The Rabid Crowds

By Boxing News - 09/17/2013 - Comments

canelo7677by Jordan Capobianco: The rabid crowds liked it when Lucas Matthysse knocked people out. They wanted to see him knock more people out. They wanted to see him knock Danny Garcia out. They thought he could because he had knocked lots of people out before, and they were seduced by his ability to do it.

But then he didn’t knock out Danny Garcia.

And the rabid crowds remembered that Garcia was a masterful, undefeated champion. And they remembered that no fighter has ever been able to compensate for Garcia’s left hand. And they looked at Matthysse’s right eye and it was almost poetic. And seeing the poetry of the experience, some were less rabid.

But the still-rabid crowds called for a rematch.

The rabid crowds liked it when Saul “Canelo” Alvarez knocked people out, too. He was young and strong and fast and he could take a punch and he fought toe-to-toe. And they said “Maybe Alvarez will knock out Floyd Mayweather!” And the rabid crowds got really excited.

But then Mayweather put on a masterclass, and literally taught Alvarez a boxing lesson. And the rabid crowds remembered why Floyd Mayweather is considered the best boxer in the world, and how many world champions he’s beaten, and how effortlessly he makes world-class boxers look like amatuers, and it was poetic. Exhibitions of Mayweather’s phenomenal, almost miraculous boxing ability always are. And some were less rabid from the experience of seeing it.

But the still-rabid crowds said Mayweather fought like a coward.

Our sport is not called knockouts. Our sport is called boxing. Let us never fall prey to the influence of the rabid crowds.



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