In boxing, if a fighter doesn't leave the sport on time, something bad is likely to happen.
Most major sports benefit from the fact that betting by the general public fuels fan interest and boosts television ratings. The Super Bowl and 'March Madness' are prime examples. But sports other than boxing draw a clear line where betting by participants is concerned.
Betting by insiders has a corrosive effect. It breeds suspicion, adds to the appearance of corruption, invites more corruption, and, in a sport like boxing, puts lives at risk.
Marciano was an idol in a simpler era, when professional athletes were heroes and sportswriters were complicit in building legends rather than exposing them. To the public, all that really mattered was that Rocky had 49 wins in 49 fights and retired in 1956 as the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world.
Professional fights between men and women send the message that violence between men and women is appropriate. In most homes, that's not a fair fight, which is why I'm against intergender boxing.
I'm sure there is an infinite number of men who Ann Wolfe can knock out. I'm one of them.
Unlike most sports playing fields, a boxing ring is a temporary structure.
No brawler in boxing is more crowd-pleasing than Arturo Gatti.
The bloodsuckers around Tyson are always looking for one more payday, and some people will always be willing to pay to see Iron Mike fight.
Mike Tyson has become larger than life.
If a Hollywood studio needed a fighter to play the hero in an old-time boxing movie, the search could begin and end with John Duddy.
Women's boxing has received a major boost from the success of 'Million Dollar Baby.'
Laila Ali is boxing's real-life million-dollar baby.
Boxing is systemically corrupt.
One can construct a strong legal and ethical argument for minimizing the fees that are paid to world sanctioning organizations in conjunction with championship bouts. It's not uncommon for skilled fighters to be denied championship opportunities while less-talented but better-connected boxers fight for belts.
In boxing, as with other government-regulated activity, the integrity of public records should be preserved.
It's unlikely that Arturo Gatti will ever be in a boring fight.
There are hundreds of young fighters whose handlers believe them to be a future world champion or the next great heavyweight or another Sugar Ray Robinson. The young men who inspire these beliefs are known as 'prospects.'
