Is boxing a sport?

[Sharpieman]

Personally I believe any sport that uses judges to determine the outcome of a "sport" shouldn't be considered a sport, like figure skating or Diving. Now, yes, basball uses a judge to determine balls and strikes, but Umpires can't be very corrupt because their job is looked over closely by league officals. On the other hand, boxing has no league officals to overlook judges and in many cases judges have been blatantly corrupt. So, my question is is boxing a sport?

[SirFozzie]

Watch the three Ward-Gatti fights and then tell me if Boxing is a competitive SPORT.

[Franklinnoble]

We've had this debate before. Is it a sport? Is it a game? Are the participants athletes, or just skilled? I think it came up in a Nascar thread.

As for the use of judges - I think this is a good point. Boxing could be amended so that only punch counts (total punches landed and/or percentage of punches landed) are the deciding factor in fights that aren't won by knockout. I've never liked it when fights ended in a decision.

[condors]

as a former boxer i always went into any fight convinced the judges would have no say in the outcome of the fight, Boxing is very much a sport maybe one of the purest of sports. (by purest i don't mean lack of corruption).

[SirFozzie]

I like what Mick Foley said during his independent days when he was working a auto racing crowd for an upcoming wrestling event in the same area. (he was working as a bad guy)

"Auto racing's fun, but you can't call them athletes. I n the old days, man fought for his life, swam for his life, or ran for his life. I'm pretty sure he didn't get in a car and drive away"

[clintl]

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=sport

I don't see anything in the definition that disqualifies "judged" sports.

[Bee]

All sports I can think of have "judges". Football, basketball, baseball, soccer. They all have officials which can influence the outcomes of the matches.

[Hyde]

What makes boxing one of the ultimate sports is the fact that there are no teamates to blame if it all goes bad. As a former boxer, I can say that no matter what people say about the judges, it is YOU and only YOU that makes the difference. How can anyone claim that hitting or chasing a ball is a sport and going head to head in a test of wills while putting your life on the line every time out is not? Of course Boxing is a sport..

[Neuqua]

I still say golf is just a game. Just a very difficult one.

[Happy29]

Hell Yes is Boxing a sport. They're taking physical punishment, they're getting hammered with x number of pounds of pressure each minute and they score points each round. Anything where you score points is considered a sport!

[vulcan]

Originally posted by SirFozzie
Watch the three Ward-Gatti fights and then tell me if Boxing is a competitive SPORT.

Oh so true! :D

[Bee]

Originally posted by Happy29
Anything where you score points is considered a sport!

I completely agree. Although the scoring in Whack-a-mole is only one of the things that make it one of the greatest sports in the world.

[Sharpieman]

I guess I just have a different definition of a sport. The Gatti-Ward FIGHTS were very good. I am not denying that Boxing is fun to watch at all. I have no personal vendetta versus boxing, I was just trying to be devil's advocate.

[Airhog]

Okay if golf is a game, and boxing is a sport, then where do you draw the line at sport/game?

Basketball is just a game
Baseball is just a game
Football is just a game
Soccer is just a game

And the list goes on...

How do you define a sport? Is it an even where people get paid to play the game? That would make things such as chess, poker, and
nascar all sports.

Are sports only physical?

I think the definition of sport is too broad. Just look at the definition given by websters.

1 a : to amuse oneself : FROLIC <lambs sporting in the meadow> b : to engage in a sport

Here is the definition of game.
1 a (1) : activity engaged in for diversion or amusement : PLAY (2) : the equipment for a game b : often derisive or mocking jesting : FUN, SPORT <make game of a nervous player>
2 a : a procedure or strategy for gaining an end : TACTIC b : an illegal or shady scheme or maneuver : RACKET
3 a (1) : a physical or mental competition conducted according to rules with the participants in direct opposition to each other (2) : a division of a larger contest (3) : the number of points necessary to win (4) : points scored in certain card games (as in all fours) by a player whose cards count up the highest (5) : the manner of playing in a contest (6) : the set of rules governing a game (7) : a particular aspect or phase of play in a game or sport <a football team's kicking game> b plural : organized athletics c (1) : a field of gainful activity : LINE <the newspaper game> (2) : any activity undertaken or regarded as a contest involving rivalry, strategy, or struggle <the dating game> <the game of politics>; also : the course or period of such an activity <got into aviation early in the game> (3) : area of expertise : SPECIALTY 3 <comedy is not my game>


It seems to me that sports and games are the same thing really, but sports have a more broad meaning.

[Sharpieman]

I won't accept boxing as a sport untill it has a world commitee or league that looks over boxing, currently there is no oversight in boxing so basically it can be really corrupt. Also I don't beileve that champions such as Lewis or Mosley should be able to pick there own opponents. I want to see Bernard Hopkins fight Mosley and Lewis has been so hesitant to fight top fighters. Instead he fights Tyson. Tyson doesn't even deserve to kiss Lewis's toliet.