A Physical Dialogue: Ward vs Kovalev

[billeau2]

Thanks,

It's always great to hear serious feedback rather then the ego stroking nonsense (No offense shoulderroll) I usually get. I analyze fights and I tend to write the way that I speak. Well, I try to use much less profanity then I normally do (I use the F word the way most people say umm). It's good to have critics and good to be told that I can do better. I'm the type of guy who really needs to be told I can't do something for me to really get after it. I threw up mid-training session the other day and the coach told me to sit out a minute and recover, I told him I was OK and got back in as soon as the next round started. Hubris? Maybe. But it's who I am.

I want this. If there is anyway I can make a living doing this then I'm going to do it. My writing style was largely influenced by Hunter S. Thompson and other "New journalism" type of figures. The format of the articles with the integrated gifs make me try to shorten up my style a bit. If I was writing a pure newspaper type of article I would come across very differently then I do in my pieces. The format calls for that.

It was never really my intention to become a "journalist" nor to really be a professional anything when I first started writing. I was just sick of getting called crazy or a violence junkie by people who saw boxing as a mindless sport, and I set out to show them just how wrong they were. Now that I'm thinking about it, maybe the time has come to really commit to this.

The good doctor is a great one to follow. I have read everything Hunter wrote because... well when Thompson wrote a grocery list it had the potential to be a seminal literary event! lol.

One thing I would say about your style is that you have a real knack for the multimedia. When I read you the transition with the photos and commentary is very natural. It feels like the article was meant to be written that way if that makes sense.

have you ever read anything by the late Joe Reine? He is a mentor of mine...mind you this is after I had written stuff professionally, I read some of his work and sort of got the "I can't write worth a damn!" blues lol.

The most important thing is that your work is enjoyable and well written. Just writing more and reading will evolve you. I would love to hear commentary about any of the pieces I have written if you have the time.

[Rip Chudd]

Gotta leave a comment so i can come back to this later. i always enjoy these. Thanks again sir

[billeau2]

As far as Robinson losing the killer instinct

I'll admit I'm only 27 and haven't watched a ton of Sugar Ray, but from what I have seen, he was brilliant and a savage.He seemed to do exactly what he had to. Nothing more and nothing less.

As for Ward, He took the fight when he already had plenty of money and could have retired and been set for life already. He took the fight against a scary undefeated KO artist who was and still is a top 5 lb for lb fighter in the sport (depending on who's list you're using). He dared to be great. In an era where so many of the top guys are content to duck each other, Ward took the fight. As far as a rematch goes, time is going to have to tell. He's still set for life. If he takes the rematch (and I believe he will) all this talk of him ducking this guy or that guy has to stop.

He took the toughest fight out there and edged a decision if he does it again, what more is there to say?

I think it was Joe Rein who told me this, not sure: it was alleged that the great Sugar man...are you ready for this? actually did not like to fight. this came from a reliable source.

[The Old LefHook]

As far as Robinson losing the killer instinct

I'll admit I'm only 27 and haven't watched a ton of Sugar Ray, but from what I have seen, he was brilliant and a savage.He seemed to do exactly what he had to. Nothing more and nothing less.

As for Ward, He took the fight when he already had plenty of money and could have retired and been set for life already. He took the fight against a scary undefeated KO artist who was and still is a top 5 lb for lb fighter in the sport (depending on who's list you're using). He dared to be great. In an era where so many of the top guys are content to duck each other, Ward took the fight. As far as a rematch goes, time is going to have to tell. He's still set for life. If he takes the rematch (and I believe he will) all this talk of him ducking this guy or that guy has to stop.

He took the toughest fight out there and edged a decision if he does it again, what more is there to say?

I don't see what the big deal is about taking a fight when you are already set for life. Boxers do it all the time. Now it makes Ward special.

[escudo]

The good doctor is a great one to follow. I have read everything Hunter wrote because... well when Thompson wrote a grocery list it had the potential to be a seminal literary event! lol.

One thing I would say about your style is that you have a real knack for the multimedia. When I read you the transition with the photos and commentary is very natural. It feels like the article was meant to be written that way if that makes sense.

have you ever read anything by the late Joe Reine? He is a mentor of mine...mind you this is after I had written stuff professionally, I read some of his work and sort of got the "I can't write worth a damn!" blues lol.

The most important thing is that your work is enjoyable and well written. Just writing more and reading will evolve you. I would love to hear commentary about any of the pieces I have written if you have the time.

Yeah HST is my pick for best author I've ever read. As far as Joe Reine I've never heard of him and a google search didn't really bring any real results. Can you point me in the right direction?

Like I said, as far as my articles go I write that way because the format calls for me to strip down my writing a bit. With two fighters making constant adjustments and only 1 paragraph to get my point across. The articles are meant to be written that way.

To get back to lefty's point from earlier my hyperbole has to fit in the middle of a paragraph that is just 3-5 sentences and there is openly presented evidence of exactly the moment I am talking about. It's hard to write about a meteor right hand from outer space when you can see it right in front of you. That type of hyperbole is far better suited to a classic newspaper style article where there is just a picture at most. Visualisation in far more important in that format then in mine where you can clearly see the punch landing. I just let the shot speak for itself most of the time.

I am more interested in trying to get in the mind of the fighter then just recount the action like most other commentators. So when I see Ward setting traps and Kovalev figuring out that he needs to fight off the counter, and I call it brilliant, what I really mean is they are displaying habits that ATG's made great use of.

I will check out those articles and get you back later.

[escudo]

I don't see what the big deal is about taking a fight when you are already set for life. Boxers do it all the time. Now it makes Ward special.

It's something of an anachronism these days. Our fighter of the year plainly ducked his toughest challenger in Rigo. He dropped the belt and ran away like a Frenchmen. It wasn't always this way but it seems to be the case these days. I'm just applauding a guy for going for greatness instead of picking up another pay check. As fans we all should be.

[Bundana]

Yeah HST is my pick for best author I've ever read. As far as Joe Reine I've never heard of him and a google search didn't really bring any real results. Can you point me in the right direction?

Until his death little over 3 years ago, Reine was kind of a cult figure on a couple of other sites... where he posted as "John Garfield".

People loved his stories from "the good old days"... written in a style very close to the great A.J. Liebling.

[billeau2]

Yeah HST is my pick for best author I've ever read. As far as Joe Reine I've never heard of him and a google search didn't really bring any real results. Can you point me in the right direction?

Like I said, as far as my articles go I write that way because the format calls for me to strip down my writing a bit. With two fighters making constant adjustments and only 1 paragraph to get my point across. The articles are meant to be written that way.

To get back to lefty's point from earlier my hyperbole has to fit in the middle of a paragraph that is just 3-5 sentences and there is openly presented evidence of exactly the moment I am talking about. It's hard to write about a meteor right hand from outer space when you can see it right in front of you. That type of hyperbole is far better suited to a classic newspaper style article where there is just a picture at most. Visualisation in far more important in that format then in mine where you can clearly see the punch landing. I just let the shot speak for itself most of the time.

I am more interested in trying to get in the mind of the fighter then just recount the action like most other commentators. So when I see Ward setting traps and Kovalev figuring out that he needs to fight off the counter, and I call it brilliant, what I really mean is they are displaying habits that ATG's made great use of.

I will check out those articles and get you back later.

My apologies. I have dyslexia so I type and read really fast and type average speed, then It gets hard to check spelling...I spelled Joe's name wrong. You were using a name misspelled, here you go:



Heres his article on James Toney...one of my favorites

[billeau2]

Until his death little over 3 years ago, Reine was kind of a cult figure on a couple of other sites... where he posted as "John Garfield".

People loved his stories from "the good old days"... written in a style very close to the great A.J. Liebling.

He was an amazingly approachable guy. He always gave me feedback on my pieces and I used to love his work...His article on James Toney was one of my all time favorites

[billeau2]

It's something of an anachronism these days. Our fighter of the year plainly ducked his toughest challenger in Rigo. He dropped the belt and ran away like a Frenchmen. It wasn't always this way but it seems to be the case these days. I'm just applauding a guy for going for greatness instead of picking up another pay check. As fans we all should be.

So brother if your going the route you are going, you can expand a bit and consider other writers in combat related enterprise: Robert Smith is another wonderful scribe...He is more up my direct alley, as most of my professional stuff (stuff I got paid for) was on the martial arts. Take a look, a great story teller and historian. Another favorite of mine. And...if I misspell "smith" you have my permission to slap me silly!!!