Question:
Why dont all boxing fans appreciate the skills of Andre Ward or Floyd Mayweather Jr.?
Sean G
2011-06-04 06:53:34 UTC
I read this article today and thought i worthy of posting this question...(read and enjoy)

http://www.thesweetscience.com/news/articles-frontpage/12692-why-dont-all-boxing-fans-appreciate-the-skills-of-andre-ward-and-mayweather
Thirteen answers:
2011-06-04 09:21:59 UTC
The short answer is pure hate. There are a lot of people who love boxing buy really have no idea what it is that they are watching. If you know any thing about this sport you have to love both fighters because they give you everything they have every time out at a very hi level.They don't run and Matweather gives a masters class in boxing every time you see him. The sports writers try to down play his wins and ability but go back and watch the Marquez fight WOW!!!!
Macehualli Moquexquitzahuiani
2011-06-04 11:57:53 UTC
I do appreciate the skills of Mayweather and Ward, both are without equal as defensive talents.



But for some to say that Mayweather is "unproven" is laughable, and I don't even like the guy. He has beaten 16 world champions, I think that's proven if you ask me. For all his issues outside of the ring, his in the ring accomplishments are plenty.



@MoreHuman - Mayweather was the p4p king when he retired after beating Ricky Hatton.
2011-06-04 07:28:47 UTC
It was a good read... Thank you... The three fighters mentioned in this article are my three favorite fighters... Why?... I have been in a boxing ring, I know what it is like to make mistakes, and how bad those mistakes can hurt... I am watching all of the boxers subtle movements, and sometimes I am just in awe, of how Mayweather makes people miss by an inch and is in perfect position for a counter punch... The reason his counter punches are not with knock out power is because if he missed, he himself would then be out of position and could get caught himself... Mayweather is a perfect fighter...



Hopkins and Ward are not as fast as Mayweather, so they don't make their opponent miss entirely the way Floyd does... They have made it an art form to take the punches in places it doesn't hurt, and to tie up when the distance isn't to their liking... Never getting hit flush, and never making the big mistake...



People truly don't understand what discipline that takes, and how good of shape you have to be in to execute it flawlessly over the course of 12 rounds... Why?... 99% of people who watch boxing have never boxed... It is the same problem with MMA fans as well... Fans aren't educated about the sport, and generally want to see Arturo Gatti against Mickey Ward (2 more of my favorite fighter, but for obviously different reasons)...
Roscoe O: WE CAN WE WILL!
2011-06-04 13:56:44 UTC
Lol, I read that article and boy if that wasn't a backdoor article on Andre Ward I don't know what is! This is another example as to why he made a mistake resigning with Goossen instead of going over to the dark side with King or Arum. After beating 3 of the top fighters in boxing's best division and having a very marketable persona, even a low level site dedicated to the sport finds the need to toss in Mayweathers name in a article to help drive eyeballs.



In terms of your question, this problem occurs in all sports and here is why.



Fans of any sport are generally broken down into the following segments and each have their own attributes.



1, Base

A) Hardcore Fans- Come hell or high water they will consume everything about the sport, find some way to bring it up in dang near every conversation, will use sport specific jargon in everyday speech and generally live for the sport.



B) Die Hard Fans- Not as intense, but maintain the same characteristics of Hardcore Fans and instead of traveling often they may only do it once or twice a year.



C) General Fans- Have appreciation for the skills required for a particular sport, but generally prefer what the casual fan would call exciting.



These groups are the life blood of sports talk radio and when a sport gets little to no coverage by the real guys (JT The Brick, Ferrell on the bench, Bob Kemp, Papa Joe Chevalier etc.) it's safe to say that their fanbase is extremely small.



2. Casual Fans- Even though every sport clamors for this group and they tend to make up a large % of the fanbase, they generally have no desire to learn the technical side of that sport and often become bored during events unless the spectacular happens. Whether its a slugfest in boxing, homeruns in baseball or high scoring in football if these things don't occur they check out mentally.



3. Event chasers- These people usually don't care about sports in general, but represent the cherry on top financially and are a sure sign that a sport, franchise or athlete has reached iconic status. This is how the Cowboys and Yankees can charge astronomical prices for "luxury" suites and routinely sell them out.



If boxing as a sport doesn't begin to transition casual fans and event chasers to at least a general level there will never be widespread appreciation for the subtleties of greatness exhibited by "boring" fighters.
2011-06-04 08:56:30 UTC
i think the simplest answer is most people prefer a brawler boxer/puncher than a pure boxer



@ morehuman, when did you start watching boxing son?? you say he's unproven so you obviously dont know what your talking about lol or are you one of those who are on the bandwagon ????
bootydaddy151
2011-06-05 16:49:31 UTC
Because they are two of the dirtiest fighters in the game hands down.



Mayweather favors the frequent forearm and shoulder to your face while Ward likes elbows,butts and shoulders but even that has nothing on Bernard Hopkins,who uses any and every dirty tactic in the book and does it well.

You throw Hopkins in there and you'd have all three of the undisputed dirtiest fighters in the game.

And B-Hop has always cried and complained his whole career about not getting respect or appreciation ....

Wonder why?

And its not because he's a boring fighter just like ..Oh Ward and Mayweather.

You see a pattern here?
galactus177
2011-06-04 19:08:13 UTC
Part of your answer lies in your question. "ALL" means everyone. I say that to point out that, roughly 75% of paying customers aren't true boxing fans. They're people who have the money to attend an "event". Most true fans don't have enough money to buy ringside seats and most people who can afford ringside seats aren't true fans.



Marvin Hagler once put it best. He said "people aren't interesting in skills. All they want to see is blood and knockouts". This is very true. Ever hear the occasional cry from the crowd, "Hit him!" Most people can't even see a true boxer set up punches. They can't see why a boxer would punch a certain way or target a certain area of his opponent's body. They can't see that the boxer has detected a weakness in his opponent's defense. Most don't even begin to understand the concept of defense.



It makes me sick when I'm having a conversation about boxing and some schmekel chimes in with Rocky Balboa. It's drama and the movies were "entertainment" but I can never view a Rocky movie and think of real boxing. But it's sensationalism and people eat it up. I wish all my opponents fought like Balboa, with the dramatically telegraphed punches. I'd have been undefeated too.



With Andre Ward, I think time will win over a bigger percentage of fans. It's hard to not like him and he's a breath of fresh air to the sport. He's an excellent boxer but, like Hagler, he will mature to the fans at a slower, but more certain pace.



I'm sure you've seen most of Floyd Mayweather's fights. The best example I can think of is Arturo Gatti. Take one of Gatti's action packed fights. You can even pick one he lost and you will still see that he provided the fans with a lot of action. Now, take his fight with Mayweather, which is not long after some of his best fights. Gatti certainly didn't decline much in the few years preceding his fight with Mayweather. Naturally, the Ward triolgy would take something out of any fighter but, for the most part, Gatti was still active and, against certain types, still effective.



Mayweather declared that Gatti is a "C+" fighter. It might sound mean but he was only stating a fact. By comparison, it's a mismatch. The difference wasn't the condition of the fighters. It was the skill level. Mayweather was able to hit Gatti at will and made him look like the C+ fighter he mentioned before the fight.



To be honest, I don't think it's Floyd's skill that people don't appreciate because, if you look at the Gatti fight, the Hatton fight and some of his other fights, he didn't do a lot of running. He just couldn't be hit by the opponent. I think even "casuals" can appreciate that. I think the problem with Mayweather, as far as the appreciation of fans goes, is his behavior outside the ring.



As a die-hard fan, I can appreciate the art and skill of a boxer. I can admit that there are some fighters who aren't very pleasing to watch. I'd rather gauge my eyes out than watch a John Ruiz fight. But that's me. I think most can appreciate Mayweather's skills and, in time, they will appreciate Ward as well. It's Floyd's behavior outside the ring, and the whole debacle with Pacquiao, that people are turned off by.



Still, people want to see blood and knockouts. That's just nature. Humans do have a barbaric side. But, I'd bet if you could give Mayweather's talents to a different fighter, people would appreciate that fighter as much as anyone. Mayweather has a right to make his own path. But there will always be those who aren't happy with it.
?
2011-06-04 10:09:31 UTC
i remember enjoying ali's sweet science...neva failed to watch his fights when i was a boy...



then i got bored...only started watchin again when tyson came...

but still buys ali's unforgetable fights from the local video store...

simply cuz he was matched w/ brawlers w/ intense power



slick alone bores me now after i enjoyed tyson's power...

specially when slick fighters are just throwin pillows...



it must be brawlers and a combination of both slick-brawler, i guess,

that makes me enjoy boxing nowadays...

and mma
Kun Aguero
2011-06-04 07:26:19 UTC
I'm not going to read that article way to long lol. But I haven't watched any Andre Ward but I have seen a lot of Floyd Mayweather Jr. he is my favorite fighter by far. The reason I think boxing fan's don't appreciate his skills is because people don't appreciate the sport right, like people will just be watching Mike Tyson just jumping into the ring and going all out looking for the first round knockout and thats what people expect from every boxer so when they watch Floyd Mayweather Jr they think it's boring because he actually boxes people he doesn't brawl, thats also why I think people hate on Floyd Jr and love Manny Pacquiao because Pacquiao is a brawler and tries to end fights and is always on the attack. It is kind of like when people watch UFC they want to see stand up fighting and when it goes to the ground and submissions come in they think it's boring, but I much prefer the style of Floyd Mayweather Jr and prefer submission fighters in UFC because the are technician's and are true master's of the sport's.
Tyler Durden
2011-06-04 07:19:30 UTC
There are few real boxing fans out there that have either experienced what it takes to even be near the level that it takes to compete at a world class level....,so in answering your question for the average fare weather fan that has no clue the type of dedication and training that is involved how is it even possible for them to appreciate what it is that they do not even grasp.....
2011-06-04 10:29:01 UTC
Sean G, with all due respect, you keep on insinuating that people don't appreciate Floyd Mayweather Jr's skills. That is complete fallacy. Even most radical Pacquiao fans appreciate Floyd's skills. It's just too dumb not to take note of such great boxing skills. What people don't appreciate is his out of the ring antics. His racial rants, continuous ducking, disrespect for fellow boxers, disrespect to the fans, baseless alegations, woman beating, egotistic character, being a menace to society, and all those things which I'm quite sure you already know. Don't confuse boxing skills with everything else in his life.



Now as for Andre Ward, I'm a little new to that. Ever since he convincingly beat Kessler I've been sold on Ward. He may not have the best style because it's headbut-prone but he is certainly among the best in his division. I just think he completely lacks charisma. You can't make people like him no matter how great his skills are. Floyd has almost zero charisma as well, so he resorted to being the bad guy to get the people's attention. Maybe Ward should do that as well, or something else that will make up for his lack of charisma.
2011-06-05 16:43:58 UTC
I do appreciate them both.Sean as you know ive simply wanted to see more of Ward.Lately ive been rethinking my opinion of him.A woman is entitled to change her mind right?Well im getting there.Floyd has always been my favorite fighter so there is no such controversy there.I will continue to watch Ward and save any judgments towards him till i see a reason to judge him.I am glad you're so cool about your fighter Sean and With all the respect for you i will never disrespect your fighter.Ive never heard you actually do that towards any fighter.Only the facts you give.Im grateful for that.Besides 1 out of 2 ain't bad.We share Floyd and hopefully after this fight Ward as well.Floyd does have it all.God ! im glad to read this.I fight for him like im getting paid.On and off the internet.Give me a chance to do the same for Ward.
Astro Creep
2011-06-04 07:49:27 UTC
I can't appreciate the skills of



talking trash,

demolishing good image of a fellow boxer,

a false accusation

Beating his own wife,

beating up a security guard,

beating up his own children.....etc.. etc... etc....



by the way... nobody likes this skill... how about you?



but his skills in the ring , he's good, but not proven, and untested till he fought the real #1 P4P



he claims till today that he is the #1 P4P , that is a lie too.


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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