Boxers would do well to do what’s best for them

In the endless battle to overhaul the image of boxing, the finer details could easily be missed due to negligence, lack of understanding or due to fear of ruffling feathers and rubbing some egos up the wrong way.

In order for the image of boxing to be redeemed there has to be a consistent and uniform adherence to good morals and principles. In other words doing the right things has to be enforced all across the board until it becomes a norm.

Since boxers are the “Main Actors” in the script of boxing, they have to be directed in such a way that forces the best out of them in order for them to reach their fullest potential in all major aspects of their makeup.

For example, a boxer's temperament has to be set in proportion to the magnitude of his/her fight. For a four-round bout, the boxer’s mind should be proportional to that four-round fight. Yes, some boxers are more talented than others and their development often sets them a step above their peers, but a situation where a boxer gets too big for his own boots should be avoided at all costs.

The challenge boxing is currently faced with is having too many (uncrowned) champions while there are ‘legitimate’ champions sitting in those respective divisions.

As a result of that trend, there is a growing concern as to how honestly and sincerely are these (uncrowned) champions being advised. Ideally, with talent or not, a boxer should be fully aware of where he/she is in terms of their development and their level of competition and also be fully aware of where his/her career is going.

History, still remains a great guide to anything and everything that happens in boxing and the tragedy of talented boxers getting far ahead of themselves and ending at a dead-end is well-documented.

Handling a boxer is like raising a child. At every step of its development, a parent lovingly nurtures the child and moulds the character by consistently instilling discipline and good morals in them.

Traits and habits that are not instilled during childhood will manifest themselves in later life. It is the same with boxers. Anything missed or overlooked in the boxer’s development will manifest itself in the long run, and unfortunately, bad habits/traits have a tendency to creep in at fights that matter most.

With the passage of time and social media boxers are easily accessible, making them vulnerable to all sorts of advice – good and bad.

It is therefore important that the “guardians” become father figures to keep boxers grounded and fully focused. The guardians should avoid becoming fans of their boxers, as bitter a pill that is to swallow, but guardians should not be cheerleaders of their own boxers, if they have their fighter’s best interest at heart.

History, the great guide, shows that boxers turn to those guardians who massage their egos with misguided praise and worship which inevitably catches up with them.

Boxers avoid no-nonsense handlers like the plague but it is proven that those handlers are often right in the end and they are proven so when a boxer’s career hits a dead-end.

Boxing is a competitive sport among all the stakeholders. From boxers, trainers and managers to the promoters are all in serious competition but the buck stops with the two people that matter – the trainer and manager.

Those two have constant and immediate contact with their fighters but due to fierce competition and fear of losing their boxers, many end up loosening the strands of discipline and honesty when it comes to “stars” and uncrowned champions.

The sport does not work like that. It has been proven numerous times that discipline beats talent .any day!

Boxers should be motivated and praised when they do good. A handler’s role is not to praise even if there is no need, but it is to guide, protect and force the best from a boxer. There may well be some gripes here and there, but as long as the truth is not compromised the boxer will be the ultimate beneficiary.