1/ Fights are not fixed in the manner of a Guy Ritchie Film Parody, ‘Go down in the 4th or I’ll cut ya’..’ But results are effectively rigged in a variety of less dramatic ways.
2/ It is wrong to assume a fighter is making a King’s ransom just because his fights are on TV.
3/ Sparring may not be the same as fighting but it’s still hard and it still hurts sometimes.
4/ Boxing is more about rhythm and balance than it will ever be about strength and power.
5/ Journeymen don’t want to win and seldom do they actively try to win. But it’s impossible to have 100 or 200 fights without being very useful.
6/ Not all boxing managers are shady ‘spiv’ type characters who shamelessly exploit fighters like pieces of meat. Some are closer to selfless servants who invest time and money in a prospect only to be cast adrift when that fighter gets a better offer.
7/ The term AMATEUR does not equate with novice in boxing terms. There are all time great amateurs like Laszlo Papp and Mario Kindelaan and then there are useless professionals who basically only have a license because they can shift a few tickets.
8/ It is not nearly as easy to pay off judges and rig the scorecards in a major fight as some people seem to believe.
9/ Trash talk between fighters is not always a cynical ticket selling ploy. Boxers are generally intense and somewhat angry in the buildup to a big fight when they are training and dieting. The pre fight ‘needle’ is often very real.
10/ It’s a lot harder than it looks on TV.