this sort of thing does. So the board need to clamp down on it even if it is only to save a bit of face.

Why? Why is it their responsibility what a boxer says outside of the ring?

Is it a rule in Boxing that Boxers are required to be role models?

You're fighting for a living. If people love you or hate you. What's the difference?

it dont make any difference

[candyslim]

everyone who took part of this poll, what are your thoughts on mike tyson? or beranrd hopkins ? out of interest

As a rule I tend to separate the boxer from the man and look only at his achievements in the ring. It's the same with music - finding out the guy is a total arsehole isn't going to (consciously) affect my opinion of his music. A highly intelligent and very good friend of mine found out from social media that one of his favourite authors was just such an arsehole, and told me he'd never read another word that man had written and that he'd disposed of his complete works to-date.

I said that in my view that made little sense.

[keirw]

It won't be just feminists and snowflakes who get offended by this sort of thing.

I'm sure there are plenty of good women out there who have suffered from domestic abuse who will be appalled by BJS' piss poor attempts at humour.

A ban under the current circumstances is pretty pointless, but the board have to be seen to do something.

Boxers have a bit of a reputation among the masses of being mindless brutes. This sort of thing doesn't help that image.

Plenty of boxers are decent guys and a lot (including BJS) do a great deal for their communities, but that doesn't make the news, this sort of thing does. So the board need to clamp down on it even if it is only to save a bit of face.

bjs hasnt got any domestic abuse charges against him, i dont think he has even been to court in his life,what are people becoming ,

I didn't say he did.

[keirw]

It won't be just feminists and snowflakes who get offended by this sort of thing.

I'm sure there are plenty of good women out there who have suffered from domestic abuse who will be appalled by BJS' piss poor attempts at humour.

A ban under the current circumstances is pretty pointless, but the board have to be seen to do something.

Boxers have a bit of a reputation among the masses of being mindless brutes. This sort of thing doesn't help that image.

Plenty of boxers are decent guys and a lot (including BJS) do a great deal for their communities, but that doesn't make the news, this sort of thing does. So the board need to clamp down on it even if it is only to save a bit of face.

Why? Why is it their responsibility what a boxer says outside of the ring?

Is it a rule in Boxing that Boxers are required to be role models?

You're fighting for a living. If people love you or hate you. What's the difference?

Because boxing is a sport and as a champion BJS is a representative of that sport (whether he likes it or not).

I am not personally offended by his behavior and it won't affect whether or not I will watch his next fight, but I fully understand why the board took the decision.

If he played football, rugby, cricket or tennis he would have recieved similar punishment.

[Enlightened-One]

Why? Why is it their responsibility what a boxer says outside of the ring?

Is it a rule in Boxing that Boxers are required to be role models?

You're fighting for a living. If people love you or hate you. What's the difference?

Because boxing is a sport and as a champion BJS is a representative of that sport (whether he likes it or not).

I am not personally offended by his behavior and it won't affect whether or not I will watch his next fight, but I fully understand why the board took the decision.

If he played football, rugby, cricket or tennis he would have recieved similar punishment.

Do you feel the same way about all fighters, regardless the geographical region they reside in?

There are US-based fighters that have expressed similarly offensive remarks, that were not intended to be jokes, but they all escaped punishment (i.e. Hopkins, Wilder, Haney, Kovalev etc.).

Put it this way, Deontay Wilder has frequently conveyed a passionate desire to “take a life” and was also arrested and charged with being in possession of marijuana, but he not only escaped punishment, he also wasn’t criticised by fight fans.

And yet Saunders tells a controversial joke, similar to one of Jimmy Carr’s domestic violence jokes, and somehow Billy Joe receives a suspension (that may have cost him millions of dollars) and is also aggressively lambasted by fight fans and the media.

I get what you’re saying though, Saunders is guilty of bringing the sport into disrepute, but we either have to apply our moral rules/standards consistently or not at all.

Out of interest, have you ever expressed a demand to this forum calling for the suspension of another fighter that conveyed a controversial remark outside the ring? I really do hope that you have.

[keirw]

Because boxing is a sport and as a champion BJS is a representative of that sport (whether he likes it or not).

I am not personally offended by his behavior and it won't affect whether or not I will watch his next fight, but I fully understand why the board took the decision.

If he played football, rugby, cricket or tennis he would have recieved similar punishment.

Do you feel the same way about all fighters, regardless the geographical region they reside in?

There are US-based fighters that have expressed similarly offensive remarks, that were not intended to be jokes, but they all escaped punishment (i.e. Hopkins, Wilder, Haney, Kovalev etc.).

Put it this way, Deontay Wilder has frequently conveyed a passionate desire to “take a life” and was also arrested and charged with being in possession of marijuana, but he not only escaped punishment, he also wasn’t criticised by fight fans.

And yet Saunders tells a controversial joke, similar to one of Jimmy Carr’s domestic violence jokes, and somehow Billy Joe receives a suspension (that may have cost him millions of dollars) and is also aggressively lambasted by fight fans and the media.

I get what you’re saying though, Saunders is guilty of bringing the sport into disrepute, but we either have to apply our moral rules/standards consistently or not at all.

Out of interest, have you ever expressed a demand to this forum calling for the suspension of another fighter that conveyed a controversial remark outside the ring? I really do hope that you have.

I'm not calling for the suspension of any fighter, I just understand the boards decision on this and am frankly bemused by the amount of people who don't.

I personally wasn't offended by his comments, they were just crap jokes.

Wilder, Hopkins, Haney etc... probably should have received punishment for their behaviour too. The fact they didn't doesn't mean nobody else should ever be.

[Enlightened-One]

Wilder, Hopkins, Haney etc... probably should have received punishment for their behaviour too. The fact they didn't doesn't mean nobody else should ever be.

Fair enough, but it seems that most fighters are allowed to get away with certain inappropriate conduct by the sports governing bodies, the media and fight fans, whereas others (the minority) can’t.

The rules/standards aren’t being applied consistently, hence the reason why I feel a light-hearted “joke”, even a rubbish one discussing controversial subject matter, shouldn’t result in a fighter temporarily losing his license, receiving a fine and also (potentially) missing out on a highly-lucrative career opportunity.

Jimmy Carr regularly tells shocking jokes about domestic violence and the only difference between what he does and Billy Joe’s poor attempt at humour, is the fact that his one-liners are funnier, but that's because being a comedian is his full-time job.

So I’m basically saying that the rules have to be applied consistently, either punish all fighters for bringing the sport into disrepute or none of them.

[gilgamesh]

Because boxing is a sport and as a champion BJS is a representative of that sport (whether he likes it or not).

I am not personally offended by his behavior and it won't affect whether or not I will watch his next fight, but I fully understand why the board took the decision.

If he played football, rugby, cricket or tennis he would have recieved similar punishment.

Do you feel the same way about all fighters, regardless the geographical region they reside in?

There are US-based fighters that have expressed similarly offensive remarks, that were not intended to be jokes, but they all escaped punishment (i.e. Hopkins, Wilder, Haney, Kovalev etc.).

Put it this way, Deontay Wilder has frequently conveyed a passionate desire to “take a life” and was also arrested and charged with being in possession of marijuana, but he not only escaped punishment, he also wasn’t criticised by fight fans.

And yet Saunders tells a controversial joke, similar to one of Jimmy Carr’s domestic violence jokes, and somehow Billy Joe receives a suspension (that may have cost him millions of dollars) and is also aggressively lambasted by fight fans and the media.

I get what you’re saying though, Saunders is guilty of bringing the sport into disrepute, but we either have to apply our moral rules/standards consistently or not at all.

Out of interest, have you ever expressed a demand to this forum calling for the suspension of another fighter that conveyed a controversial remark outside the ring? I really do hope that you have.

I don't recall ever pushing for a fighter's suspension for any reason. It at least makes sense to me if they're coming off of a bad KO loss, and they're being suspended for medical reasons. Or they failed a PED test or something.

[keirw]

Wilder, Hopkins, Haney etc... probably should have received punishment for their behaviour too. The fact they didn't doesn't mean nobody else should ever be.

Fair enough, but it seems that most fighters are allowed to get away with certain inappropriate conduct by the sports governing bodies, the media and fight fans, whereas others (the minority) can’t.

The rules/standards aren’t being applied consistently, hence the reason why I feel a light-hearted “joke”, even a rubbish one discussing controversial subject matter, shouldn’t result in a fighter temporarily losing his license, receiving a fine and also (potentially) missing out on a highly-lucrative career opportunity.

Jimmy Carr regularly tells shocking jokes about domestic violence and the only difference between what he does and Billy Joe’s poor attempt at humour, is the fact that his one-liners are funnier, but that's because being a comedian is his full-time job.

So I’m basically saying that the rules have to be applied consistently, either punish all fighters for bringing the sport into disrepute or none of them.

Yeah, inconsistency is rife in boxing. The fragmentation is a huge contributor to that, as it means bans are effectively a pay cut for the body who dishes it out. As fighters can just cross the road and get a licence elsewhere.

The cases you mentioned were in the US, the fragmentation is even worse there with every state making it's own decision.