Jamel Herring’s Message to Fans!
WBO junior lightweight champion Jamel Herring took to social media complaining about how some fans take fighters losing personal.
This all started with the surprise victory by former light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal defeating Marcus Browne in Brooklyn August 3. Things turned into a social media attack from some fans.
Herring’s tweet started a chain reaction of rebuttals by fans. Some had valid points in referencing Browne’s domestic issues. Still, others simply cheered on the underdog. However, the champion does have a very good complaint when you look deeper. There are certain fighters without the out-of-ring issues that still will generate a certain amount of disdain.
Some of it stems from personal dislike for the promoter or certain calculated moves that are made on the fighters behalf. It has even spilled over from several non-related issues where fighters leave and sign with the rival competition.
Boxing is a global sport with, as of late, an increased reach between fan and fighter through social media. As a result, this sometimes leads to the blurring, or even crossing, of fine lines.
This isn’t to say that fighters shouldn’t accept a good amount of responsibility. They are public figures and should understand that their actions and words will be made available for public scrutiny. It’s still needs to be a happy medium where all parties can interact without things going over the top. When constructive, criticism is always welcome and fair game.
Sometimes fighters, fans, and pundits will say things that we won’t like or agree with, but there should never be an overabundance of emotional investment to the degree where things escalate beyond reason.
We all love boxing and everyone should cheer for the fighter they are supporting, but try to keep in mind, given recent events of death in the sport, the fighters are human beings that are flawed like the rest of us.
By: Garrisson Bland
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