By Ziggy Shah: Being a boxing fan/writer is by far the greatest occupation anyone can hope for. The drama and excitement it brings can only be described and appreciated by those who truly love the ‘sweet science’. Indeed, the past few weeks have made this job a lot easier, as match-ups at domestic and world level have lived up to their hype, thus giving writers, like myself, the extra initiative to work those late hours.
Nothing gives more pleasure to a writer than seeing his ‘write up’ receive good feedback. However, there are times when the opposite happens and the comments zone can seem like an upsetting place for us to ponder.
But all we do is voice our opinion and describe to the readers what we feel, and the rest is down to you, the ‘die hards’. And it was this exact notion that I employed when I was approached by a question from a member of ‘Team Khan’. I was asked what I thought of a comment that had been posted on a social website by Team Khan, “Amir Khan will retire Floyd Mayweather if they fight”.
Now keeping in mind the motto of sports writing, Be honest and truthful, my reply was simple, “You’ve got more chance of Ali making a comeback, then Khan has off retiring Floyd”. Needless to say, my reply caused a bit of a reaction.
I can’t blame Team Khan for trying to pursue a fight with Floyd Mayweather, and if that means using social media sites to generate interest, then so be it.
However, the problem begins when my honest opinion puts me in the ‘Hater’ category, and I am accused of being jealous of the boxer and his entourage. I was reminded that they were eating lobsters in Las Vegas and I was sat at home living a boring life. But, I would not call being at home with my lovely wife and children boring.
But seriously, being called a ‘hater’ is not a nice place to be, especially when you have followed and supported Amir Khan throughout his amateur and pro career.
Even more odd is the fact that Khan has a difficult fight in less than a fortnight, because, with or without ‘the man in the hat’ controversy, the first encounter with Peterson was a close affair. And the timing of these comments are absurd, given the fact that Khan cannot for one second, overlook the Champion, as he is a pressure fighter, and Khan struggles against pressure…Fact!
On a final note, People like myself write about the sport that we love, and every man, woman or child who participates in that sport earns our respect. But at the same time, we have an obligation to our concious and that is, always ‘Keep it real!’