boxing
I like to watch boxing, and to read about boxing. I think part of it is that I associate boxing with my grandfather, who was a Golden Glove boxer back in his day. I remember the cardboard cutouts of him in his boxing stance that that sat in his office. He looked young, and tough. It's also that xoxing is an individual sport, of toughness, speed, stamina, determination. I admire that. There can be no blaming a teammate in boxing, or a trainer. It's only the boxer in the ring.
There are so many good movies about boxing and, like all good sports movies, they show that boxing is a metaphor and archetype that speaks to us. From Brando's plea to his brother, "I could have been a contender" to the family of parasites swooping into Hillary Swank's hospital bed in Million Dollar Baby, to Russell Crowe's portrayal of Depression era Jim Braddock, a symbol of the American spirit - boxing movies show us something about ourselves and our society.
As a kid I remember watching the first Rocky movie, and the second, and then losing interest by the third. They stopped being about Rocky and his fights outside the ring, the fights that made it all interesting. When Rocky Balboa came out in 2006, 16 years after Rocky V, I had no interest whatsoever in seeing it. But I did anyways, and it is a great movie. Again, although boxing is the vehicle, the film is really about the human condition, about how we deal with aging and our reality not matching the dreams of our youth.
I have a friend who was a boxer and even though I've never seem him fight (he hasn't in years) conversations with him take on a certain tone. He's a boxer, which means...well, it's hard to explain. He views life with individual accountability, he's willing to take a punch but looks to throw one too. He trains hard and thinks smart.
I probably should have planned this post, because now my mind is taking off on all sorts of tangents related to the art of boxing, and the idea as boxing as a metaphor for life....
A good read: a history of boxing
There are so many good movies about boxing and, like all good sports movies, they show that boxing is a metaphor and archetype that speaks to us. From Brando's plea to his brother, "I could have been a contender" to the family of parasites swooping into Hillary Swank's hospital bed in Million Dollar Baby, to Russell Crowe's portrayal of Depression era Jim Braddock, a symbol of the American spirit - boxing movies show us something about ourselves and our society.
As a kid I remember watching the first Rocky movie, and the second, and then losing interest by the third. They stopped being about Rocky and his fights outside the ring, the fights that made it all interesting. When Rocky Balboa came out in 2006, 16 years after Rocky V, I had no interest whatsoever in seeing it. But I did anyways, and it is a great movie. Again, although boxing is the vehicle, the film is really about the human condition, about how we deal with aging and our reality not matching the dreams of our youth.I have a friend who was a boxer and even though I've never seem him fight (he hasn't in years) conversations with him take on a certain tone. He's a boxer, which means...well, it's hard to explain. He views life with individual accountability, he's willing to take a punch but looks to throw one too. He trains hard and thinks smart.
I probably should have planned this post, because now my mind is taking off on all sorts of tangents related to the art of boxing, and the idea as boxing as a metaphor for life....
A good read: a history of boxing
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