Opposites
In my weekly column for The Fight Network (I have no idea whose idea it was to called the piece or my column "Boxing Reality, by the way), I wanted to say something about HBO's recent policy of bringing in no-hope opponents for their main events ( Alfonso Gomez, Gary Lockett, and David Diaz in the last few months. I could have mentioned Steve Forbes too.) My suggestion was that willingness to get beat up for money wasn't inherently a boxing virtue. Neither is it something people should have to pay to see.
I tried to make the point that it was inexcusable to use a fighter like David Diaz in a fifty dollar PPV fight.
http://www.thefightnetwork.com/news/boxing/596/charles_farrell__boxing_reality
In todays' The Sweet Science, Ron Borges contributed a long column written specifically to laud David Diaz. He cited his bravery and willingness to be beaten beyond all reason. The overwhelming majority of comments supported Ron's position.
http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/6037/tss-salute-david-diaz/
It amazes me that he and I can look at the same fight--the same fighter--and come to completely opposite conclusions about what we saw.
posted by Charles Farrell @ 10:00 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Different value systems. Coverage of any topic, including of course boxing, is filtered through your own preferences and even prejudices. If you enjoy seeing guys get beaten up in hopeless encounters, then you like HBO.
The difference in our viewpoints is more fundamental than that. I'm willing to assume that Ron Borges doesn't enjoy seeing guys get beat up. I think this is about issues of masculinity--what it takes to be a man. A "real man" will take a beating when necessary. David Diaz remained, through his stoicism, a "champion" in Ron's eyes. For me, Diaz would have remained a champion if he'd beaten Manny Pacquiao. His degree of manhood would have remained unchanged, win, lose, or draw; indeed it would have remained the same if he'd run out of the ring at the first sign of trouble. I wouldn't have thought much of him as a fighter, had he done that. But, after watching him get beat up for nine rounds, I don't think much of him as a fighter now. That's not a condemnation of his character.
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