11-20-2014, 10:04 AM
Angove: Code-hoppers deserve our respect
MIKE ANGOVE
CODE-HOPPERS: Anthony Mundine, Sonny Bill Williams and Quade Cooper have all tried their hand at boxing.
OPINION: Code-hoppers like Sonny Bill Williams and Anthony Mundine draw the ire of the sporting community not because they have committed a great sacrilege against their beloved code, but because they have the talent and courage to break the mould.
When a successful athlete from one code shifts to another, there is a constant wail from blinkered wowsers, either that they've been betrayed or they are stealing the limelight from the hard grafters, those who have committed years of their life to a given sport.
But I have to ask: would those grafters ever have actually appeared on the big stage in the first place? Talent and ability to win will trump admirable but ultimately unspectacular grafters every time.
It may not be fair, but professional sport doesn't give out merit badges for participation.
We are in the midst of a fortnight where code-hoppers are receiving plenty of coverage so it seems apt to explore the core of why these super athletes are both loved and reviled in the same breath.
The divisive Anthony Mundine faces his final roll of the dice against Sergey Rabchenko in Brisbane on Wednesday, but love him or hate him, you can't deny he has always been a special athlete.
Just over a year after turning professional with no amateur background, "Choc" fought for a world title against a dominant, undefeated champion in his 11th fight.
Sven Ottke may have knocked him out, but "the man" went on to win the WBA super-middleweight and light-middleweight crowns, and the IBO middleweight strap, beating the likes of Antwun Echols, Danny Green, Sam Soliman and Bronco McKart on the way. You can't put together a record like that without x-factor in your make-up.
New Zealand's own Monty Betham - world junior karate champion, national rugby league captain and professional boxer, though not scaling the same heights as Mundine - also bears the same unwavering sense of self belief which saw him agree to fight Shane Cameron (a world class 29-fight veteran at the time) in just his sixth bout. Forgetting for a moment the 16oz. gloves and two-minute rounds, Betham's ability to survive and execute a well-constructed game plan after taking this bout on just two weeks notice was nothing short of impressive.
Sonny Bill Williams, of course, is the ultimate code-hopper, shifting from league to rugby to boxing, then back to rugby via league again. He's currently touring with the All Blacks as he tries to secure a place in the world cup squad, but after that, don't be surprised to see SBW back in the boxing ring.
No doubt he does have a padded record, but no more so than most 10-0 fighters looking to clamber over a few corpses and old men on the way up the food chain.
People complain about the exorbitant PPV charge to watch Sonny Bill fight, but we are an obsessed fan base in a country which would turn up to watch an All Black fart and have only ourselves to blame for succumbing to the undoubted star factor.
And, to be fair that complaint should really be directed at the constant dubiousness of matchmaking on undercards he appears on across the Tasman (not New Zealand where there is far better control), but that is a story for another day.
The truth is, in his last bout, for eight and half rounds of 10 against Francois Botha, he boxed well against an experienced and wily veteran. For a part timer, he was succeeding where really he had no right to do so. Surely this can only be a testament to his freakish athleticism and mental capacity to execute a game plan in the trenches. It is however a pity we haven't yet seen the result of him committing to the sport full time.
The addition of world-class kickboxing phenomenon, Israel Adesanya, to the upcoming SUPER 8 Last Man Standing tournament as the New Zealand wild card has similarly created huge consternation amongst the local boxing community, who felt the place should have gone to a committed local boxing tradesman. But lets face facts, this kid is a once in a generation fighter with a 42-win (22 KOs), 2-loss professional fight record at the highest level, a record only David Tua can match in terms of credibility.
Yes, the sports have different ranges, which the 25-year-old will need to adapt to, but take away the kicking and you are left with ... boxing. Last time I checked, the punches used are exactly the same.
What's more, the three-time kickboxing eight-man winner has plenty of experience in the three-round format, and the preternatural ability and confidence to pull it off. I'd go further and suggest there are several outspoken people in the boxing community who may have to quaff a few sour grapes come November 22nd.
Mohammed Ali once said, "He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life." I have to wonder if the reason these special athletes or "code-hoppers" garner so many haters is simply jealously.
Most of us don't have the talent, confidence or imagination to do what these special athletes can, and there is a small part of our psyche that hates that fact.
- Stuff
MIKE ANGOVE
CODE-HOPPERS: Anthony Mundine, Sonny Bill Williams and Quade Cooper have all tried their hand at boxing.
OPINION: Code-hoppers like Sonny Bill Williams and Anthony Mundine draw the ire of the sporting community not because they have committed a great sacrilege against their beloved code, but because they have the talent and courage to break the mould.
When a successful athlete from one code shifts to another, there is a constant wail from blinkered wowsers, either that they've been betrayed or they are stealing the limelight from the hard grafters, those who have committed years of their life to a given sport.
But I have to ask: would those grafters ever have actually appeared on the big stage in the first place? Talent and ability to win will trump admirable but ultimately unspectacular grafters every time.
It may not be fair, but professional sport doesn't give out merit badges for participation.
We are in the midst of a fortnight where code-hoppers are receiving plenty of coverage so it seems apt to explore the core of why these super athletes are both loved and reviled in the same breath.
The divisive Anthony Mundine faces his final roll of the dice against Sergey Rabchenko in Brisbane on Wednesday, but love him or hate him, you can't deny he has always been a special athlete.
Just over a year after turning professional with no amateur background, "Choc" fought for a world title against a dominant, undefeated champion in his 11th fight.
Sven Ottke may have knocked him out, but "the man" went on to win the WBA super-middleweight and light-middleweight crowns, and the IBO middleweight strap, beating the likes of Antwun Echols, Danny Green, Sam Soliman and Bronco McKart on the way. You can't put together a record like that without x-factor in your make-up.
New Zealand's own Monty Betham - world junior karate champion, national rugby league captain and professional boxer, though not scaling the same heights as Mundine - also bears the same unwavering sense of self belief which saw him agree to fight Shane Cameron (a world class 29-fight veteran at the time) in just his sixth bout. Forgetting for a moment the 16oz. gloves and two-minute rounds, Betham's ability to survive and execute a well-constructed game plan after taking this bout on just two weeks notice was nothing short of impressive.
Sonny Bill Williams, of course, is the ultimate code-hopper, shifting from league to rugby to boxing, then back to rugby via league again. He's currently touring with the All Blacks as he tries to secure a place in the world cup squad, but after that, don't be surprised to see SBW back in the boxing ring.
No doubt he does have a padded record, but no more so than most 10-0 fighters looking to clamber over a few corpses and old men on the way up the food chain.
People complain about the exorbitant PPV charge to watch Sonny Bill fight, but we are an obsessed fan base in a country which would turn up to watch an All Black fart and have only ourselves to blame for succumbing to the undoubted star factor.
And, to be fair that complaint should really be directed at the constant dubiousness of matchmaking on undercards he appears on across the Tasman (not New Zealand where there is far better control), but that is a story for another day.
The truth is, in his last bout, for eight and half rounds of 10 against Francois Botha, he boxed well against an experienced and wily veteran. For a part timer, he was succeeding where really he had no right to do so. Surely this can only be a testament to his freakish athleticism and mental capacity to execute a game plan in the trenches. It is however a pity we haven't yet seen the result of him committing to the sport full time.
The addition of world-class kickboxing phenomenon, Israel Adesanya, to the upcoming SUPER 8 Last Man Standing tournament as the New Zealand wild card has similarly created huge consternation amongst the local boxing community, who felt the place should have gone to a committed local boxing tradesman. But lets face facts, this kid is a once in a generation fighter with a 42-win (22 KOs), 2-loss professional fight record at the highest level, a record only David Tua can match in terms of credibility.
Yes, the sports have different ranges, which the 25-year-old will need to adapt to, but take away the kicking and you are left with ... boxing. Last time I checked, the punches used are exactly the same.
What's more, the three-time kickboxing eight-man winner has plenty of experience in the three-round format, and the preternatural ability and confidence to pull it off. I'd go further and suggest there are several outspoken people in the boxing community who may have to quaff a few sour grapes come November 22nd.
Mohammed Ali once said, "He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life." I have to wonder if the reason these special athletes or "code-hoppers" garner so many haters is simply jealously.
Most of us don't have the talent, confidence or imagination to do what these special athletes can, and there is a small part of our psyche that hates that fact.
- Stuff