04/20/24
February 17, 2002
The debate as to where and when the Tyson-lewis fight will happen continues. Even politicians are sluggging it out concerning the issue. Governor Roy Barnes of Georgia says he doesn't want a "sexual predator" boxing here, but some Atlanta lawmakers and others say the Mike Tyson-Lennox Lewis heavyweight bout would be a good opportunity to generate sales tax revenue. Has this become a battle between doing what's right or doing the "right thing"? Which side are you on? Meanwhile, Lewis' camp is saying that the fight will happen as early as june
jbou: good point, I agree, they should stop the squabbling and let the fight happen.
posted by RGarraud at 08:23 PM on February 17, 2002
This kind of makes the Nevada Boxing Commission's punishment of Tyson inconsequential. This guy doesn't have to ever face the consequences for his actions, it seems to me.
posted by insomnyuk at 09:47 PM on February 17, 2002
insomnyuk, he doesn't have to face consequences? Tyson spent time in jail, his boxing career is in a shambles, and he is going broke, I think he deserves a break.
posted by jbou at 10:00 PM on February 17, 2002
Really, I find all the discussion in the media about what a 'brute' Tyson is to be fairly amusing. I mean... boxing is all about trying to beat your opponent until their mind stops functioning. Compared to that, biting of ears and toes is extremely inconsequential. The relevant question should not be 'does the state endorse people mock-fighting in press conferences', the question should be 'does the state endorse people attempting to deliberately inflict brain-damage?' I know which one I consider a much bigger issue. And if we want to talk about 'facing the consequences of actions', his very brief prison terms in the past seem substantially more relevant than a probably-staged press conference too.
posted by tieguy at 10:07 PM on February 17, 2002
boxing is all about trying to beat your opponent until their mind stops functioning. I guess we see that pretty differently. Knockouts are a consequence, but not the goal of boxing. The goal is to outwit and outpunch your opponent. Larry Holmes wasn't a great champion because of his knockout percentage, he was a great champion because of his insufferable (to opponents) jab. Keep in mind, if you want brutal to the extreme, you can watch the Ultimate Fighting Championships. That isn't boxing, and it never was. Tyson DOES deliberately try to inflict damage with methods that are illegal to the sport. He'll get no sympathy from me. I think he deserves a break. Not a chance. When Tyson was done serving time for his FIRST rape conviction, he left prison with a new found spiritual path, through Islam. Like every other positive avenue and advantage given him in life, he has defecated on it, in a slow ride to becoming a side-show freak. Giving him a break, by allowing him to further hurt the legitamacy of a well liked sport, as well as another chance to maim a good athlete is more than giving him the benefit of the doubt. It's deliberately turning a blind eye to a criminal for the enjoyment of those who will pay. Forget him as a boxer. Put him on "The Running Man".
posted by Wulfgar! at 03:07 PM on February 18, 2002
Oh, c'mon. Regardless of the exact methodology, you're still inflicting repeated blows to the head. How many times did Ali get knocked out? How many brain cells does he have left? About the same number, right? It doesn't matter that he had great coordination, a great left, whatever- what matters is that the goal was (however artfully or non-artfully) to beat other people. If it was about who had the prettiest right hook, boxers would all wear head padding. But they don't; it isn't. It is about violence, of very nearly the most basic and primitive sort. The line between that and ear-biting (or ultimate fighting) is extremely arbitrary, and really doesn't mean much.
posted by tieguy at 04:41 PM on February 18, 2002
tieguy, what would you know? You're a molester of goats. (I was ruiting for Duke all the way, and I think that loss was a total fluke).
posted by Wulfgar! at 06:22 PM on February 18, 2002
Let them fight. This is boxing, not politics where everybody is the perfect citizen.