The Art of Boxing

There are those who think of boxing as a sport that is barbaric and animalistic. I concur. And I am enthralled and thrilled with these and all the other disturbing things about boxing. The notion that two people are in a ring, pummeling each other, and strategizing the best way to win against their opponent, is amazing to me. It is the one of the few brutal thing in this world that is sanctioned by a governing body that allows the public to sit and look at opponents, some of whom are women, try to, essentially, kill each other. I have always loved boxing as it is raw and intense. There is no talking. There is no pretense. One boxer must try to physically hurt the other so much that they are unable to continue the match. Though this blatant brute force is the primary necessary requirement one needs to be a successful boxer, there is also a requirement of intelligence and cunningness. Many a fighter has used his brain and not just his brute force to beat his opponent. Such is the case of a fighter who is aware an opponent always drops his right hand after throwing a left hook. That smart boxer then knows to go in for the kill with a stiff left upper cut to the jaw. And down his opponent will go. Quickly to the canvas of the ring will travel the face of the opponent who telegraphs his moves to the savvy boxer. He will be laid out while his victorious ring mate raises his hand in victory, knowing not only his brawn, but brains were utilized expertly.

I like boxing because of its fairness. The best wo/man wins. S/he who is smart and cunning wins. No nepotism, cronyism, sexism, racism - none of the isms of the world - is involved in an honest bout. It is simply the gladiator who was smart enough and/or strong enough who will be victorious. That person who put in the work of training for months - perhaps denying themselves the carnal pleasures of drinking, smoking, staying up late, and devoted themselves to mastering the art of boxing, and then got into the ring - it is he who will be victorious after a fight that was played out fairly. Boxing, to me, is what life should be. Boxing is very base. If you put in the work, do the right thing, you will be victorious. And if you lose, you do so knowing you tried your best. Each opponent started out with the knowledge they would be entering a challenging situation, and both started out evenly. Both are opponents of the same weight class and approximate abilities. The rest is up to the individual to train enough and strategize correctly to win the battle.

Boxing is brutal, but fair. It is much more fair than life. Some persons are born with advantages of money and other prominence, while many are born to impoverished circumstances. Those who are born with the proverbial silver spoon in their mouths will subsist in a society that will reward them because of who they know and how much money they have in their bank accounts, while those who were born to common folk will have to claw their way up a slippery slope to achieve the kind of prominence, monetary and otherwise, that silver spoon kids are handed at birth. The playing field is very uneven in real life, while in boxing, it is supremely level. So level that when a defeated opponents' face smashes into it, they maybe be lullabied to sleep. I appreciate boxing and watch it as often as I can, knowing that the brutality I am viewing is not gratuitous, that it represents a fairness that I can only hope would happen in real life.