Teddy Atlas is furious
One of the things I have come to appreciate with the Olympics is the 2AM boxing on CNBC. I have no idea why, but it's been on every night. I'm taken in every time. I think it's a combination of two factors. First, the live scoring is easier on fans who don't like things simply "judged" like figure skating (although, admittedly, I've come to dislike gymnastics a lot less) and the fact that many countries we're not used to seeing, like the Congo, or Mauritius (I ain't callin' no grown man Mauritius!)
The fun part too, is that the sport is so inherently flawed, and it amuses me to no end how
worked up Teddy Atlas gets about this. First, the boxing is terrible. There's a lot of grabbing and flailing, and frankly, it's very clear that most of these guys are never going pro. Teddy keeps discussing what the boxer needs to do strategically, then the two lunge at each other and slap furiously. It's great.
Second, the tournaments are completely unseeded. This has the Big Lead up in arms to the point they are using MatLab. It means that many otf the top fighters are having to face each other, which in turn is preventing some of the better fighters from getting to medal rounds. If this was a winner take all tournament, sure, things would be OK. But it isn't, so it's not.
Lastly, the scoring is ridciulous! Points are awarded when three out of five judges agree that the white part of the boxers glove has connected with the head or body of a boxer. Right. Try to get three people to instantaneously agree on something like that. It just doesn't work out so well. It's led to what may typically be deemed the weaker fighter to win, just because his solid hits were more noticeable than the punches of a stronger fighter. Talk about shenanigans. That being said, I just watched Somjit Jongjohur of Thailand absolutely dominate in a bout with Samir Mammadov of Azerbaijan. It wasn't because Jongjohur was necessarily a a better fighter, rather because he was older and understood what types of blows had a better chance of being scored.
Perhaps it's time for Americans to realize that perhaps these games aren't exactly what we play in the States. In the meantime, however, I'm all for Teddy Atlas continuing his nightly diatribes.
The fun part too, is that the sport is so inherently flawed, and it amuses me to no end how
worked up Teddy Atlas gets about this. First, the boxing is terrible. There's a lot of grabbing and flailing, and frankly, it's very clear that most of these guys are never going pro. Teddy keeps discussing what the boxer needs to do strategically, then the two lunge at each other and slap furiously. It's great.Second, the tournaments are completely unseeded. This has the Big Lead up in arms to the point they are using MatLab. It means that many otf the top fighters are having to face each other, which in turn is preventing some of the better fighters from getting to medal rounds. If this was a winner take all tournament, sure, things would be OK. But it isn't, so it's not.
Lastly, the scoring is ridciulous! Points are awarded when three out of five judges agree that the white part of the boxers glove has connected with the head or body of a boxer. Right. Try to get three people to instantaneously agree on something like that. It just doesn't work out so well. It's led to what may typically be deemed the weaker fighter to win, just because his solid hits were more noticeable than the punches of a stronger fighter. Talk about shenanigans. That being said, I just watched Somjit Jongjohur of Thailand absolutely dominate in a bout with Samir Mammadov of Azerbaijan. It wasn't because Jongjohur was necessarily a a better fighter, rather because he was older and understood what types of blows had a better chance of being scored.
Perhaps it's time for Americans to realize that perhaps these games aren't exactly what we play in the States. In the meantime, however, I'm all for Teddy Atlas continuing his nightly diatribes.
posted by Ryan | 1:42 AM
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