Djokovic

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Originally Posted by Wash DC Blue

I love watching and following the careers of Boxers.
They are the ultimate sportsmen IMO.

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Middleweight and below I think that's a fair call

But some of the heavyweights are porkers

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Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee

I would have said darts would have been an even better analogy. Breaks of serve are crucial to determining a game of tennis, breaks of throw the same in darts. In tennis you can have a rally where one player dominates then suddenly puts a smash into the net to lose that point. A dart player can be miles ahead and miss lots of doubles and lose a leg.

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The comparison I was trying to make has nothing to do with the way these sports are played or the way their results are determined. What I was trying to get over is that both sports can become compulsive viewing and easily get you hooked.

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Originally Posted by splott parker

I think you’d be hard pushed to find a more taxing game than top class singles tennis. I know boxers have to keep fit between bouts but these elite tennis players are on court, under pressure, on their own for hours on end day in, day out. One tournament ends and they’re off to another one. The amount of hours on court in competition, not counting practise and fitness training, when continually reaching semi finals & finals is mind boggling. The concentration levels must be off the scale. For fitness and constantly competing edges it over boxers for me. A top boxer may have to face comparable opposition for just over half an hour perhaps once or twice a year, a lot less if they’re finishing their bouts early, five hours they were on court yesterday after a fortnight’s battling to get there. Obviously no fun getting hit but and I don’t want to demean any boxer but it’s tennis players over them for me.

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Its not just over half an hour twice a year.

Its all the training. The thousands of punches taken to the head mostly in sparring.

Fitness its arguable. But the boxers life is the hardest by far.

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Originally Posted by splott parker

I think you’d be hard pushed to find a more taxing game than top class singles tennis. I know boxers have to keep fit between bouts but these elite tennis players are on court, under pressure, on their own for hours on end day in, day out. One tournament ends and they’re off to another one. The amount of hours on court in competition, not counting practise and fitness training, when continually reaching semi finals & finals is mind boggling. The concentration levels must be off the scale. For fitness and constantly competing edges it over boxers for me. A top boxer may have to face comparable opposition for just over half an hour perhaps once or twice a year, a lot less if they’re finishing their bouts early, five hours they were on court yesterday after a fortnight’s battling to get there. Obviously no fun getting hit but and I don’t want to demean any boxer but it’s tennis players over them for me.

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That’s a fair enough point.
Their sacrifices, fitness, talent, drive and consistency is something to behold.
It’s obviously very grueling as well and to come back when you are losing takes incredible fortitude.

Boxing to me though is for want of a better word… romantic.
With the exception of scheduling (for those lucky enough to be considered as established fighters), boxing has all of the above with the added gladiatorial aspect.

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Originally Posted by SLUDGE FACTORY

Middleweight and below I think that's a fair call

But some of the heavyweights are porkers

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You do heavyweight boxers a disservice Sludge. Even the ones who look over weight.
The average man in the St would be blowing out of his arse after 30 secs of physical fighting, never mind 36 minutes.

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Originally Posted by SLUDGE FACTORY

some of the heavyweights are porkers

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Says the Curry King of Coychurch

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Originally Posted by splott parker

I think you’d be hard pushed to find a more taxing game than top class singles tennis. I know boxers have to keep fit between bouts but these elite tennis players are on court, under pressure, on their own for hours on end day in, day out. One tournament ends and they’re off to another one. The amount of hours on court in competition, not counting practise and fitness training, when continually reaching semi finals & finals is mind boggling. The concentration levels must be off the scale. For fitness and constantly competing edges it over boxers for me. A top boxer may have to face comparable opposition for just over half an hour perhaps once or twice a year, a lot less if they’re finishing their bouts early, five hours they were on court yesterday after a fortnight’s battling to get there. Obviously no fun getting hit but and I don’t want to demean any boxer but it’s tennis players over them for me.

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“One tournament ends, and they’re off to another” That sentence alone proves to me that boxing is more challenging. If a boxer loses a world title fight, he may never get another chance. Tennis players can suffer lots of defeats, and still come back time after time to challenge for other titles.
A boxers training camp leading up to an important fight, can be 3months of testing, gruelling , exercising, running, bag work and sparring. To fight for a possible 36 minutes, with a 1 min break between every 3 mins, you have to be one of the fittest athletes in sport.
I do admire top class tennis players, but a boxer wins it for me any day of the week.

I don't think there is a right answer. I would make a case for cyclists though. This year's Tour de France is a case in point. At its head two fantastically well matched athletes way above anyone in the field trying (with team-mates) to grind each other down to attrition. The psychology and the physical attrition is like watching marathon runners playing chess.

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Originally Posted by Harry Paget Flashman

Says the Curry King of Coychurch

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*Kebab, I think.

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Originally Posted by William Treseder

You do heavyweight boxers a disservice Sludge. Even the ones who look over weight.
The average man in the St would be blowing out of his arse after 30 secs of physical fighting, never mind 36 minutes.

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Absolutely no doubt about it , it must be utterly exhausting

The likes of Marvin Hagler were incredible physical specimens , sugar Ray Leonard, eubank , very fit men

But the sluggers don't remind me of sportsmen

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Originally Posted by Harry Paget Flashman

Says the Curry King of Coychurch

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I am not fighting for a world title

If Tysoe fury with the weight he carries is the best the sport can offer then at his level its a bit of a joke

Not doubting his skills

But he's fat