BoxRec

You were supposed to kept that quiet!

This forum is great. It's full of knowledgeable people who although don't always agree, usually agree to disagree. I think the moderators do a good job of keeping posts that are unrelated to boxing away.

It would a pity if you would stop your work on the site as you have put a lot of time into it and in my opinion done a good job this is not the first time this situation has arisen regarding people being abusive and sadly may not be the last.

barry is a very helpful bloke and people should be fully aware of this and has helped me on a number of occasions. there are several people who appear to use the forum as a means of annoying people and I have gotten sick of it in recent months and stayed away as I have better things to do frankly.

I have always thought that Barry was one of the best boxing men out there in terms of thorough research and true love for the history of the sport. I have many times asked Barry for things on some very obscure fighters and he has always done his best to get me accurate and detailed information. It is guys like Barry that keep the history of the sport alive and it is only guys with his willingness to get their noses dirty and dig through hundreds of reels of microfilm that will keep the history accurate.

That being said, it saddens me to see a good thread ruined by infighting and childish bickering. I wanted to chime in many times on the Langford-Norton thread but chose not to get in the middle. There were some obvious gaps in knowledge and understanding and the entire thread just melted down into a cat fight. I will say that I am like Barry in that when I see posters dismiss fighters they obviously know little about and make assumptions to the negative about those fighters, ie Klondike and Bill Tate, it angers me. I like Barry want to correct those fellows and tell them that they are making a mistake.

I do not watch much boxing today and I don't really know much about today's fighters etc. I therefore choose not to comment much on them, because I don't have the solid information base to make accurate comments on them. I think far too often, someone can read something in a magazine or on the web--a blurb or paragraph, on a fighter and feel that they know all about them. or worse, sometimes guys see a film of an old timer and immediately dismiss them as "awful". It is a shame really.

Thank you Rob...I'll type out what I found for Ike Bradley and send it to you, sorry I hadn't done it sooner...I didn't find anything for 1914 and only found three bouts and three articles for him in 1913...it's not a lot, but as many of you guys know, a little ifo here and a little info there can often add up. I'll try to get it typed out tomorrow. What is the address of your website...it's one that everyone should check out if they haven't already...Rob has done a great job researching and he's really good writer.

Thank you Kevin...I actually was going to get you to chime in about Tate and Haines, but after it got ugly there wasn't any more talk about the topic. For those of you who don't know RowanSmith is in fact Kevin Smith who has two books (Boston's Boxing Heritage and Black Genesis: Volume 1) out on early African-American boxers and a new one (Volume 2 on early African-American boxers) to be out sometime soon...when are you going to have it published Kevin?

Kevin is one of the most qualified people in the world to speak on early African-American fighters and he knows more about those fighters than anyone that I know, certainly a lot more than I know.

Collins2000 wrote:
>>>that's ok barry, any time. I'd appreciate it though if you'd stop sending me unsolicited PMs. I don't really want a new pen pal.<<<
Decagon wrote:
>>>I could do without the PMs, as well<<<

Collins2000 and Decagon---You both have sent me PMs as well, but I sent you both PM's to keep it off the forum, as that is in the forum rules and that is what people are suppose to do, it’s in the rules read them some time, but as you both just demonstrated (sorry Collins2000, I deleted your post), you again are only trying to seek attention by even mentioning the PM’s. Do you think anyone really cares about any PMs you get from me, or vice-versa, or do you really think I care that you mentioned it? What's next, posting the actual private messages here on the forum...I could care less personally...there is nothing said in the PMs that wasn't in the arguments on the two forum threads, except now the statements from me were where they belong...in a PM and not wasting space here on the forum.

I know it must be really, really sour and difficult for you two to swallow after you both ranted about what a bad moderator I was and called out on how I should quit, but as I said in this thread here…if the respected members of this forum felt that the forum was being moderated poorly then I would gladly quit, but as you both see, the respected members of the forum have in fact spoke very much in favor of how the forum is being moderated and it seems that everyone likes this forum very much, even Decagon, though he did jump at the opportunity to mention the one PM that I sent him yesterday.

Like I told both of you in PMs, the reason this forum is popular, other than the fact that there are very good and very knowledgeable forum members and interesting threads and topics, is because certain people are kept in check and they are not allowed to run rampant insulting people as they please, starting arguments and generally just seeking attention and wasting space.

Now if you two want to respond anymore to me personally, continue to do so in PM’s like you have been doing anyway, but if you continue to try and keep it up here on the forum then I'll have no other alternative but to request to John Sheppard that you both be banned...now I really don’t want to do that and whether that happens, or not will be entirely on you...but I am not going to have any more of this bullshit on the forum so either keep it in PM’s like you had done, or get over it and move on!

There is also no need for either of you two to try to respond to this post anymore because this is not going to be another argument thread for you two, it’s a thread for the forum members to speak on how they like, or dislike the forum and how they feel about how it is moderated. You both managed to stay out of the thread for only one day, but really there is no need to continue with anything else because I will delete it. I already wasted one day arguing with you two and I'm not going to do it again as I have a lot better things to do with my time than waste it. If you two want to have public forum arguments find another website!

Thank you Rob...I'll type out what I found for Ike Bradley and send it to you, sorry I hadn't done it sooner...I didn't find anything for 1914 and only found three bouts and three articles for him in 1913...it's not a lot, but as many of you guys know, a little ifo here and a little info there can often add up. I'll try to get it typed out tomorrow. What is the address of your website...it's one that everyone should check out if they haven't already...Rob has done a great job researching and he's really good writer.

thanks mate its just a case of getting little bits as is the way with things.Its going to be so good sending what I can get to his grandson - he lives in Texas. I think Rowan sums matters up very well by the way. all the best mate. the link is on the posts - I must send you a old pair of my glasses mate

>>Barry wrote: "Well I certainly have to say thank you guys for the support...it really means a lot considering that I have never had any debates and don't really know close to half of you."<<

Barry, I'm not sure what you mean by saying you've never had any debates. Honestly, I've seen you debate lots of posters on here. Not only that, I've seen you insult a lot of posters on here.

As a moderator, Barry, you have a lot of knowledge about boxing. But, that doesn't mean that you are right 100% of the time.

As a moderator, I think you're too involved in this forum. You SEEM to want to way in on almost every subject and speak your piece about it. And then, if someone disagrees with you, you immediately attack that person.

Now, I haven't seen you get involved in that kind of verbal war lately with anyone. But, I haven't been here lately.

With that said, I think posters here appreciate the time & effort you put into this site. I just think you need to be a little more "behind the scenes", if you know what I mean. And this is written with all due respect, so I hope you keep this posted after I send it.

Well I am not going to delete a thread just because someone writes something negative, but you and I had a very heated argument for a pretty good while a couple of months ago until a truce, which you initiated and which I respected you for and I have not responded to any thread that you have been a part of since then, and you had not any that I was in either, but you are certainly wrong about several statements that you say in this post, which I'll respond to, but not in a I'm right and you're wrong, pissing-contest kind of way!

>>>Barry, I'm not sure what you mean by saying you've never had any debates. Honestly, I've seen you debate lots of posters on here. Not only that, I've seen you insult a lot of posters on here.<<<

No, I don't insult a lot of posters! You are just plain wrong about that. The only time I insult someone is when someone else resorts to it first toward me and then yes I will respond in kind and I usually do not try to pull any punches, I'll go straight for the jugular. I'm sure there have been a couple of instances where I was completely at fault for starting an argument, but I never just insult someone for the hell of it; I never have and I never will. Also what I meant by having no debates is several of those who spoke up in this thread and stated that they really like the forum and had no problem with how it is moderated are forum members that I have never had any discussions with about boxing, meaning that they had not had any good debates, or any bad debates with me...they were the perfect types to weigh in because they had no reason to be bias one way, or the other and being that the large majority spoke positive, well then I must be doing a pretty good job!

>>>As a moderator, Barry, you have a lot of knowledge about boxing. But, that doesn't mean that you are right 100% of the time.<<<

I've never tried to claim that I am right about everything, and I've never tried to claim that I know everything. In all honesty though, I really do know a hell of a lot about boxing history, which I am not saying to try to brag, but it is the truth though there are many who know a lot more than I do and there is a lot that I have to learn and I usually learn something new every day, but when someone spends time of every day to read, or research some area of boxing history and the person does it for 20+ years, well he/she is going to know a quite a bit of whatever it is they study.

Also, I have no problem when someone expresses their opinion, or when someone disagree's with me, although I think some may be nuts at times they have their right to an opinion, but I most certainly do not like when someone tries to mock me...no one does and alot of times that is usually what gets an argument started, but I also cannot stand for someone to try to pass an incorrect statement off as a fact...opinion, fine, but screwing with actual facts for whatever reason really pisses me off because I know how much time, effort and money that many people, including myself, put forth to try an correct the mistakes in boxing history. If someone makes an incorrect statement about facts then if I know the correct answer, or correct statement I will try to correct it of which I do not do in a manner where I would try to act like a know-it-all, but as I said before, some people cannot stand being wrong and that will sometimes start an argument. I don't care to be wrong and when I am I really enjoy for someone to fill me in on the right answer.

>>>As a moderator, I think you're too involved in this forum. You SEEM to want to way in on almost every subject and speak your piece about it. And then, if someone disagrees with you, you immediately attack that person.<<<

I have to be involved…that’s why you don’t see as much bullshit as you might in other forums on the net, but not only that, I also love to talk boxing and just because I am a moderator well that sure as hell should not mean that I should not talk about whatever I want, or respond to any thread that I chose, just like anyone else. As to me wanting to weigh in an almost every topic, well that is just completely wrong…I am very selective about what topics I respond to and out of all the topics that appear, I might be responding to between 1 and 3 for every ten that appears, so that is far from wanting to weigh in on everything and I never just attack someone because they disagree with me...that's just bullshit and a big load of it!

>>>Now, I haven't seen you get involved in that kind of verbal war lately with anyone. But, I haven't been here lately.<<<

There hadn’t been in a while until a few days ago when it was with two people again, just like it was with you and someone else and me a couple of months ago, though I don’t recall who the other was, but being that you said that you haven’t been on here lately, then how can you say that I want to weigh in on almost every topic…If you have not been around then you don’t know what I respond to and what I don’t, but like I said, I am very selective about what I respond to!

>>>With that said, I think posters here appreciate the time & effort you put into this site. I just think you need to be a little more "behind the scenes", if you know what I mean. And this is written with all due respect, so I hope you keep this posted after I send it<<<


Well I enjoy talking about boxing too much to be more behind the scenes. As to moderating, rarely do I ever have to say anything to anyone because this forum has some good members who are not only very knowledgeable, but also very adult. I have been in several arguments through the years, but as I have said, rarely am I ever the one who starts it and a lot of times I should just ignore it, but sometimes it isn’t so easy, especially when the person starts ranting about me being a moderator, so that is why I posted this thread because two certain people were making that very same chant, so I decided that if the members of the forum really though that the forum was being moderated poorly and that I was doing a bad job then I would gladly quit the post that I volunteered for, but from the rather large majority who have spoke on this thread it appears that they are very happy with the forum and also with me.

I don’t do this for any kind of power-trip, I don’t do it because I think it might give me some kind of credibility, as I already have that from most of my peers who research boxing with the exact same dedication as I do, I don’t do it because it pays well because it doesn’t pay anything…I do it because I love the history and sport of boxing and I want a forum where we all can discuss the history of the sport without some jerk-off jumping in every topic with something ignorant, or abusive to say so I try to keep a close eye on things so if things of that nature do start I can delete it, but rarely do I ever have to delete anything from this forum, which is because of the decency, maturity and knowledge of the members who post!

We're each entitled to our opinions.

Hey Wolver, havent seen you for a while, thought you died! Were ya sick or something? Anyway we all missed ya.

Did you drop back in just to deliver a load of crap to barry? He was runnin short and almost ran out!