Boxing Thought Pieces and Journalism
Do you like boxing? I do.
Some fans fall in love with the sport instantly, or have perhaps been around it from a young age thanks to a parent. For other fans, it comes later.
I watched my first fight when I was 17, with my mum. It was Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko. My mum loves Joshua, not sure why. I was aware of him as he’s from Watford, the home of my beloved Watford FC. He’s a local lad.
Later being named the Ring Magazine’s fight of the year, it had it all. The emotional rollercoaster was a hell of a ride, with Joshua knocking Klitschko down in the 5th before himself being knocked down for the first time in his career a round later.
His eventual stoppage of the Ukrainian felt euphoric, it felt like I was high. But then that was it, I didn’t watch another fight for over a year.
Enter Tyson Fury.
Fury’s comeback story, leading up to his first clash with Deontay Wilder, crossed over. It transcended boxing, becoming a mainstream pop-culture story. The comeback was incredible, only bettered by the fight it was leading up to.
I believe quite strongly Wilder/Fury 1 is the greatest heavyweight fight during my lifetime so far. It had it all, and I was heart broken when Wilder knocked him down in the 12th. It was nearly enough to bring a full-grown man to tears.
What happened next was akin to a religious experience. We all felt it, it was moving, but confusing and scary at the same time.
From here onwards, I’d watch both Joshua and Fury’s fights religiously but didn’t take much notice of anyone else.
Enter Oleksandr Usyk.
His two fights with AJ, followed by his two fights with Fury, were epic. Even with my limited Boxing experience, it felt like a blessing to be a fan of the sport whilst he was going about his work. After Usyk/Fury 1, DAZN told me not to cancel my subscription, as Bivol/Beterbiev was next week and it was going to be the best fight ever.
I watched that fight and that was it. I was infatuated.
