I am going to begin this editorial by first stating that judgments in all of us are automatic. This has been scientifically verified. We all have our own biases and likes and dislikes. I needed to make this odd start to what I would like to say in case anybody spots a “hypocrisy” here. It is a scientific fact that none of us can help judging (also known as making an impression or having an opinion) some thing or another.
With the above now written and out of the way, I have noticed the fickleness of human nature when it comes to many aspects of life. One aspect, obviously, is the sport of boxing. All it takes is one fight to change an opinion. Believe me, I have seen it many times. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes a fighter will put in such a great performance that it warrants a drastic change of opinion. They might deserve it. But what I think we should never do is try and judge the complete legacy of a combatant’s career when they are still campaigning.
I know how easy it is to be amazed by such skilful or brutal displays in the ring. They may seem career defining in the moment. But until the gloves are put firmly away for good, we will never have the complete picture. It also takes time for us to fully digest data in an objective fashion. As I said earlier, we all like and dislike what we do. But time allows us to look back in hindsight while keeping enough emotion at bay in order to analyse the facts. But let’s be real here! Even when enough time has passed, nostalgia can take a hold huge enough in that we still can look also look back with rose tinted glasses. However, with enough time having passed the opportunity is always there to be honest with ourselves even though that challenge often remains.
Applying our judgments too early can potentially set up for disappointment some time down the road when a fighter with a seemingly promising legacy in the future all of a sudden has a series of setbacks (ie loses important fights) that becomes severely detrimental to it. On the flipside, and even though this is more rare, it can work the other way around. A lot of us have seen it when a pugilist seemingly should look for a new job when they actually improve their abilities and go on to achieve great things in boxing. Wladimir Klitschko is a good example with Jack Dempsey being a lesser one.
Boxing is unpredictable. It is the fight game. One punch can turn things around at any point during somebody’s position in this game. And that is why, I believe, that we should attempt to be more reserved with our thoughts. Yes, judgments are automatic but we can control what we do with them. Otherwise you will likely get a fraction of the full story.
