Boxing has been a sport that has been around longer than most sports. Boxing has always had a very large fan base, and a with every generation there is always a fighter that is dominating the sport and is superior compared to the other fighters of its era. There are fighters like Floyd Maywather Jr, Muhammad Ali, Roy Jones Jr, Mike Tyson, Bernard Hopkins and many other more amazing fighters who have given the fans excitement by dominating fight after fight. But what makes these fighters better than other fighters of their era?
As a boxing fan myself, I respect any fighter that gets in the ring and puts his or her life on the line to give the fans excitement. It is truly difficult to get in the ring with someone who has been training for months to purposely hurt you. Fighters who truly are great are those who are very confident, and are not frightened to get in the ring.  A great fighter is a fighter that loves getting into a ring, a fighter who enjoys getting hit. These are something that regular fighters lack, they might have great skill but they lack that passion that a great fighter has. 

Training can be very difficult in most sports, but training to be the best fighter is truly different. Great fighters may train six to eight hours a day, seven times a week, when they are in training camp.  Most think of boxing as a physical sport and they believe that being physically fit will get the win. What most people don’t realize is that boxing is actually more of a mental sport. For this case, Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a perfect example because he hasn’t lost a single fight in his professional career, he has fought the best in the world, and he usually wins by making good decisions in the ring and by timing his punches. When fighters train, they have to remember that being physically fit isn’t the only thing, being mentally strong is just as important. They also need to keep positive attitude and look forward in life.  As Floyd Maywather says, “Tough times don’t last tough people do,” a quote that every fighter should keep in mind when they complain about the difficulty of the training. 

The greatest fighters are those who are entertaining, but they know their limits. There is a moment where you keep the fans entertained, but there are also moments where a fighter needs to realize that wining the fight is more important. Sometimes fighters only focus of entertaining rather than being smart and winning the fight.  Yes that could make the fight boring if a fighter is playing safe for the whole fight, but that’s fine because at the end of the day, he is the one that is winning.

Boxing isn’t what people think it is, you can’t really understand the sport unless you get involved and get to experience it.  The ones that are recognized as great are those who do extra work, and are different.  It not only about having skill at the physical ability to fight, to be great, it necessary to be smart in the ring, train hard, be a good businessman and know when to entertain and when not to.