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SHAUN KING: "DON'T DEFINE THESE GUYS BY WINS AND LOSSES...DEFINE THEM BY EFFORT"

By Percy Crawford | August 29, 2014
SHAUN KING:

"I went to school with Jeff Lacy and Winky Wright, and Antonio Tarver was good friends of mine growing up, so I always followed it. I wanted to be a boxer, but I played in the 220 range and I definitely knew I wasn't heavyweight material (laughing). But I fell in love with the sport…losses don't define these guys career and the media is quick to say that about guys…don't define these guys by wins and losses, but define them by effort," stated former NFL quarterback Shaun King, who talked about his love for the sport of boxing. Check it out!

PC: You are a big time boxing fan. What made you such a fan of the sport?

SK: I went to school with Jeff Lacy and Winky Wright, and Antonio Tarver was good friends of mine growing up, so I always followed it. I wanted to be a boxer, but I played in the 220 range and I definitely knew I wasn't heavyweight material (laughing). But I fell in love with the sport. I follow it closely and I'm definitely a huge fan of the new landscape that I see in boxing with 50 Cent and Jay Z and Roc Nation getting involved. I think that's gonna give the fans a great opportunity to see the best fights and it will allow some of these fights to go to the highest bidder, and that means more money for the fighters and it's good for the sport.

PC: Anytime you can get people willing to move the sport forward, no matter what avenue they come from, is a good thing.

SK: Absolutely, and I think just having that new blood in the game. I was so disappointed when I heard Richard Schaefer and Golden Boy say that they would never work with Top Rank or HBO. And I was just as disappointed in Bob Arum and Top Rank when they said they would not be working with Showtime or Golden Boy. That's not good for the sport because the fans are the ones being punished, so I'm glad there is new blood that don't have all of that negative history between them. When you look at 140-154 pounds, there are some good fights that can be made and I hope we can get them now.

PC: We are a little over the mid-way point of the year. What are some of the things that stick out in your mind from the first half of the year in boxing?

SK: I like the Matthysse and Molina fight. I like Floyd's ability to adjust against Maidana and I think that's what makes him the top fighter in the sport. And if you look at Shawn Porter and how he wasn't able to make adjustments against Kell Brook, that's what kind of separates Floyd right now from almost all of these other fighters out here. I thought Floyd was pretty impressive. Even going back to last year, I thought the way Adrien Broner handled himself in the second half of the Maidana fight was pretty impressive. He continued to battle back and if he could cut out some of the things he does outside of the ring and get rid of some of that immaturity, he could be someone to be reckoned with. If you look at Danny Garcia, I think he hurt his brand a little bit with this last fight and I thought he lost the fight to Herrera, but I think he is a guy that has a lot of talent. I think a lot of good things can happen this year and next year in boxing.

PC: One thing I have always said is that Adrien Broner didn't just give up his 0. He fought hard for it and just came up short. I personally think too much is put on being an undefeated fighter, but it is disappointing to see some guys just give up their 0.

SK: You know, that's why I have a love-hate relationship with Floyd. I think there were times in his career where he didn't take on certain challenges to keep his record intact. And that's not even to say he couldn't beat the guys I feel like he avoided, but I think it was a matter of him wanting to remain undefeated and not challenge himself like that. To any young fighter out there reading this, you can take a loss and still gain fans. Some fighters gain more fans in defeat than victory. As long as you lay it all on the line and fight with your heart, people will want to see you again. Back in the day, those guys challenged themselves and that's why it was rare for a fighter back then to be undefeated. They continuously challenged themselves.

PC: I agree. That being said though, I think today's fan and media puts a lot of pressure on guys to remain undefeated because once they get a loss, they are considered to be overrated or bums.

SK: And you're right, losses don't define these guys career and the media is quick to say that about guys. I mean, look at Shawn Porter. He just took his first loss; he's more than capable of bouncing back. I look at a guy like Manny Pacquiao, who everyone thought was done and counted out after Juan Manual Marquez knocked him out, and look how he's come back beating Rios and Bradley. So don't define these guys by wins and losses, but define them by effort.

PC: Before I let you go, I gotta get your take on the two biggest cards of the year, Floyd Mayweather vs. Marcos Maidana 2 and Manny Pacquiao vs. Chris Algieri?

SK: Honestly, I'm boycotting Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao fights until they are fighting each other. I'll let you guys tell me how those fights played out because I won't be watching either of them. I'm not interested in seeing either guy fight anyone other than fighting each other. These are the best two fighters on the planet and they just so happen to both be welterweights; no reason they shouldn't be fighting each other anymore. Let's make that fight happen. With that being said, I think Floyd beats Maidana and fairly easy this time. Floyd will make adjustments during the course of the fight and honestly it wouldn't surprise me if he caught him with something late and stopped Maidana. I just won't be watching it.



[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]

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