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Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 07:53
by gobbles
From the website of the Hartwall Arena
Helsinki Boxing Night
World Boxing Council Association upper middle class World Championship
Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 07:57
by Wake up call
Yes Tarquin Spencer-James v Sir William Harding-Winsor III.
Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 07:59
by dekker88
Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 08:02
by dekker88
have their ever been any serious world title holders from the upper echelons of society?
ironically Ali is probably the most high profile middle class wc...
Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 08:04
by gobbles
dekker88 wrote:have their ever been any serious world title holders from the upper echelons of society?
ironically Ali is probably the most high profile middle class wc...
Leonard was pretty middle class
Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 08:06
by banjo
Wasn't Barrera from a successfull family?
Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 08:14
by dekker88
King Geedorah wrote:gobbles wrote:dekker88 wrote:have their ever been any serious world title holders from the upper echelons of society?
ironically Ali is probably the most high profile middle class wc...
Leonard was pretty middle class
Floyd also. Depends on your definition. James Toney's mum had an MA and her own business, or part of one.
Gene Tunney is often labelled as middle class but don't think he was born into the higher classes, he was just very affected.
Jim Corbett was a 'gentleman', or so I hear.
Floyd!!?!?
Floyd Mayweather!?!?!?

Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 08:15
by MightyWarrior
banjo wrote:Wasn't Barrera from a successfull family?
Yes, he is from a very well to do Mexican family, which is why he had the option of becoming a lawyer if he'd wanted too.
And also another reason why there was so much bad blood with Morales, who was dirt poor from Tijuana.
He always saw Barrera as something of a "junior" - which is what they call well off "daddy's boys" in Mexico.
Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 08:22
by ctid66
:surprised:
Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 08:28
by dekker88
King Geedorah wrote:dekker88 wrote:King Geedorah wrote:
Floyd also. Depends on your definition. James Toney's mum had an MA and her own business, or part of one.
Gene Tunney is often labelled as middle class but don't think he was born into the higher classes, he was just very affected.
Jim Corbett was a 'gentleman', or so I hear.
Floyd!!?!?
Floyd Mayweather!?!?!?

Yeah, didn't he live in a fairly decent area and adopted this thug persona down the line? Not saying he was rich but was similar to Tupac in many ways, different upbringing than your average 'thug' life type.
Depends on your definition of 'middle class'. Mine is:
Gay + Can Read (- By Sushi) = Middle class.
a family of dysfunctional drug addicts....which is i spose very similar to 'pac...
Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 08:35
by JamesH
Derek Chisora's family are very wealthy.
Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 08:51
by dekker88
MachoMan09 wrote:Vitali and Wladimir's father was a Soviet Air Force Colonel, which was a job with some status in the 'classless' USSR. They both did post-grad study and dress like this...

If that's not middle class, what is?
Herbie Hide went to boarding school, didn't he? Although I think it was with Rhino, so it can't have been that classy.
Nouveau riche.
Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 08:53
by TerribleTerry
Matt Macklin, James Hare
Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 08:59
by jamesmcdonnell
dekker88 wrote:have their ever been any serious world title holders from the upper echelons of society?
ironically Ali is probably the most high profile middle class wc...
Gene Tunney was pretty damned serious.
Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 09:20
by stujones
Terry,
Was it because of the Mayweather's successes in the ring that gave Floyd a more priveledged background. Or is it further down their line. If not, they've probably given him that "working class" mentality.
I'm quite fascinated by the Psychology of Floyd - particularly when it comes to his handling of money.
Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 09:45
by palooka
I don't think Ray Leonard came from a middle class home; I'm sure I read that his parents struggled and that he turned professional from a need to pay medical bills.
Doncaster Middleweight Micky Murry came from a prosperous background and he now is extremely wealthy being a big business man and land owner.
Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 10:13
by Scrap
Middleweight Mark Rowe Family were well off.
Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 10:47
by Deserter
I think James Hare was from a middle-class background wasn't he?
Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 10:48
by slapbangwhallop
jamesmcdonnell wrote:dekker88 wrote:have their ever been any serious world title holders from the upper echelons of society?
ironically Ali is probably the most high profile middle class wc...
Gene Tunney was pretty damned serious.
Tunney's ould pair were post-Famine emigrants from the West of Ireland, not exactly a socio-economic grouping which are synonymous being middle class. More like 'Lace-Curtain Irish' if anything.
Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 15:02
by Deserter
TerribleTerry wrote:Matt Macklin, James Hare
Sorry Terry, only just realised you'd already mentioned Hare

Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 15:15
by flatnoseflynn
Naseem Hamed !.........?
Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 15:25
by Deno1986
Eubank is surely from an upper class family is he?
Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 15:42
by SweetLikeSugar
Eubank was not from a wealthy family at all. He actually spent some of his childhood living in a New York ghetto.
The reason he dresses, speaks and acts in the manner he does is to perpetuate the image that he is of a higher class IMO.
Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 15:46
by SweetLikeSugar
Word.
Re: Who says you need to be working class to box?
Posted: 22 Nov 2010, 17:05
by IRLangmaid25
You also have Calvin Brock the Boxing Banker with an MA in Finance as well who use to manage his own portfolio of investments if my memory serves me correctly.