Well long time forum members know that I work as a boxing and MMA trainer. Anybody else here a fan of either or any other type of combat sport?
Anyone here study martial arts?
Too bad Mayweather Pacquaio fell through, but I’m sure they’ll fight eventually. Hope at least Mosley Mayweather gets made.
Looking forward to Coleman vs. Couture, battle between two over the hill legends. Happy to hear that Lesnar will fight again soon after having shit leaking out of his intestines for a while.
[quote=“Col. Douglas Mortimer, post:1, topic:2212”]Well long time forum members know that I work as a boxing and MMA trainer. Anybody else here a fan of either or any other type of combat sport?
Anyone here study martial arts?
Too bad Mayweather Pacquaio fell through, but I’m sure they’ll fight eventually. Hope at least Mosley Mayweather gets made.
Looking forward to Coleman vs. Couture, battle between two over the hill legends. Happy to hear that Lesnar will fight again soon after having shit leaking out of his intestines for a while.[/quote]
I was a big boxing fan for many years. I grew up in the Muhammad Ali era so was spoiled for quality as a youngster. I stayed a big fan throughout the 70s and 80s but eventually lost faith in the sport as the alphabet system of multiple champions wore me down and I began to lose interest. At the same time I was so offended by the level of corruption in the boxing at the Seoul Olympics that it all added up to me giving the whole sport the elbow. Shame, as I used to love it.
I’m a fan of boxing and was a golden gloves participant for a couple of years during my teens. My dad was a Navy boxer so I grew up on the sweet science. Still keep a speed bag in the garage and a heavy bag out in the barn. Favorite all-time fighter - Muhammad Ali/Cassius Clay. Also enjoyed watching Alfredo Escalera, John Mugabi, Howard Davis, Wilfredo Benitez, Sugar Ray Leonard, and really enjoyed seeing Buster Douglas knock out Mike Tyson. Still watch boxing but more MMA these days.
Was a fan of MMA fighter Evan Tanner as we’re both from Amarillo, Texas. Tragically, he passed away out in the desert a year or two ago.
I have a great interest in Martial Arts.
Once upon a time I was quite serious about Tae Kwon Do. I was a student of Grand Master Jeong Chang-Hwa (no not the guy that made KING BOXER!) and I advanced to the Red/Bodan belt level within the Moo Duk Kwan Federation.
I stopped practicing for many, many years and when I did get back into Martial Arts about fifteen years ago, I decided to work on Tai Chi Chuan and Wing Chun (I was never a big fan of kicking which seems to be the main focus of Tae Kwon Do).
My instructor/helper was a professor of engineering at Oklahoma State University named Thomas Wu. After a few years of working out with Professor Wu, I once again slipped away from being active in the Martial Arts.
In recent years, many health issues have actually prevented me from doing any MA training (at least in the way I was used to pursuing it). But, I am taking steps to get myself back on track, so to speak–with the ultimate goal of continuing to study some of the Chinese systems a little further.
I would never claim to ever have been, or to currently be, even remotely proficient in any form of Martial Arts; but, I have always been, and still am, deeply interested in the culture, philosophies, and techniques involved in that realm.
Here’s a link to a website for a school operated by my original Master Instructor, Jeong Chang-Hwa.
After Master Jeong left Stillwater, Oklahoma he wound up in San Diego, CA.
And apparently oversees several schools, now. That is quite a change for a man that always said he preferred to keep his schools small to accommodate more individual and personal instruction.
@Phil, yeah I here you brother. I actually prefer watching old classic fights to watching current stuff. The alphabet garbage did ruin boxing. And Olympic boxing has been a joke for years. The 70s and 80s was a great time to be a fan. Loved Duran and Monzon. What were your favorite guys back in the day?
@Ace High, I like all the guys you mentioned. The Escalera Arguello fights were classics, so was Hagler Mugabi. Benitez was perhaps the most physically gifted fighter of all time, basically being a top pound for pound fighter while still going through puberty. I Heard about the Tanner tragedy. It was a wierd way to die. Speaking of Texans, I was a fan of Donald “The Lone Star Cobra” Curry. My boss/mentor was Curry’s sparring partner. I too grew up on boxing as my dad boxed as well.
@Chris, yeah I here you bro, I too am interested in the philosophical and spiritual side of the martial arts, something that gets all but ignored in the world of MMA. Tai Chi is great for your health, and not as sissy as Yoga! LOL. You’d be pleased to know that many forms of Kung Fu are not very physically demanding at all, in contrast to the acrobatics you see in chop socky flicks, but that doesn’t necessarily make them any easier to learn!
I enjoy MMA quite a bit. Not really a fan of one fighter over another however, I just like a good scrap! 
I practiced TKD in my early twenties and am now a student of karate (Shotokan). I have done some grappling and wrestling as well, to some extent.
My favourite guys? Well, maybe too many to mention. As you say, it was a great era for fight fans.
Obviously in the heavyweight division Ali was the man but I also had a lot of respect for the guy who had to follow him, Larry Holmes. Holmes tends to be dismissed because he wasn’t Ali; he didn’t have his personality or pizazz but he was an excellent boxer with a punishing jab and a terrific chin and powers of recuperation. Like in any sport, you achieve greatness by the opponents you beat and by that margin Holmes deserves real respect. Ali had Frazier, Foreman, Norton, Liston et al. But Larry Holmes was equally blessed in what I think may have been the heavyweight division’s toughest era. Ron Lyle, Mike Weaver, Earnie Shavers as well as the aforementioned Ken Norton makes for a pretty impressive list of power punchers who Holmes dispatched; sometimes after taking their best shots and getting off the canvas in the process.
But any fight fan will tell you that the best stuff is alweays to be found in the lighter divisions and there were some magnificent smaller guys during the 70s and 80s. Particularly middle and welterweights. In particular that time in the early to mid 80s when Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Tommy Hearns and Marvin Hagler were all around at the same time. They had some monstrous encounters. Amongst others I’d list Alexis Arguello, Wilfredo Benitez, Salvador Sanchez, Julio César Chávez, Carlos Monzon, Esteban de Jesus…like I said, too many really.
I also believe that despite the money it has raised for the purses of fighters pay-per-view was the worst thing that ever happened to boxing from a fight fan’s perspective. It used to be that all the big fights were shown, if maybe delayed, on regular network TV. But with the introduction of satelite and pay per view coverage the average schmo can’t even see the highlights without forking out serious moolah. That, for a working class sport, means that fighters who should have become household names are only known about by hardened fans and I, for one, couldn’t judge how modern day fighters comparte to their earlier counterparts because I never get to see them in action.
Thought The Contender series a couple of years ago might perk up the interest in boxing but, doesn’t seem like it. I really got into the first season, guess no one else did though.
I’ve seen some great fights through the years but, the Leonard-Benitez fight back in the late 70s(?) has stuck with me. Don’t remember ever seeing so much skill and talent in one ring. Great staredown just prior to the bell. Two great warriors and technicians. I read somewhere that Benitez is in close to the same shape healthwise as Ali these days-too many head shots during his career.
Did some judo when I was young. At the time, most young people did judo in Holland because of the popularity of Anton Geesink and Wim Ruska.
I also did some karate and boxing, mainly when I was in the army.
I’m still interested in boxing, but the large number of titles (how many world champions are there anyway?), cable television and pay per view have ruined it for the average fan. Nowadays it’s nearly impossible to see a championschip fight. I still remember the days when you got up in the middle of the night to see Ali fight Frazier or Foreman.
I liked Ali of course, although I preferred the likes of Hagler, Hearns, Leonard. Never forget the three round beating of Hearns by Hagler, nor the classic Leonard - Hagler fight, won by nobody knows who (in fact I still wonder who actually was the better fighter that night)
Remember both of those fights you mentioned scherp. Those three were great fighters with great nicknames-Marvelous, The Hitman, and Sugar
[quote=“Col. Douglas Mortimer, post:5, topic:2212”]Monzon.[/quote]Did you know Carlos Monzon was in Stelvio Massi’s The Last Round with Luc Merenda.
No I didn’t but thanks for telling me. I know that he starred with George Hilton in a western El Macho.
BTW, did you guys know that Marvin Hagler starred with Terence Hill in a buddy cop movie “Cyber flic”? Margheriti directed it. Haven’t seen it though.
Going back to boxing, I know I’m in the minority when I say this, but I truly believe that old time boxers were better than the modern counterparts. Benny Leonard would’ve boxed rings around Floyd Mayweather and just about anyone else.
My favorite guys growing up were Roy Jones, Shane Mosley, Pernell Whitaker, Bernard Hopkins, but my favorite guys of all time are Ezzard Charles, Charley Burley, Benny Leonard, Jack Johnson, Bob Fitzsimmons, Ike Williams and some other oldtimers that you’ve probably never heard of!
[quote=“Col. Douglas Mortimer, post:12, topic:2212”]No I didn’t but thanks for telling me. I know that he starred with George Hilton in a western El Macho.
BTW, did you guys know that Marvin Hagler starred with Terence Hill in a buddy cop movie “Cyber flic”? Margheriti directed it. Haven’t seen it though.[/quote]
How did i forget El Macho :
Hagler was also in two other Antonio Margheriti films, Indio and Indio II, Francesco Quinn was the main star of the first one and Hagler had a small role but he was the star of the second one.
I have studied wing chun and Filipino escrima stick fighting
I like to watch the K1 competitions now and then
[quote=“Col. Douglas Mortimer, post:12, topic:2212”]Going back to boxing, I know I’m in the minority when I say this, but I truly believe that old time boxers were better than the modern counterparts. Benny Leonard would’ve boxed rings around Floyd Mayweather and just about anyone else.
My favorite guys growing up were Roy Jones, Shane Mosley, Pernell Whitaker, Bernard Hopkins, but my favorite guys of all time are Ezzard Charles, Charley Burley, Benny Leonard, Jack Johnson, Bob Fitzsimmons, Ike Williams and some other oldtimers that you’ve probably never heard of![/quote]
Col., you’re talking serious old school. I’ve watched some of the Ezzard Charles-Jersey Joe Walcott fights from way back and I agree with you about Charles, helluva fighter. He was paralyzed in some kind of accident(auto?). Another guy that nobody talks about anymore is Jimmy Ellis. He fought through some guys to win the Heavyweight title when Ali/Clay was stripped of the title back in the late '60s. I always thought he was a pretty decent pugilist and actually gave Ali a good fight in the early '70s. I also think the oldtimers were better than the present boxers.
Its funny cause in most other sports there is a natural progression and the athletes keep getting better and records keep getting broken. But I think boxing is the exception.
Well its official folks. We didn’t get Mayweather Pacquiao but we got something almost as good. Mayweather vs. Shane Mosley May 1st.
Alot of folks think Mosley’s got a chance but I don’t see it. Maybe 10 years ago it would’ve been a different story, but at age 38, does Mosley still have it?
Saw Randy Couture destroy Mark Coleman last night in a battle of the legends. Looks like Couture still has a little left in the tank.