By Eugene Carnachan – Hubris; dictionary.com has hubris as meaning overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance.
One could readily apply hubris to the sport of boxing and specifically the many boxers who operate under the terms and conditions of hubris.
It is often a boxer’s hubris that compels them to physical brilliance in the ring. They hold court in the squared ring and are driven by a want to establish themselve’s as the best and stave off rest all why impressing their fan base..
Excelling and particularly so physically is a great vehicle of showcasing ones hubris.
We as writers and boxing fans often see the braggadocio and posturing that fighters high on their self-image express and impress upon those with an interest in professional pugilism; which at the high end of boxing is tens of millions of people.
In fact we have come to except it as part and parcel of not only the sport of boxing but sport in general.
In the halcyon days of boxing the eminent Sugar Ray Robinson took the posturing and arrogance to a new level. Everywhere he went he was replete in both the finest of haircuts and dapper suit. While too been accompanied by an entourage of followers who sucked along in the slipstream of his boxing magnificence.
Muhammad Ali followed and Ali the consummate boxing braggart revolutionized the whole way in which one self-aggrandized. Not only did he have the immaculate haircut, adoring entourage and witticisms that were as effective as his punches he was too underpinned by the most phenomenal belief any one man could have ever be born with.
In fact if self-belief were a utilizable energy source you could have plugged Ali into the National grid and run power to the entire state of Texas.
The upside to Hubris is quite obvious. In a one on one sport like boxing you need self-belief. A boxing ring is not a place to be second guessing yourself and when a man wearing eight ounce gloves is trying to separate your brain cells from their cerebral moorings you need every bit of confidence you possess.
The origins of a boxer’s hubris are found a long way back. In fact from the very first time they step into a gym and pull a pair of gloves on. Of course there is the initial teething period of working out the who, the what and the where of boxing but if you stay the distance those pieces start to fall in place.
Learning to box distinguishes you from the average Joe on the street. You know you have the tools to defend yourself and if need be how to impress yourself physically in a given situation. That in itself spawns a sense of self-worth and confidence that separates boxers from the rest of the pack.
As a boxer refines his skills in the gym and the hours turn into weeks and weeks into months and months into years a boxers confidence jumps on for the ride. This is how fighters evolve.
This is a vicarious relationship between training and confidence. They feed into and off of each other.
Boxers know what they have invested – in the gym – in their coming of age as a fighter and they know what they are capable of and herein lay why so many fighters have such a voracious confidence in themselves.
Mike Tyson was once quoted as say “I can be a brain surgeon if I want to be”. There is little question Tyson thought he could be when he made this statement. Why? Confidence is a very contagious element. Once you have it pervades every facet of your life. Mike Tyson was a confident fighter when at his peak and backed himself in every single aspect of his life. That is simply the way confidence manifests itself.
Could Tyson have actually become a brain surgeon? Questionable, but at that particular point of his hubris filled life he undoubtedly thought he could be.
Hubris and fighting are like pretty and models. They go hand in hand. Prince Naseem Hamed, Floyd Mayweather, James Toney, Chris Eubank, David Haye, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran just to name a few are renowned for having full tanks of hubris.
Self-confidence knows no boundaries when it has no boundaries.
It is that very confidence on which fighters careers are ultimately defined; and that definition often has two categories. They can best be described as the prime and the decline.
What is the prime? That point when boxers are at the top of their game; when maturation and experience meld into that boxing and physical synergy that people often describe and “in their prime”.
What is the decline? The point where boxers are on the downside of their physical powers; when maturation and experience meld into the physical synergy that people often describe as “in decline”.
The line between prime and decline are very, very fine. Unfortunately the fortunes of each state of being have to every differing outcomes.
Many fighters have fought into their decline. In fact the standard is to do so and that includes the very best of them. Ali was passed his best when he fought Holmes and Berbick. Some may argue he should have stopped after his 1974 win over George Foreman. Ali’s idol Sugar Ray Leonard had thrown his best leather by 1952 but went on to fight for another 13 years.
Fast forward to Wednesday 2nd of December, 2009, Roy Jones Junior stepped out against Australian hard-man Danny Green.
Jones Junior had looked back to his old-self in his previous fight with renowned banger Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy.
As we now know Jones was annihilated. Something unthinkable when Jones was in his prime.
What makes Jones Junior keep fighting. Anyone with an iota of a clue knows Jones Junior is one of the greatest to ever lace up a pair of gloves.
Danny Green is a good fighter. Roy Jones Junior in his prime was a phenomenal fighter. We may never see another quite like him.
When fighters become known as fighters that in and of itself becomes their very identity.
However the adulation and back slapping of the adoring millions (not to mention the millions of dollars) is very hard to walk away from…and the very reason many don’t…until they’ve run the very serious risk of doing physical harm to themselves and their legacy.
Many a stellar boxer has extended their careers over and above their used by date.
The hubris that got them to the top of the game is the very characteristic that will conspire against them, that will ultimately bring the house of cards tumbling down.
The sight of the bright lights, smiling fans, flashing cameras, pretty faces will keep them coming back…until they come to that realization that all things must come to an end.
Unfortunately for many that fine line is often clouded by the very thing that made them great in the first place and hence why we are destined to see the likes of Jones Junior refusing to discern between their primes and their declines.