BOXING FANS MAKE BETTER LOVERS

I don't know about you, but thoughts seem to dance most often across my mind when I'm in the middle of a workout and today as I was on the treadmill, my favorite whipping boy Tiger Woods led me on a path to a most interesting conclusion. I was chuckling to myself about his 'sexual addiction' excuse for what seems to be the millionth time and started to think about all of the now suspected sexual addicts that I know based on Wood's assessment and list of symptoms for this 'disease'. Seems to me that sexual urges are as basic an animal instinct as our tendency to get violent once in a while and that it is more a matter of self control and discipline then an addictive problem that would afflict a drug addict for example. My point is that I don't buy it and I never will. But that led me to wonder what does it take to have that self control. I imagine that the person should possess the following traits: loyalty, perseverance, patience, understanding, generosity, the ability to compromise, passion and above all love. As I ran thru that list it clicked then and there for me that those are the very same qualities that have kept me and millions of other boxing fans loyal to a sport that often time can be cruel to its followers. So my conclusion, to all those out there looking for a soul mate who will stick by them thru thick and thin, date a boxing fan.

Seems like I just jump from one topic to the other but that is how my mind works as I struggle to control my breathing, concentration, and try not to look at the treadmill watch as I keep on running to no where. Boxing fans, out of all sports fans have taken the most amount of s....suffering. Our sport has been marginalized out of the mainstream showing up here and there with a mega fight that might attract mainstream news coverage from time to time, some of our champions are unrecognizable to the average person on the street, has way too many weight classes to follow, corrupt officials, postponed fights, the occasional bad judge's decision, we're being overshadowed by the freak show that is mixed martial arts, golf (GOLF FOR GOD'S SAKE!), NASCAR (the wheels of the car go round & round, round & round, round & round) and now even poker. But the true boxing fan keeps coming back for more like an unfortunate spouse suffering from battered wife syndrome.

But we come back because we know that under all the crap is a diamond in the rough. Boxing is the only sport in which you can find art in violence (see little Pacquiao take apart men larger than he with speed and power), drama (review epics like Corrales-Castillo, Gatti-Ward, Leonard-Hearns, Barrera-Morales), redemption (Holyfield-Tyson 1, Hopkins-Trinidad, Douglas-Tyson) and more underdog stories that you could ever find in any other sport. Boxing fans know how to appreciate special things when we find them because we know that they may not show up again for a long time (postponed fights, dream fights that never happen, or fights that turn out to be a dud). And there a lot of special things going on right now that are vindicating the love of boxing fans, we are living in the age of Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather is getting in the ring with Shane Mosley, Showtime has put together the excellent super middleweight tournament and HBO is rumored to be following up with a junior welterweight version, we have an exciting middleweight champ in Kelly Pavlik, more and more great matchups are being made each year. We can't have it all apparently; see the heavyweight division, but the relationship between boxing fans and the sport is truly a give and take proposition and it seems that the sport is in give back mode right now.
So anyone out there with baggage let me point you in the direction of a boxing fan, we can take whatever you got. We know how to roll with the punches and give as good as we take. Boxing fans will stay true to you, we will never betray you, and when you sag (like the heavyweight division) we will stick by you because we always hold out for the comeback. The boxing fan is used to disappointment and with such lowered expectations is not that hard to please. The boxing fan is also a fan of action and passionate about it, so be ready to rumble if you know what I mean. The boxing fan has long been fed up with the corrupt bureaucrats who govern the sport so it makes it almost impossible for the boxing fan to use an excuse like 'sexual addiction' to excuse our misdeeds.

Don't believe me, do the research yourself. Baseball, basketball, and football fans are spoiled and used to getting what they want making it harder for them to obtain the traits discussed above to sustain a meaningful relationship. Golf and tennis fans are snobs (although I like tennis), soccer fans are volatile and prone to riots, and bowling fans are slobs. Sandra Bullock next time bypass that NASCAR fan and try a boxing fan. All of you reading these words, try a boxing fan, if you see one give them a hug or a kiss, you won't regret it.

DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts above are that of a man at the point of exhaustion, running on a treadmill for what seemed to be over an hour and doesn't necessarily reflect the views of the author when he is of sound mind and body. Any offense taken by tennis, soccer, baseball, bowling, football and MMA fans is strictly unfortunate and coincidental.

UPCOMING:

This Saturday night is the big rematch between heated rivals Bernard 'The Executioner' Hopkins and Roy Jones, Jr. The bout will take place at the Mandalay Bay hotel & resort in Las Vegas, Nevada and will be available on pay per view.

Also this Saturday will be a WBA heavyweight title fight from England between WBA champion David Haye and former champ John 'the Quiet Man' Ruiz