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23 Oct 18
20:09
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21 May 10
The only one I can think of off the top of my head is Gene Tunney who, iirc, had a university education.
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Richard Dawkins thinks he’s one
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Actually, I think Ali might have been from a middle class background.
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Plenty have had a university education, vis-a-vis Nathan Cleverly, ‘Bonecrusher’ Smith and, ahem, Audley Harrison to name a few.
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Nicky Piper
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that is so weird. i was having this exact conversation with a pal earlier today. you need an edge in boxing, need to be a bit nasty.
my son boxes at amateur level & he's decent ( 6 & 0 so far) but i'm under no illusions. he doesn't have the killer instinct & i'm delighted about that. being "middle class" or otherwise isn't really the issue. speed is the most important virtue, then you have to be able to take a punch then you have to have the mentality to disable someone. i have very mixed feelings about boxing. it has done wonders for my lads confidence, the people at his boxing club are the salt of the earth but it is a sport where the objective is to punch someone  |
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Lennox Lewis?
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I recall a Nicky Piper fight where he knocked his opponent out in about twelve seconds... including the count!
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Klitchko brothers as well
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Not many folks know that Frank Bruno once studied economics at the University of Melbourne.
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the middle classes don't really have a fighting mentality for sure ...most of these boxers come from the real rough hoods do they not ?
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Working class people have more fight in them, bigger balls and a bigger heart, stronger urge to get to the top and make something of themselves, something middle classes just could never relate to as when you're born into a family and life of comfort, everything from there on in just becomes easier. That doesn't mean middle class sportsman can't be great because they can and they have, Ayrton Senna, Federer, Tiger Woods, but they all would have made it in life anyway with the bank of mum and dad to fall back on.
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just far more likely that will be the background of a boxer. the same is true of football. there are far more "working class" people in the world.
look how brutal some of the mexican fighters are. they really are battling their way out of poverty |
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I didn't know Bonecrusher had a university education. I seem to remember he was a prison officer - even after he turned pro.
People from poorer backgrounds often don't have the career options that are available to middle class folk. |
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i don't know if there is any medical research to prove it but i'd say the middle class males have far lower testosterone in general ...how that comes about i don't know ...but it's probably an evolutionary thing (plus there are fewer m/c males to start with )
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WTF????
Response to coachbuster 8:51 Aye probably because Boxing's been used successfully as a tool for controlling young tearaways. |
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of the road ?
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'Aye probably because Boxing's been used successfully as a tool for controlling young tearaways.'
that as well |
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Plenty of middle class rugby players.
I'm sure they can be ruthless too. George Walker once said something along the lines of, "the hardest men I know wear a pin-stripe suit and carry a briefcase." |
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easy to look hard when you spend most of your days in the gym and are over 6ft, Rugby is essentially a middle class sport as is Cricket. Boxing and Football are working class sports. Though Rugby is definitely tougher than NFL.
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Just in my own opinion:
Boxing is probably the most brutal sport there is, the objective is to beat up your opponent who will attempt to do the seem to us. Children with some athletic ability(not all men have this..including me  ) will almost always chose another sport if they can.Still if someone has the talent and the guts those that reach the top can make their fame and fortune. Better than just an ordinary job. Audly Harrison has a university education? Did not seem to help him much against David Haye, Audly should always have stayed as an amateur. Poor old Frank Bruno, dumped by his missus when things turned bad, oh well. I thought he was very good at his best, unfortunately ran into Tyson when he was at the top of his game. Once you start as a boxer it is indeed hard. |
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god damn it why can't i quote & post
 anyway i doubt that is true |
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rugby union yes, it's middle class..but how many middle class guys actually play rugby after leaving school ? ....more likely to be out cycling,cricket ,running or at the tennis club or more likely not even into sport .
Middle class and aggression rarely mix ...whether its a testosterone link i'm not qualified to assess ,but even so they probably have less to be angry about and maybe less of a persecution complex |
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i think you need to get over the testosterone thing
probably true about motivation tho. btw lots of people continue playing rugby, if not there would not be any rugby clubs  |
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middle class guys tend to more effeminate (generally) which is why they more likely succeed at school .... masculine guys see educating themselves at a young age as being slightly ,well ...uncool or even sissy, for want of a better term .
working class guys more likely to educate themselves in their own time later in life, and in subjects relevant to them rather than to forge a career ...in the mean time they are more likely to play or watch sports almost in a tribal like manner . since the middle classes have been attending soccer matches the atmosphere has gotten a lot more 'pleasant' and family orientated |
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northanlite ...but it's quite possibly linked ,after all testosterone levels and aggression go hand in hand
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northanlite ,but rugby union is a minority sport in the UK ...why might this be ...in fact i'd wager there are as many working class guys playing that particular sport
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plenty masculine men are not unnecessarily aggressive. if they are there are probably other reasons
i guess rugby is a minority sport but quite a big minority (if that makes sense) there are hundreds of clubs at various levels |
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agreed that there are masculine men who aren't aggressive even under provocation ...but lets not beat around the bush , MOST middle class guys are considered fairly un-masculine in the big scheme of things and would probably be considered either studious /nice guys or both .
I think it's why gyms have become really popular of late, as a way for some of the office guys to shake off that less than masculine image |
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i think we would need to nail down a definition of "middle class"
in thew usa middle class tends to mean what we think of as working class. they are lazy labels imo |
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I think the minority sport angle is a red herring. Boxing is a minority sport.
I don't know about nowadays but when the SAS was formed, weren't they mostly ex-public school? |
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northanlite this is the UK .. so here you don't tend to become middle class ...in the US it's money based yup
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you can't have aggressive out of control attitude men in the SAS or the Marines
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but they have to be hand picked ...99.9% would fail regardless of background
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