by David P. Greisman - It’s great to be good.
It’s great to be great.
It’s not so good to be thought of as great, however, when you don’t look as great as people think you are.
Boxing is a venture founded in expectations but grounded in reality. A fighter will reach his limit as soon as an opponent becomes an obstacle, and as soon as that impediment becomes insurmountable.
Nonito Donaire and Sergio Martinez are very good fighters whose moments of greatness have set the bar too high. For Donaire and Martinez ?or rather for those who now expect the best from them ?being very good is no longer good enough.
Those expectations are the product of single shots ?left hooks landed twice by Donaire on Vic Darchinyan and Fernando Montiel, and an overhand left landed as a knockout blow by Martinez on Paul Williams.
Those punches ended fights abruptly and promptly kick-started the hype.
Donaire practically disappeared after the 2007 win over Darchinyan, fighting on Showtime broadcasts and independent pay-per-views but never truly capitalizing on the stardom for which he seemed destined. It was unmistakable that he was very good and getting better, defending his flyweight belt, moving up one division and winning an interim title, then moving up once more to bantamweight and plowing through Wladimir Sidorenko. [Click Here To Read More]
It’s great to be great.
It’s not so good to be thought of as great, however, when you don’t look as great as people think you are.
Boxing is a venture founded in expectations but grounded in reality. A fighter will reach his limit as soon as an opponent becomes an obstacle, and as soon as that impediment becomes insurmountable.
Nonito Donaire and Sergio Martinez are very good fighters whose moments of greatness have set the bar too high. For Donaire and Martinez ?or rather for those who now expect the best from them ?being very good is no longer good enough.
Those expectations are the product of single shots ?left hooks landed twice by Donaire on Vic Darchinyan and Fernando Montiel, and an overhand left landed as a knockout blow by Martinez on Paul Williams.
Those punches ended fights abruptly and promptly kick-started the hype.
Donaire practically disappeared after the 2007 win over Darchinyan, fighting on Showtime broadcasts and independent pay-per-views but never truly capitalizing on the stardom for which he seemed destined. It was unmistakable that he was very good and getting better, defending his flyweight belt, moving up one division and winning an interim title, then moving up once more to bantamweight and plowing through Wladimir Sidorenko. [Click Here To Read More]
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