Poorness = Greatness?

16.02.07 – By Pat Lowe: Boxing is a sport that requires heart, dedication and determination. Without these qualities even the most talented fighter will not succeed. One only needs to look at Mike Tyson and Hector Camacho to see that without dedication and determination, a fighter with all the skills in the world is unable to cross into the threshold of greatness.

What confuses me is the common misconception that every top fighter grew up poor, that without that environment growing up and the hunger for riches that accompanies it, a fighter will not be successful. We only need to look at Marco Antonio Barrera and Muhammad Ali to debunk this myth. These are just two examples of great fighters that didn’t have a poor economic status growing up. Marco Antonio grew up in Mexico City, which is one of the wealthier areas in Mexico. Barrera was a successful amateur fighter and was well educated. He was considering going to law school to become a lawyer – an ambition which I believe he still has today – but passed this opportunity up to become a professional boxer.

Now, can anyone say he hasn’t been successful? Winning championships in three divisions and holding wins over the other two top fighters of his weight classes in Prince Naseem Hamed and Erik Morales. So did Barrera’s privileged childhood affect his hunger and his will to be the best? No, never. Not once has heart been in doubt in the ring and he comes to win, or go out on his shield.

Another fighter, Muhammad Ali, arguably the most recognizable person on the planet, had a good background. His family lived in the suburbs and had a decent income. His father was a sign painter and had a stable income. He was able to buy Ali that bicycle that was famous for being stolen when he was 12 and leading him into boxing. Ali’s heart can never be questioned. Throughout his career he showed remarkable courage in facing the best era of heavyweights ever! Being able to absorb tremendous punishment got Ali the win on many occasions.

See the connection? Despite their well-off backgrounds compared to other boxer’s, they were able to reach the pinnacle of their sport. As children they weren’t deprived of everything yet over the course of their lives their determination and hunger to succeed remained. They were not more inclined to quit then say a Joe Frazier (who came from poverty) because they realized they had something to fall back on.

The reason a fighter’s background doesn’t have much bearing on their career is simple. All boxers are motivated by the same thing almost every human on the planet is – Money. It is rare to find a person content with what they have and a boxer is the same as everybody else in wanting more. If it means putting their body and brain on the line to succeed and be richer, then so be it.