Brazil's Humiliating Defeat

[Fleetwood Mac]

I agree, Hagler is the best middleweight ever.
But Hearns was a better puncher. Had he been a pure middleweight, he would have won.
At the end of the first round, perhaps the most brutal Hagler has ever faced, nobody could predict who would win.

Tommy Hearns was a better puncher?! Hearns wouldn't say that after fighting him and getting cleaned out. Tell you what, DVV, you had better get out of the way of one of Hagler's punches because otherwise he'd take your heed clean off your shoulders.

Hagler would have beaten Hearns 9 times out of 10. Hearns had a good first round which was pretty even, and Hearns cut him so he was hitting pretty hard, but once Hagler settled down into a fight and he had the measure of you your best bet was to get out of the way of him. Only ever one winner, and deep down Tommy Hearns knew it and he didn't really fancy it as seen through his body language.

Hearns knew that once Hagler sized him up he would do some damage, whereas Hagler knew that Hearns could never in a million years knock him out and it was only a matter of time until Hagler got on the front foot and nailed him like a lion stalks a zebra.

[Fleetwood Mac]

It's a language thing. The Americans call football soccer because in American it's soccer. They also call pavements sidewalks because that's what they are in American.

Not true.

They're footpaths. The Americans might call them sidewalks, but a footpath is a footpath and it simply means that they have no respect for the footpath and choose to call them something else.

Robert, I might call your wife Sarah, but it doesn't mean she is Sarah.

It's like bread buns. In the North East, they are bread buns; in Yorkshire they are bread cakes or bread rolls; in Lancashire they are barm cakes. Only one of us can be right because we're describing the same thing and it just so happens that they are actually bread buns and everyone else is wrong; similarly it's a footpath and the Yanks have it back to front.

Next you'll be telling me trousers can reasonably be called pants, and trainers should be called sneakers.

[Sam Flynn]

It's a language thing. The Americans call football soccer because in American it's soccer..

Not quite, Rob. The term "soccer" was a product of the English public school system, along with "rugger".

[Robert]

But if the Americans use "soccer" to denote football, and use the term consistently, so that Americans understand that when they say "soccer" to each other they are talking about football, then in the American language "soccer" means football. It doesn't matter whence the term originated or whether other countries use the term.

[Sam Flynn]

It doesn't matter whence the term originated or whether other countries use the term.

Sorry, Rob, I thought your post was suggesting that "soccer" was an American coinage.

[Robert]

No, Gareth - if the Americans coined a word for it they'd probably call it kickball or something like that.

[GUT]

And Germany WIN..

[Fleetwood Mac]

And Germany WIN..

I was once in Northern France with a few mates by the coast. We were sat down at night round a fire with a guitar out playing a few games, having a beer and there were a few Dutch lads and lasses with us. We were having a beer and a laugh and just enjoying a chat. A couple of lads walked up and one of them had a pair of Germany shorts on. So, we said: "'ere lads, sit down have a beer and a game of this" (can't remember what game we were playing) and without breaking sweat and with no hint of humour they said: " we are German, we don't play games because we always win". Suppose they were right in the end (but you wouldn't want them round to cheer you up if you were feeling low).

[GUT]

Not so sure about the "always win" I seem to remember them taking a few losses.

[bolo]

And Germany WIN..

I'm happy!

[DVV]

Bravo

[DVV]

Tommy Hearns was a better puncher?!

Definitely so.
This sport is easy understood for you, isn't it ?
Hearns has been defeated so Hagler has to be a better puncher.
Problem is that Foreman didn't win in Kinshasa, and Tyson has been defeated twice by Holyfield.
Just some famous examples among many.
The truth is that Hagler has taken the first round's blows like the great champion he was.

[GUT]

G'day David

Problem is that Foreman didn't win in Kinshasa, and Tyson has been defeated twice by Holyfield.

In my opinion Big George may well have been the hardest hitter of all time but had no answer for Ali's mouth and rope a dope.

[DVV]

Ali's mouth and rope a dope.

I'm afraid my English is too poor to understand

[GUT]

Sorry David

"Ali's mouth" refers to the taunting by Ali as Forman hit him in the stomach with comments like "My Momma hit me harder than you are" and "That the best you got boy" [boy being a derogatory term to African Americans] in my opinion making Forman expend more energy than he should have.

"Rope a dope" is a common term for the technique used of leaning on the ropes [which many believe had been loosened] and allowing the ropes to absorb some of the blow.

The combination of that taunting, leading to Forman becoming frenzied and the ropes absorbing some impact lead, I believe to Forman tiring much earlier than he otherwise would and allowing Ali to finish him n the 8th.