Boxing - Insert Foot in Mouth: Another Johnny Know-it-all

By Mike Samuels

07.07 - What is it with kids these days? Everyone who follows boxing knows more than someone else, and people are not shy to force their opinions on their friends or the public. But often times it are the writers who take the most heat for their work, as it's impossible to please everyone and their dad, let alone one single ignorant kid who feels powerful behind a keyboard. I'm not new to the boxing scene, as I've been writing for quite some time (So I've had my share of Johnny Know-it-alls) and I let everyone know that now that I've come to the Eastside of boxing, I will be honest, blunt and straight forward with my views. It's a style that might gain a lot of attention, a lot of negativity, but it's a style that is just me.

I'm not here to win any popularity contests. But I am here to provide the most insightful and informative angles on the sport of boxing. And that's just what I'm going to do.

One thing I've noticed in the past is the conflicting views between writers and fans. That's great, I think. That is why now that I've arrived to Eastside Boxing I am asking everyone who has a view on the sport of boxing or even my work, please drop me a line and tell me what you are feeling. Each week I am going to select a few random e-mails and post them here. I will answer all questions that I feel are professionally written and knowledgeable in a sense as well. So if you're dying to be heard by the world, this is your chance.

But remember that I throw no punches. Keep that in mind when "attacking" me.

And so with my most recent piece of the breakdown on Shane Mosley and Vernon Forrest's second helping in a few weeks, I've received quite the amount of mail. And being the writer I am, I do not like to keep people's questions hidden. After all, I remember when I was a young kid and I would write to my favorite writers and never hear anything back from them.

Those were the days. The days that I would lash out at those freakin' morons and let em' have a piece of my mind! Now I've matured and it's MY turn to let the guns go and get down to the ball of things. And so let me start out by answering a few questions that were asked concerning Mosley and the status of his career.

In my last piece I mentioned that Mosley needs to beat The Viper, and do it grand fashion, if he wants to help cement his legacy as a great fighter. However, that wasn't necessarily my personal opinion. I was mostly speaking on the majority of what the boxing public would think should Mosley fail yet again. You see, not everyone knows much about boxing. Some people hadn't heard of Mosley until he went to war with The Golden Boy. And after Mosley beat De la Hoya a lot of people were drawn to him.

And so what does this all mean? It's simple. I've made a friend since releasing my first piece and I'd like to call him JC.

JC went for my throat and he put me down and even went as far as to question MY boxing knowledge (Pardon me while I laugh). It's cool though. What JC doesn't understand is that some people are blind to the facts of the sport, and therefore a fighter can be made and remembered solely on his first big accomplishment. Example: Mosley's win over De la Hoya.

I've dealt with it a lot in my writing career. I get a lot people who mail me and it's clear they don't know the first thing about boxing. It's also clear that they base their perception on what a good fighter is based on one fight. I personally think Mosley is a great fighter and whether or not he will be remembered like his idol, Sugar Ray Robinson, well, it's too early to tell but the kid has the tools to do whatever he chooses inside the boxing ring.

I like to put a lot of work into my pieces and I also like to add a bit of my own color commentary, if that's what you want to call it. Earlier I mentioned that Mosley has the looks and charm of a great fighter.

Whoa, please! No homosexual comments!

It didn't last long. I have been butchered for making those comments but as a writer I take full responsibility for what I said. A lot of people (Like my good ole' pal, JC) feel that looks and charm have nothing to do with becoming a great fighter. That's true. It's also true that those who are quick to attack someone for writing about those features on a fighter are only reading a small portion of their thoughts. You see, Mosley is talented enough to get by on his own. He could look like a cross between Kim Wayans and Whoopi Goldberg and still win championships in the ring. What I was talking about is the MARKETABILITY of a fighter based on their over all charm, looks, class and attitude. It's the whole package. Mosley has got everyone down to the finest line. He's one of the pretty boy's of boxing (Behind the master, Floyd Mayweather) and his attitude is good for boxing.

Basically the symbolic use of my words couldn't be understood by SOME people. But that's okay! It happens a lot. This piece may not have much meaning to some people, but I feel that is important to address issues that I write about in the fullest detail. I don't like to leave the fans in question as to my thoughts.

So, please, get me your opinions and I'll shoot em' down or boast em' up as quick as I can. I'm sure the Johnny Know-it-all attitude is popular, but hopefully the level of MATURITY in this community will out weigh it.

Until next time!