Pound for pound, Geale is fight game's most honest

WORLD middleweight champion Daniel Geale shocked the German boxing fraternity with an uncommon act of honesty in the lead-up to last weekend's historic win against Felix Sturm so he could look his three children in the eye after the bout.

Geale beat Sturm by a split-decision in Germany - the hardest place in the world for a visiting fighter - but the victory could have been a little bit easier had he not told the German boxing commissioner and his opponent's management they had mistakenly approved for him to wear gloves lighter than the 10 ounces (283 grams) he had agreed to fight in.

The eight-ounce gloves would have allowed Geale to land bullet-like blows and perhaps even presented a KO victory but the 31-year-old, who became the first Australian-born fighter to unify a division by taking Sturm's WBA belt , told The Sun-Herald his sense of right and wrong wouldn't allow for him to capitalise on the oversight.

''I didn't see it as being fair,'' the unassuming Geale said. ''When we were taping my gloves I saw the 'eight' on them and my immediate thought was it wouldn't be right [to use them]. If I had have knocked Felix out I would've known what really happened and I don't think I could've lived with that [come] the day my kids asked me about the fight. Also, if someone else had realised I wore lighter gloves my reputation would have been ruined. It wasn't right and while wearing the gloves would have only been a small edge it would've been an unfair edge.''
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While Geale's respected chief cornerman Brian Wilmott - who has worked with the likes of former WBC champion Jeff Harding and Commonwealth champion Troy Waters - described Geale's honesty in a sport renowned for dodgy deals as refreshing, he also expected nothing less.

''He's all class,'' Wilmott said. ''No one picked up we had the wrong gloves until we started to tape them up in the dressing room. As soon as Daniel saw they weren't the right size he let Sturm know the wrong gloves had been sent from home. I'm sure some fighters may have been tempted to stay quiet and enjoy the advantage but Daniel is an extraordinary person and the German boxing commissioner said it all when he praised Daniel for being an 'honest man'. I think his desire to do the right thing was the sign of a true champion.''

Geale fought in Sturm's second pair of gloves after the two parties agreed should either set be damaged during the bout they'd finish the fight in the Australian's gloves. The Sydneysider, who laughed off the suggestion he ought to have a halo rest alongside the IBF and WBA championship belts in his trophy cabinet, will be ringside in Las Vegas for today's bout between WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez jnr and Sergio Martinez.

Geale and his management team arrived in America on Wednesday to organise a fight with the winner to unify the crowns of the sport's three major organisations.

A host of Australian boxers including former world heavyweight contender Kali Meehan, emerging middleweight Kurt Barham and 17-year-old London Olympian Jai Opetaia not only endorsed claims Geale was now the world's leading middleweight but they also described him as an ''inspiration''.

source:http://www.smh.com.au/sport/boxing/pound-for-pound-geale-is-fight-games-most-honest-20120915-25yz0.html

ho hum.

Somebody forward this to Antonio Margarito.

Shaun wrote:Somebody forward this to Antonio Margarito.

...lol lol.great wit .

dmar5143 wrote:ho hum.

Dmar I wouldnt Ho Hum this. You and I come from an age where athletes were GENTLEMEN and full of CLASS and GRACE at all times. In this day and age, thuggish, spoiled, entitled assholes dominate the sports scene. I like to be reminded of that time when there really WAS such a thing as good sportsmanship and honest, tough, competition was something the athlete actually WANTED.

BLvery true.you pointed out the reason why i ho humed it because we expect it.as you say rightly so though things have gone in reverse and i was out of line for thinking decent fair honorable behavior is the norm.your correct its far from it .gone for the most part are the days of a guy like marciano honoring a contract in which he was fucked.gone are the days a dempsey did a long relationship with doc kerns on a handshake or a hagler saying take whatever you feel is fair.

As if nobody ever broke the rules or fixed fights in the 40's, 50's, 60's or 70's.......

flapanther2001 wrote:As if nobody ever broke the rules or fixed fights in the 40's, 50's, 60's or 70's.......

...thats been going on since day 1..still overall the attitude greed unwarranred cockiness of fighters today that realy dont fight and how one conductes themselves in the sport has changed dramticaly for the worst.

dmar5143 wrote:

flapanther2001 wrote:As if nobody ever broke the rules or fixed fights in the 40's, 50's, 60's or 70's.......

...thats been going on since day 1..still overall the attitude greed unwarranred cockiness of fighters today that realy dont fight and how one conductes themselves in the sport has changed dramticaly for the worst.

I agree. They are getting worse instead of better. Coddled, protected, whiny, cocky arrogant kids with no resume's to speak of. There are so many guys out there right now with 25 or 30-0 records that haven't fought anybody, it's sickening. The emphasis on being undefeated is ridiculous.

flapanther2001 wrote:

dmar5143 wrote:

flapanther2001 wrote:As if nobody ever broke the rules or fixed fights in the 40's, 50's, 60's or 70's.......

...thats been going on since day 1..still overall the attitude greed unwarranred cockiness of fighters today that realy dont fight and how one conductes themselves in the sport has changed dramticaly for the worst.

I agree. They are getting worse instead of better. Coddled, protected, whiny, cocky arrogant kids with no resume's to speak of. There are so many guys out there right now with 25 or 30-0 records that haven't fought anybody, it's sickening. The emphasis on being undefeated is ridiculous.

i think thats the main problem. there have always been the shady characters in boxing, but at least the best fought the best. i would rather have some bad decisions and fixed fights here and there if it meant the best fighting each other.

although i wish that boxing was perfect and there was no corruption and that all the best fights were always made