WHY DO I GET PUNISHED?

I had recently heard that there was an article in Ring magazine about one of favorite fighters(Matt Godfrey). So during a trip to my local Stop & Shop two weeks ago, I decided to peruse the magazine section and see if they had the issue. They had quite the selection of mags. They must have had ten hip-hop magazines, at least a dozen teeny bopper mags, countless health & beauty reads, and three pro wrestling magazines(WWE type stuff). Not one issue of The Ring! I wasn't too surprised, maybe a little angry, but that's because I think boxing fans take it a little more personally when people bash their sport. I returned to S&S today to pickup a few essentials(chips, dip, Ramon Noodles, Tuna) and I thought two things: Why do I eat like a college student, and I wonder if they have a copy of The Ring today? Sure enough they did, then as quickly as I picked it up to see what the issue contained, I put it down realizing it was 8 bucks. There was no way in hell I was paying 8 dollars for a magazine, even if it is "The Bible of Boxing"! As I continued to shop I wondered, "Why am I being punished?" Why did I have to pay 50 dollars to see my favorite fighter get in the ring on Saturday? Why should I pay 8 bucks for a magazine covering my sport? Why do eat so much Tuna? Why do I have spend so much money to watch a sport that I love? The only answer I had was, Tuna is cheep and easy. When two elite fighters square off it's guaranteed that I am going to fork over 50 smackers. When the Patriots play the Colts everyone watches Monday night football. When the Red Sox play the Yankees I just tune in to my local radio station and listen in. I'm not saying that Winky and Bernard should be on radio and given Superbowl treatment, but at least try and drum up support from new fans instead sucking the old ones dry. All I can say is boxing needs to be more accessible to everyone. Promoters and managers will take a prospect and bring him along slowly, making sure he gets the skills he needs and builds a fan base. Why can't they treat the sport of boxing the same way they do their prospects? I have no answers only questions, sorry if you were expecting more. By the way, being a stupid boxing fan, I paid the 8 bucks and bought the magazine.

HOPKINS WRIGHT

PREDICTION

I have come up with a few rules while watching boxing all these years:

1. Never bet against Bernard Hopkins.

2. Never bet against Winky Wright.

3. Always bet on black.(no, wait, that's Wesley Snipes in Passenger 57. Sorry, my bad.)

So, I guess I only have two rules for boxing.(I'm gonna have to come up with a few more). Now this fight just goes and screws with the little system I had going. I won't bet on either guy, but who should I pick to win. After mulling it over for about two months I have decided to go with(drum roll please, rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr) Bernard Hopkins. I think the fight will be more entertaining than people think. We are talking about two of the best ring technicians on the planet. Why are people acting like this is gonna be John Ruiz vs. Fres Oquendo? Both of these guys want to prove they're the better man, and I believe they'll come out fighting. Hopkins showed much more energy against Tarver than he had in his 5 bouts before that. Bernard Hopkins is the Roger Clemens of boxing, or even better the engizer bunny of boxing, he just keeps going. He will be the bigger man in the ring and will force his will upon Winky the same way he did against Oscar DeLahoya. Winky got broken up worse in the Jermain Taylor fight than all the rest of his fights combined. After two fights with Taylor, Hopkins looked fine. I would also add that Taylor was a young guy full of energy, Wright is not. Also it's very important to point out that Hopkins is 9-0 with 7 ko's against southpaws. If all that wasn't enough, Bernard is also one of my favorite fighters, so I can't pick against him. PREDICTION: HOPKINS UD