I totally understand crying for joy; I have done it myself. Athletes have been doing it for years. Heck, who can ever forget Michael Jordan’s tears after the Bulls won the championship shortly following the death of his father, or those of Buster Douglas as he celebrated his upset over Mike Tyson looking upward as if to say “this was for you, my mother.” These were understandable and totally acceptable shows of emotion—and they were poignant.
Chris Arreola
“He was taking too much punishment… When I told him I was going to stop the fight he was irate.”—Trainer Henry Ramirez
When Chris Arreola lost badly to Vitali Klitschko back in 2009, his corner saved Chris from himself as he was taking a savage and bloody beating. Arreola wept uncontrollably for over 10 minutes and finally said
after the slaughter, “I’m so sorry, I really wanted to be champion…never wanted to quit.”
“He had a great performance and I was very surprised,” said Klitschko. “He had a great chin and after my right hook, many opponents go to the floor but he still stayed up. Big respect.” And certainly nothing to cry about.
Alfredo Angulo
When menacing Alfredo Angulo came back after a year off and KOd Raul Casarez in 56 seconds in November 2011, he shed tears of joy and it was a touching scene. Perro had been through a helluva lot outside the ring. But when he lost to Saul Alavrez in 2014, he also wept but this time from disappointment
at what he thought was a premature stoppage. The fact was he had taken a solid beating from a better fighter. And anyone who saw the final malefic head snapping uppercut absorbed by Perro knew he was being saved from far worse than a stoppage. Those tears were unnecessary.
Maybe it’s a Mexican thing—something cultural—but the sight of macho brutes like “The Nightmare” and “Perro” weeping is not conducive to comfort.
Francesco Pianeta
When Wlad Klitschko stepped on the gas and put away the 6’5” Italian in May 2013, you would have thought it was the biggest upset since Tyson vs. Douglas given the manner in which Pianeta reacted. After having been savaged for the entire fight, he reacted to the stoppage as if he had been the heavy favorite going in. The usual great sportsmanship then followed after which Pianeta was seen weeping for a lengthy time. But he had heart, courage and he went out on his shield.
Andre Berto
In the scheme of things, the overly hyped Berto turned out to be more Lacy than Ward. After being stopped by Jesus Soto Karass in the twelfth round in July 2013, Berto looked like a totally worn fighter. He seemed to know his career as a top contender might be over as he buried his head into the comfort body of Virgil Hunter and wept unabashedly as Virgil rubbed his head. It impossible not to share Andre’s hurt and it was painful to witness.
Cedric Agnew
“I fear no man.”—Cedric Agnew
“I found the key to the body. I found this open place in his defense and my last punch was harder.”—Sergey Kovalev
Cedric Agnew fought Sergey Kovalev on March 29, 2014 and was, well, crushed, but he did give a decent account of himself in the early going, showing a Winky Wright-type defense and some decent counters. Meanwhile, “The Krusher” got some badly needed rounds and did show some new things himself as he made the proper adjustments before perpetrating the wax job. However, after the fight, Agnew stayed down and wept for at least 12 minutes for reasons that were not particularly clear. Maybe it had to do with his elderly parents being in the audience (and being shown on TV far more than was necessary) or perhaps Cedric actually believed he could win the fight and was weeping over the “disappointing” outcome. A possible broken nose, swollen face, and blood-filled mouth also could have been contributing factors. However, the length of the crying jag in relation to its possible cause was entirely disproportionate.
While I have nothing against an occasional show of emotions, I trust we are not seeing the beginning of a somewhat discomforting trend.
Ted Sares is a private investor who enjoys writing about boxing. A member of both the RAW and the Elite Powerlifting Federation,Ted is one of the oldest active competitors in the world and on March 29, 2014,he broke his own New Hampshire state records in the Squat, Bench Press, and Dead Lift.
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