Boxing comes out swinging

EACH weekend The Chronicle sport team jumps on its Saturday Soapbox and voices its opinion on some pressing sporting issues.

This week the team talks about boxing.

Jason Gibbs: It would appear that boxing is once again on the rise in Australia.

And for once there is hardly a mention of Danny Green or Anthony Mundine.

I’ll be honest and say I haven’t always been the biggest of boxing fans but the sport has certainly grown on me.

My new-found appreciation began with some boxing/fitness classes.

I jumped in the ring with a few work colleagues to learn the “sweet science”. I struggled - a lot.

Not so much with the fitness but rather the skills.

All we had to do one night was “slip a jab”, turn it away and throw one back.

I blocked that shot a lot, with my nose, but I developed a great appreciation for the skill and tenacity needed to be a boxer.

Nowadays I’m starting to love boxing again because of its renewed legitimacy.

Locally we have the likes of Commonwealth Welterweight Champion Kris George and local promoter Brendon Smith to thank for that. Nationally I think Jeff Horn’s recent wins are driving the sport forward.

We’ve moved beyond the tired old Green-Mundine fights, the first fight was good but that was enough for me.

Thankfully with some new champions to admire and grow with I think we will see Australian boxing return to its good old days.

Madolyn Peters: I believe boxing has its own kind of cult following. Like crossfit, you either love it or you hate it.

Before I became a sports reporter I was indifferent.

I did a boxing class here and there at personal training but that’s about all the experience I had with the sport.

I haven’t had a lot to do with our local boxers yet but working in Mackay I did a few stories with some up-and-coming fighters.

The one common thread I saw in each of my stories was how boxing helped people out of a slump or a low point in their lives.

For a lot of young fighters I believe boxing is a way of taking out their frustrations in a controlled environment and the discipline that goes along with it is a huge positive for them.

So I do hope Gibbo is right in say it’s on the rise at an amateur and national level.

Glen McCullough: The virtues and benefits of boxing as a sport (and past-time) have been summed up perfectly by Maddy.

From my Police Boys Club experiences right through to world champions the thing about boxing that has always struck me is how often it makes better people out of those who enter the gym.

My dealings with numerous boxers as a sport writer has only ever been a pleasurable and educational experience.

Boxing seems to promote a respect and discipline amongst fighters as both individuals and as a brotherhood and sisterhood that many other sports cannot offer.

And when it comes to showcasing the best of boxing few centres would match Toowoomba where boxing is currently on a high.

Sure, boxing has received its share of black eyes over the years, but in my opinion it’s strengths far outweigh its down moments.