BoxRec

The term bum has long been used to describe certain fighters. Its part of boxing tradition/history.Sometimes it is thrown around a little loosely. I dont use it very often because I know that it takes a pair to climb through those ropes. I have a lot of respect for fighters . I know how tough it is. Its an honorable trade and life at its best. I would like to hear posters thoughts on what makes a fighter a bum, and hear some examples. I am not being critical really, I know that the term is part of boxing tradition. I just want to hear some thoughts.I am curious.

It's used as a derogatory term for a fighter who basically isn't any good, the sort of fighter who will fold after one or two rounds against any half decent opponent.... personally I would never refer to any fighter as a bum, or any person at all for that matter, ...it is perhaps acceptable for a fighter to call a fellow fighter a bum, like they sometimes do, but I think a non boxing person calling a fighter a bum is just showing disrespect and ignorance,

>>>Leon Spinks was one of the greatest amateurs ever, but as a pro, he was a bum. <<<

A bum would never win a world title! Eric Crumble was a bum, Simmie Black was a bum...Leon Spinks was not!

>>>Well, technically, Jack Dempsey was a hobo, which is a nice way of saying that he was homeless, and therefore a "bum," and he won a World Title.<<<

Technically, that is incorrect. No where in any dictionary does being homeless signify a "bum" and nowhere does it say that hobo and bum are of the same ilk, or meaning!

That's just a synonym for the word...it's not a definition!

I still have not seen where hobo and bum are the same...besides...the word vagrant was never mentioned!

>>>Continuing on is just a waste of space.<<<

Since when has that ever been a concern of yours?

You will...for some reason I doubt that, so why don't you surprise me and actually do it! I don't know, maybe it's because you continue to try to stir things up every other day. It's seems like you are alright for a day, but then you come right back the next day. But like I said in another thread...I would gladly rather make an error in grammar on an internet message board any day as opposed to making countless incorrect statements about the topic of boxing!

A bum is often defined as being a scrounger, a loafer, someone who is useless... this is why homeless people are often refered to as 'bums'.
The hobo is generally different to someone who is 'homeless' as they were often looked at with a degree of respect... most hobos travelled the country looking for work, so were by no means loafers or good for nothings.
Regarding Spinks, Leons crime was that he couldn't handle his success or defend himself against the multitude of vutures who fell upon him when he won the title... but he had one of the biggest hearts of any fighter I've seen, even when he was totally washed up, and he never bit an opponents ear off or anything like that etc... so I think its grossly unfair to label the guy a bum....

With regards to Boxing the term 'bum' is not a phrase I like to use for various reasons, but if I was pushed to describe what I would define a 'bum' as, it would be a fighter who almost constantly gets into the ring and looks for a way to 'fall over' at the earliest possibility.

KOJOE90 wrote:With regards to Boxing the term 'bum' is not a phrase I like to use for various reasons, but if I was pushed to describe what I would define a 'bum' as, it would be a fighter who almost constantly gets into the ring and looks for a way to 'fall over' at the earliest possibility.

Yeah but even fighters like that deserve respect, boxing wouldn't survive without those guys. Really I think bum should be used for people who are dishonest, and bad of character... calling someone a bum is saying that they are the lowest of the low etc... I don't think poverty or a lack of talent as a boxer makes you a bum...

>>>With regards to Boxing the term 'bum' is not a phrase I like to use for various reasons, but if I was pushed to describe what I would define a 'bum' as, it would be a fighter who almost constantly gets into the ring and looks for a way to 'fall over' at the earliest possibility.<<<

Good post and like Silkov stated, even those guys deserve respect for having the balls to get in the ring, even if they do lose, but someone who manages to win a world title...well the term does not even come close to fitting, but some people just have no respect for fighters, which is rather amusing considering that most who make the claim would never step into a ring!

I remember back in the mid 70s just before my third Golden Gloves fight, another fighter who I thought was really good, was stopped on a tko in a pretty good fight. At the time he was just a novice, maybe 17 years old. After my fight , later that evening I asked his so called trainer about his fight, what happened etc. His reply was he, meaning his fighter was a bum. I never forgot that.