But names will never hurt me... by Kerry Duffy Feb 28th 2008

It is a bizarre sales pitch indeed that includes racist slurs and allusions to death, but then boxing isn't just any old business. For such disciplined sportsmen, their mouths all too often remain off the leash and their mental strength, so prominent in the ring, can so easily be exposed beforehand. Watching the recent press conference publicising the Bernard Hopkins versus Joe Calzaghe fight and comparing it to the last Brit abroad, Ricky Hatton, it was striking in its differences. In my naivety, I always took trash talk at face value and imagined it worked by the aggressor intimidating their opponent into submission. The louder they shouted and the meaner the sentiment then more certain the victory. I thought it was as black and white as that, but of course people react differently to different situations and ultimately it all makes for a far more intriguing battle. With the benefit of hindsight and a more balanced view taken, I can now see how, for example, Ricky Hatton got so worked up that all the anger manifested itself into a poor performance (of course, fighting against Floyd Mayweather didn't help!). Before the fight, I stood up to Hatton's clarion call for belief. I mistook his heartfelt passion, as strong and genuine as it was, for a certain victory. I don't think Mayweather said anything in particular to elicit the vein bulging, fist trembling, spitting display of confidence Hatton gave at his pre-fight conferences, in fact nothing appeared to get under Hatton's skin but years of waiting for this much sought after opponent imploded into a frightful display of mediocrity. This was why, then, that I was quietly relieved to see the reserved stance taken by Calzaghe, although to be honest I doubt if could have gotten a word in even if he had wanted to! The only time Hopkins appeared lost for words were when he was questioned on the whole ‘white boy' incident. Joe looked calm, in control and confident of his place in history. Not a natural raconteur or as confident personality as Hatton, Calzaghe was never likely to make a spectacle of the event. He has of course seen it all before and likes to answers questions in the ring.  If the current trend for ‘superfights' remains, then the press conferences beforehand can only get more interesting, with the repercussions taking on more meaning. When the outcome of a fight is a given, then who cares what was said before, we laughed knowingly at the challenger and indulged the champion. However, when titles, records and reputations are at stake then every word counts.

Go back Comment on this article | Send to a friend | Print

There are no comments. Click here to be the first who comment on this article.